National

Mkhosana man charged for raping cousin

Published

3 years ago

November 3, 2022

VicFallsLive

BY AWAKHIWE KHUMALO

A Victoria Falls man has been charged for allegedly raping his cousin repeatedly for two years.

The 23 year-old man from Mkhosana, whose identity cannot be revealed to protect the victim, started raping the girl when she was eight and was doing Grade 3, resident magistrate Godswill Mavenge was told.

He was not asked to plead to the charges.

According to court records, the accused raped the girl between January and December in 2017 and on August 5 this year.

On the first recount, prosecutors alleged that the accused raped the victim when her parents left her in his custody over the weekend.

He allegedly told the girl, who was seated in the dining room at the time, that he wanted to teach her something but she refused to comply.

The man allegedly followed the girl to her bedroom where he abused her.

“He then followed me where l was sleeping,” the girl narrated in a sworn statement.

“He held me both of my hands and removed my clothes (and) he was naked.

“He then mounted on top of me and had sexual intercourse with me.”

Prosecutors said the accused raped the girl several times after the first incident as he took advantage of her parents’ absence.

“I could not tell anyone about the incident because threatened me,” the girl said.

On August 5 the man allegedly raped the girl during the day when her parents were away.

“The accused sent my siblings to go and fetch some wild fruits at the nearby bush and he then dragged me to his bedroom (and) whilst inside, he removed my clothes and lowered his trousers to knee level and had sexual intercourse (with me),” she said.

He allegedly threatened to kill her if she reported the abuse to anyone.

The matter, however, came to light when the girl told her uncle (name withheld) about the abuse on October 15 leading to the accused’s arrest.

The man will appear at the Hwange regional court today for further remand.

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

3 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

4 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.