National

Molokele denies planning protests, accuses authorities of fabrication

Published

9 months ago

August 6, 2024

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Hwange Central MP Daniel Molokele has spoken out about his harrowing experience being interrogated by law enforcement agents for two hours on Sunday.

In an exclusive interview, Molokele revealed that he was accused of planning protests for the upcoming SADC summit.

“I was at the police station for about two hours, and they only interrogated me about planning SADC summit protests,” he said.

“The police, CID, and CIO President’s Office were also there, about ten of them in the room.”

Molokele denied the allegations, stating that he had only attended an internal leaders’ meeting in Victoria Falls, which was postponed due to a police tipoff.

“They said that I had traveled to Victoria Falls and I’d been mobilizing people from Hwange and Victoria Falls to travel by bus to a SADC protest,” he said.

“This is all lies, this is all fabrication, and this is not true. I have not organized anything, and I am not planning any protest.”

Molokele’s experience, together with one councilor has sparked concerns about the government’s crackdown on opposition figures and human rights activists ahead of the SADC conference this month.

Several arrests have been made in recent weeks.

On June 16, police arrested over 70 CCC members, including Jameson Timba, during an event at his home in Harare.

Security forces beat people with batons and fired teargas, resulting in injuries, before charging them with gathering with intent to promote public violence and disorderly conduct.

Others were also arrested last week for similar offenses.

Khanyo Farise, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, has called on the authorities to immediately and unconditionally release the CCC opposition party members and drop all charges against them.

“This lengthy, baseless detention plainly violates Zimbabwe’s Constitution and its international human rights obligations,” said Farise.

“Authorities must end the crackdown on civic space and ensure everyone can freely speak and gather peacefully without fear of arrest or torture and other ill-treatment.”

As the summit draws near, the Home Minister has accused opposition parties of planning demonstrations to deliberately provoke a harsh response from the authorities.

Meanwhile, some stakeholders, including South Africa’s Democratic Alliance, are urging member countries to consider relocating the summit due to Zimbabwe’s escalating human rights violations.

National

Coal train in flames: NRZ locomotive damaged in fire incident

Published

6 days 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

1 month 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.