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Marvelous Nakamba joins Luton Town on loan

Published

2 years ago

January 31, 2023

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Luton Town have signed Marvelous Nakamba on loan from Aston Villa for the rest of the season.

The Hwange born-Zimbabwean midfielder, 29, has not featured for Villa since last season’s Premier League title-deciding 3-2 final day loss at Manchester City.

Aston Villa confirmed the news on Tuesday, amid revelations that the club had also relieved Aaron Ramsey.

The club, however, recalled Bertrand Traoré from his loan spell at Istanbul Basaksehir FK.

“Marvelous Nakamba has joined Luton Town on loan until the end of the season, while Aaron Ramsey, who spent the first part of 2022/23 with Norwich City, will return to the Championship and spend the rest of the campaign at Middlesbrough.”

Nakamba began his career in his native Zimbabwe before he signed for French side Nancy at the age of 18 after a successful trial in 2012.

Two years later, he played his first match as a professional, starting in a 3-1 home win against Angers. After two appearances for the Ligue 2 outfit, Nakamba signed for Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem on a four-year-deal.

The defensive midfielder established himself in Vitesse’s starting eleven during the 2015-16 campaign, and within that same year made his international debut for Zimbabwe.

To date, following his first cap against Malawi, he has represented his country 26 times including at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2017 and once in 2019.

As well as his competition debut in 2017, he played a vital part in Vitesse’s KNVB Beker cup victory against AZ Alkmaar, the first trophy the Dutch side had won in its 125-year history.

Following his time in the Netherlands, Nakamba joined Belgian side Club Brugge that same year and helped them win the Belgian First Division alongside Ethan Horvath, later making five appearances for the club in the Champions League against AS Monaco, Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid. In 2019, he signed for Aston Villa in the summer transfer window. He made his first Villa appearance against Crewe Alexandra in a 6-1 EFL Cup victory, before making his Premier League debut a month later against West Ham.

Nakamba made 16 appearances in the top-flight last season, and manager Rob Edwards said: “We’re so pleased to be able to bring Marvelous in. That position is one we’ve been looking to fill for a while. I think we’ve got a lot of good midfielders, but not many natural, deep midfield players and I really like what he’s about.

“He’s got a brilliant attitude, great physicality, good quality and I think he really suits the way we play, so he will fit in really well with us.

“He’s had amazing experiences playing in the Premier League and Champions League, and we want him to bring all of that to try to help improve us.“There are difficult decisions within this window, but everything that we are trying to do is always with an aim to try to keep improving and moving forward, and we feel that being able to get Marvelous in the building to the end of the season is a real coup for us.”

Speaking after finalising his medical at The Brache, Nakamba said: “I’m very happy to be here at Luton Town. I know Henri Lansbury from Aston Villa and Ethan Horvath because I played with him at Club Brugge, so it’s a good feeling to see them again.

“I spoke with the gaffer and he told me about the project of the club and I told him my situation, that it was interesting for me to come over here.

“I think it’s good for the club, great for me and I love the ambition at the club. I’m looking forward to contributing to help the team.”-Luton Town Football Club, VicFallsLive

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Zimparks launches elephant culling program

Published

2 days ago

June 3, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

In a bid to address the growing elephant population in Save Valley Conservancy, the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) has issued permits for a controlled elephant management exercise.

The exercise, slated to commence shortly, aims to cull an initial 50 elephants from the conservancy, which is currently home to 2,550 elephants – more than three times the ecological carrying capacity of 800 elephants.

According to ZimParks, the conservancy has been struggling to cope with the swelling elephant population, which has put a strain on the wildlife habitat and resources. Over the past five years, the conservancy has translocated 200 elephants to other areas, including Hurungwe and Sapi, in an effort to manage the population.

Zimparks says the controlled culling exercise is expected to provide relief to the conservancy’s ecosystem, while also benefiting local communities.

Elephant meat from the exercise will be distributed to local communities while the ivory will be kept by the State.

In a statement, ZimParks spokesperson Tinashe Farawo emphasized the authority’s commitment to responsible and sustainable wildlife management.

“We remain committed to ensuring that our wildlife resources are managed in a responsible and sustainable manner, for the benefit of present and future generations.”

In the community

Hwange police seek public’s help in locating missing teen

Published

3 weeks ago

May 15, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY STAFF REPORTER

The Hwange police are urgently seeking the public’s assistance in locating 16-year-old Latoya Lisa Munkuli, who went missing on May 7, this month.

Latoya, a dark-complexioned female juvenile, was last seen leaving her residence in Hwange around 4 pm.

She was wearing a distinctive outfit consisting of green trousers and a white T-shirt, and carried a black satchel. She stands approximately 1.6 meters tall.

Inspector Glory Banda of the Hwange police is leading the investigation and urges anyone with information about Latoya’s whereabouts to come forward.

If you have any information about Latoya’s disappearance, please contact Inspector Banda on 0785961747 or 0771256607.

National

Coal train in flames: NRZ locomotive damaged in fire incident

Published

2 months 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.