National

Missing Hwange boy found in Harare 12 days after disappearing from home

Published

3 years ago

September 8, 2022

BY NOTHANDO DUBE

A 12 year-old Hwange boy, who ran away from home at night nearly a fortnight ago, has been found in Harare in an incident that has left the community searching for answers.

Tanaka Neshena from Madumabisa left home on August 24 at 10 PM without anyone noticing.

CCTV footage from the Hwange Colliery Company showed Tanaka boarding an unidentified vehicle near his home, but it did not provide useful leads as the visuals were hazy.

There were reports that Neshena was spotted around Hwange’s Cinderrella Township talking to a truck driver, but the desperate search by his parents ended this week when they received a call from the police in Harare’s Mbare suburb informing them that their son had been found.

The Neshena family said they were relieved that their child was found alive and well.

“It was around 3pm when a police officer contacted us to inform that Tanaka has handed over himself to the police,” Neshena’s mother Sharai told VicFallsLive.

Sharai said Neshena said he wanted to return to Hwange because he wanted to go to school.

In the phone call conversation, he excitedly spoke to his parents asking them how they were doing.

“He was jovial as usual, he asked how we were doing, as if nothing happened, he also asked after his little sister,” said Sharai.

He was picked from Mbare police station by Sharia’s brother.

“He is safely in Glenview 3, at his uncle’s place,” Sharai said.

“He told us that he went to Harare to visit his cousin.

“According to the uncle, Tanaka is fine but was looking dirty when he went to the police.

“His uncle has since barred many family members from asking Tanaka a lot of questions because, he believes the boy is tired, he will speak when he is well rested.

“He has also advised that it will not be safe to send Tanaka back alone, its either his aunt will bring him over, or we will go and collect him ourselves, we are still deliberating on the options.”

The Neshena family strongly believe that Tanaka’s disappearance had something to do with “spiritual” issues.

“We will get spiritual counselling for him but in the physical we will treat him as if nothing happened.

“He will gradually tell us what happened, he is an extrovert.

“We will first check if he was not abused then take him for spiritual counselling.”

The family thanked the Hwange community for assisting them in their time of need.

‘We are grateful to the deputy head of Thomas Coulter Primary Thokozile Chipato who came to visit us to give her support,” Sharai said.

“I am very happy.”

National

Coal train in flames: NRZ locomotive damaged in fire incident

Published

2 weeks 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.