National

Matabeleland North tops in Covid-19 vaccinations

Published

3 years ago

October 24, 2021

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Forty two percent of people targeted for Covid-19 vaccination in Matabeleland North have been inoculated, the second highest percentage in Zimbabwe, Finance minister Mthuli Ncube said.

Ncube told the ongoing pre-budget seminar for parliamentarians in Victoria Falls that based on October 19 figures, only Bulawayo had higher vaccination rates than Matabeleland North.

“As at 17 October 2021, about 3.2 million first doses had been administered, while 2.5 million people had received their second, “Ncube said.

“The leading provinces are Bulawayo and Matabeleland North at 47.7% and 42.4%, respectively.”

The government is targeting to vaccinate 400 000 people in Matabeleland North to reach herd immunity.

Chitungwiza, Matabeleland South and Mashonaland Central have the lowest Covid-19 vaccines uptake, Ncube said.

As of Saturday, Matabeleland North had 195 965 people who have been fully vaccinated while 255 137 had received their first dose.

The province’s health officials say they have come up with strategies to create demand for vaccines that include moving around rural schools targeting villagers, who live far away from district hospitals and clinics, especially in Nkayi and Binga.

Ncube said at national level, an average of 37.9 percent of people had received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine as of October 17, and 29.1 percent were fully vaccinated.

He said his ministry would ensure that there were enough vaccines for every eligible Zimbabwean.

“To mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, government is utilising the budget surplus of US$100 million from the previous year to procure vaccines to save lives and livelihoods,” he said.

“At the end of September 2021, government had spent about US$127 million towards procurement of almost 16.2 million vaccines and 16.2 million syringes.”

The target is to reach 60% herd immunity, which translates to 10 million people, he said.

“Mobilisation of additional resources is underway to ensure that the target population is fully vaccinated,” Ncube added.

“Government also acknowledges the support from development partners to complement efforts in addressing the Covid-19 pandemic.

“By end of September, the country had received US$137.6 million and 1 085 000 vaccines from the Development Partners to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.”

He said the investment in the vaccination drive had put Zimbabwe among the best performing countries in Africa in combating the disease.

“As at 18 October 2021, the country was on eighth place in Sub-Saharan Africa in terms of vaccination rate at 21.47%, with Seychelles at 81%, followed by Mauritius (69%), Cape Verde (51%), Cape Verde (51%), Sao Tome and Principe (33.95%), South Africa (23%), Rwanda (22%) and Botswana (22%), in that order, “Ncube said.

“In addition to resources spent on procurement of vaccines, government has also spent more than $38 billion towards the containment of the pandemic as at 20 August in Covid-19 allowances, construction of quarantine centres and handling of vaccines among other roles. “

National

Ranger killed by elephant in Kariba

Published

3 weeks 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

2 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.

National

Retailers send Mnangagwa SOS as shops continue shutting down over operational woes

Published

2 months ago

January 27, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY ZIMLIVE

The Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers (CZR) has implored President Emmerson Mnangagwa to intervene and save the sector which has seen various formal retail and wholesale businesses closing shop countrywide due to operational challenges.

In a statement on Sunday, CZR president Denford Mutashu said the continued closure of formal retail and wholesale businesses is a direct consequence of the tough economic environment that has consistently failed to support formalised sector players who face stiff competition from informal businesses and vendors the majority of whom have no tax obligations to deal with.

Mutashu said his association was concerned that authorities continue to downplay the crisis.

“The recent closure of several outlets under the N. Richards Group, coupled with Spar Zimbabwe’s painful decision to shut down Queensdale Spar, Choppies Zimbabwe’s exit from the market, and Mahommed Mussa’s significant reduction of shop space by 60%, highlights the growing crisis.

“As the representative association for these and other brands, CZR is alarmed that while formal businesses face enormous challenges, the authorities continue to present a different picture of the operating environment,” he said.

Given the situation, Mutashu said, only President Mnangagwa can rescue the troubled sector.

“CZR therefore calls for urgent intervention from His Excellency, President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, to rescue what remains of the formalized retail and wholesale sector,” said Mutashu.

He said the sector was in urgent need of rescue.

“While CZR acknowledges the continued support from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, it is clear that the root causes of these challenges are fiscal and monetary in nature. These require urgent and decisive action to ensure the survival of formal businesses.

“CZR therefore appeals to the Presidium to prioritize interventions aimed at saving jobs and mitigating the ongoing wave of shop closures and retrenchments,” he said.