National

Jambezi villager loses 15 herd of cattle to suspected Zambian rustlers

Published

4 years ago

November 7, 2021

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

A woman from Jambezi near Victoria Falls lost 15 herd of catle to suspected cross border cattle rustlers after their spoors was traced to the Zambezi River bank.

Matabeleland North police spokesperson Glory Banda said the cattle belonging to Beauty Ncube (44) of Sidinda Village 2 under Chief Shana went missing on October 23.

Their spoors were tracked the Kemabondo, a crossing area into Zambia.

Banda said Sibanda’s 25 herd of cattle were released from the kraal on October 23 at around 10AM by her son Mickel Ndlovu (20), who drove them to the Sidinda grazing area and left them unattended.

On the same day at around 3PM, Ndlovu discovered that 15 cattle were missing from the herd.

“He searched for them until he returned home around 8.30PM with only 10 and notified his mother,” Banda said.

“On the following day around 6AM, Sibanda’s son proceeded to Lumbora in Sidinda and continued searching.

“The spoors led him to the grazing lands along the Zambezi River near the Kemabondo crossing area, but he could not locate the missing cattle.”

He added: “The missing cattle are as follows , two black and white steers with small horns, one brown and white steer with small horns, one brown steer with horns pointing sideways, one brown cow with horns pointing upwards with a bell, one brown hornless cow with a bell, one brown cow with white spots and horns pointing to the front, one black and white cow with a bell and horns pointing upwards, one brown and white heifer with horns pointing upwards, and black and white heifer with small horns pointing sideways, one brown heifer with horns pointing backwards , one brown female calf with white belly and a spot on its forehead, one male brown calf with white spots, one brown female calf and one female brown calf with white spots.”

In the past, some village heads in the Jambezi area have claimed that cattle rustlers from Zambia are in the habit of raiding their livestock.

Villagers say the Zambians invade their kraals or grazing lands armed with guns.

Banda appealed to members of the public to report to their nearest police station if they have information or seen anyone selling the identified cows.

National

Coal train in flames: NRZ locomotive damaged in fire incident

Published

1 month ago

April 16, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY WANDILE TSHUMA

A National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) locomotive suffered significant damage after catching fire while transporting export coal to Zambi. The incident occurred between Kalala and Matetsi sidings, resulting in the explosion of the locomotive’s fuel tanks.

According to the NRZ press statement on Monday, “A National Railways of Zimbabwe locomotive suffered some damages after it caught fire this afternoon while transporting export coal to Zambia.” Fortunately, the crew members on board managed to escape unharmed.

The NRZ responded swiftly to the incident, dispatching a rescue train with crews to the site. The team successfully extinguished the fire, preventing further damage. However, the locomotive itself sustained considerable damage.

The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, with investigations currently underway. “Investigations are already underway to establish the cause of the fire and the amount of damage to the locomotive,” the NRZ statement read.

National

Ranger killed by elephant in Kariba

Published

2 months ago

March 14, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

A 62-year-old ranger, Josphat Mandishara, was tragically killed by an elephant in Kariba yesterday.

Mandishara, who worked for the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks), was on patrol in the Gatche-gatche area with fellow rangers and police officers.

At around 10 pm, Mandishara returned to the harbor where their boat was docked, and that’s when he encountered the elephant. The elephant charged at him, causing fatal injuries. His colleagues were nearby, resupplying at the Gatche-gatche Irrigation Scheme.

Mandishara’s body was taken to Kariba District Hospital for a post-mortem, and the incident was reported to the police.

ZimParks has sent a team to manage the problem elephant and prevent similar incidents in the future.

The Director General of ZimParks, Prof. Edson Gandiwa, and his team have sent condolences to Mandishara’s family, friends, and colleagues. Mandishara will be remembered for his dedication to wildlife conservation in Zimbabwe.

National

ZIMRA customs officer appears in court for criminal abuse of office

Published

3 months ago

February 3, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY STAFF REPORTER

A Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) customs officer, Phillip Kuvenga, has been accused of criminal abuse of office for allegedly assisting in the importation of banned motor vehicles.

Kuvenga, 28, who is stationed at Victoria Falls, allegedly received documents from clients, completed valuation sheets, and carried out the valuation process. However, he is accused of endorsing different chassis numbers to deceive his supervisors during the validation and approval process.

After obtaining approval, Kuvenga would capture the correct chassis numbers in the ASYCUDA World System. He would then alter or replace the documents submitted earlier to his supervisors.

The offense came to light when a motor vehicle that had not yet arrived in Zimbabwe was found to have been already registered. A thorough check by ZIMRA led to Kuvenga’s arrest.

Kuvenga appeared in court on February 1, where he was denied bail by Magistrate Gift Manyka. He is expected to appear in court again today for another bail hearing.