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Low voter registration haunts Victoria Falls as wards are redrawn

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

A spirited lobby by politicians and activists for an increase in the number of Victoria Falls wards from 11 to 14 ahead of the 2023 elections has been turned down by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, it has emerged.

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The development was revealed at a Hwange West constituency stakeholder delimitation consultative meeting held in Victoria Falls on Friday.

ZEC has begun delimitation consultations, which will culminate in the redrawing of ward and constituency boundaries based on the latest voter population.

Hwange West MP Godfrey Dube’s personal assistant Robson Salimu told the meeting that Victoria Falls only had 22 000 registered vote and the majority of them were from Mkhosana high density suburb, which makes up ward 11.

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Salimu said ZEC told a recent delimitation stakeholder meeting in Hwange that Mkhosana will be split into four wards, but the city will still remain with 11 wards.

He said the same message had been sent to Victoria Falls town clerk Ronnie Dube.

“What has come out of the delimitation process is that Mkhosana will have four wards (and that means) other wards will have to be scrapped so that we maintain the 11 wards,” Dube said.

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“There is a scientific formula that is used to demarcate a ward and the minimum threshold is 1600 registered voters per ward.

“As we speak ward one has about 600 registered voters and this applies to ward two and with the central government’s standards, they can’t form a ward even if they were combined.

“So naturally, such wards will be combined to make one ward

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“All these wards like ward seven, eight, and four will be affected.

“There will be a new map because those wards are very small, and they don’t meet the minimum requirements to constitute a ward.”

The announcement was met with indignation from the stakeholders, who included politicians, pastors, education sector representatives and activists.

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They argued that ZEC’s decision to dissolve some wards was not justified and was done without consultations.

“Most of the people seated here did not take part in the consultations or give input,” said former ward six councillor Ephia Mambume.

“So yes the horses may have bolted, but is there no way we can get audience (with ZEC) where we can raise our concerns and this is where the MP should come in and help us to try and solve this thing.”

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Victoria Falls Combined Residents Association representative Trymore Ndolo urged ZEC to ensure that voters in the city were made aware of the reconfigured wards.

“What is very important now is for people to be told about their new voting centres when the mapping has been done,”Ndolo said.

“We also have some aspiring councillors, who also need to know about this information.”

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Dube was of the view that information about the reconfiguration of the wards should have been given to the people before voters’ registration blitz as council had proposed to increase the number of wards to 14, but the lobby failed because of the low number of registered voters.

“Such meetings should, perhaps, be done during the process of registering to vote because Victoria Falls has 22 000 registered voters and that divided gives us 11.

“So our proposal to have at least 14 wards next year will not work without any scientific justification backing our proposal.”

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Zanu PF’s Hwange district chairperson Matthew Muleya argued that it was too late to convince ZEC to reverse its decision.

“If you see us from the revolutionary party being quite it means that this was passed long ago and we don’t have the resources to send a delegation to Hwange,” Muleya said.

“(In any case) they will present what has been said by the people and nothing will come out it.

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“We tried it as the ruling party, although we could not disclose it because we are sometimes much better than the opposition.

“So this issue of numbers cannot be changed even in rural areas where we have a grip.

“The number of registered voters determines (the number of wards) and even my ward (19) is affected because there are not enough registered voters.”

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The meeting agreed that the MPs office will make submissions to ZEC calling for more consultations.

The delimitation exercise is done every 10 years and is informed by the population census and the number of registered voters.

 

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National

Zimbabwe moves to establish tough drug control agency amid rising substance abuse crisis

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

As Zimbabwe battles a surge in drug and substance abuse, the government has tabled a new Bill in Parliament seeking to establish a powerful agency to coordinate enforcement, rehabilitation, and prevention programmes across the country.

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The National Drug and Substance Abuse Control and Enforcement Agency Bill (H.B. 12, 2025) proposes the creation of a dedicated agency mandated to combat the supply and demand of illicit drugs, provide rehabilitation services, and strengthen coordination between law enforcement and social service institutions.

According to the explanatory memorandum of the Bill, the agency will operate under two main divisions — a Social Services Intervention Division to focus on prevention, treatment and community rehabilitation, and an Enforcement Division to target supply chains, trafficking networks, and related financial crimes.

The legislation describes drug abuse as “a grave internal national security threat” and “a public health crisis” that fuels organised crime, corruption and violence. It notes that drug profits have enabled criminal cartels to “purchase the instrumentalities of crime, including weapons,” and to corrupt both civilian and non-civilian public officials.

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Under the new framework, the agency will have powers to:

  • Investigate and arrest individuals involved in drug trafficking and production;
  • Work jointly with the Zimbabwe Republic Police, Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, and Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe;
  • Establish checkpoints at ports of entry and exit to intercept harmful substances; and
  • Expand the legal definition of “harmful drugs” to include emerging synthetic substances, in consultation with the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe.

The Social Services Division will lead prevention campaigns, develop demand-reduction programmes, and facilitate the creation of rehabilitation and detoxification centres nationwide. It will also introduce a monitoring system requiring schools, employers, and local authorities to adopt anti-drug awareness and intervention programmes within 90 days of the Act’s commencement.

Each province and district will host offices of the agency to decentralise services and ensure community-level engagement, while traditional leaders will help devise local prevention strategies.

The Bill further empowers the agency to employ prosecutors from the National Prosecuting Authority to handle drug-related cases, signalling a shift toward specialised prosecution of narcotics offences. It also introduces a new, stricter “standard scale of fines” and penalties for drug crimes — higher than those prescribed under existing criminal laws.

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In a major development, the proposed law integrates the agency into Zimbabwe’s Money Laundering and Proceeds of Crime Act, allowing it to pursue unexplained wealth orders and seize assets linked to drug cartels.

The Bill stresses rehabilitation and social reintegration as key pillars. It obliges the agency to support affected individuals through psychosocial counselling, vocational training, and community wellness programmes aimed at helping addicts rebuild their lives.

If passed, the National Drug and Substance Abuse Control and Enforcement Agency will replace fragmented anti-drug efforts currently scattered across ministries and law enforcement agencies, creating a central authority to drive national strategy and coordination.

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Parliament is expected to debate the Bill in the coming weeks amid growing concern over youth addiction to crystal meth, cough syrups, and other illicit substances that have taken root in both urban and rural communities.

 

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Hwange unit 8 breaks down, deepening Zimbabwe’s power supply challenges

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BY WANDILE TSHUMA 

ZESA Holdings has announced that Hwange Unit 8 has been taken off the national grid following a technical fault, a development expected to worsen Zimbabwe’s persistent electricity shortages.

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In a statement released on Monday, the power utility said the unit would be out of service for ten days while restoration work is carried out.

“Hwange Unit 8 has been taken off the grid due to a technical fault. The unit will be out of service for 10 days while restoration work is carried out,” ZESA said.

The company said Hwange Unit 7 remains operational, generating 335 megawatts (MW) to support system stability, while power generation at Kariba South Power Station has been ramped up with “careful management of water allocations” to compensate for the temporary shortfall.

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ZESA apologized for the inconvenience and appealed for public understanding as engineers work to restore the unit.

Zimbabwe has faced recurring electricity supply challenges over the past two decades, driven by ageing infrastructure, limited generation capacity, and low water levels at Kariba Dam. While the commissioning of Hwange Units 7 and 8 in 2023 brought some relief, frequent breakdowns have continued to disrupt supply, forcing industries and households to endure prolonged load-shedding.

The latest fault at Hwange comes at a time when power demand is surging across the country, particularly during the hot season when air conditioning and irrigation systems increase pressure on the grid.

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Energy experts say the outage highlights the need for greater investment in maintenance, renewable energy, and grid modernization to stabilize Zimbabwe’s power supply in the long term.

 

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Tsholotsho to host national commemoration of International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Zimbabwe will on Thursday, this week,  join the rest of the world in commemorating the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDR), with national events set to take place at Tshino Primary School in Ward 5, Tsholotsho District, along the Tsholotsho–Sipepa road.

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The global day, observed annually, aims to promote a culture of disaster risk awareness and highlight efforts to reduce vulnerability and build resilience in communities.

Speaking to VicFallsLive, Civil Protection Unit Director Nathan Nkomo said this year’s commemoration holds special significance for Tsholotsho, a district that has long struggled with recurrent flooding.

“The whole issue is to reduce, not to increase the occurrence of disasters. And by commemorating, that’s where we share ideas with other people,” Nkomo said.

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He noted that Tsholotsho’s selection as the national host was deliberate, following the successful relocation of families who were affected by flooding at the confluence of the Gwai and Shashani rivers.

“It’s not by accident that we are commemorating in Tsholotsho. We have built 305 houses for people who were affected in the Spepa area, and we will be celebrating in style because we have managed to relocate them,” he said.

“Now we no longer hear of people being flooded in Tsholotsho because of that relocation. So, we will be celebrating in style for Tshini and Sawudweni.”

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The relocations, carried out under government’s disaster recovery and housing programs, have been hailed as a success story in proactive disaster risk management.

Looking ahead to the cyclone season, Nkomo said funding remains the major challenge in preparedness and response.

“We cannot preempt to say there are challenges yet, but historically, since we’ve dealt with COVID-19 and Cyclone Idai, the issue of funds has always been critical,” he said.

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“This year, we are dealing with cyclones at a time when even our development partners have dwindling resources. So, funding will take centre stage in our deliberations, to see how best we can respond with the little we have. The whole idea, when you go to war, is not the question of numbers, but of strategy and how to win.”

The International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction is observed globally every October 13, but Zimbabwe’s national commemorations are being held later this year to align with local preparedness programs and community-based activities.

 

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