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Mwonzora-led MDC Alliance recalls Victoria Falls, Binga councillors

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

The Douglas Mwonzora-led MDC Alliance has recalled eight councillors in Matabeleland North after accusing them of working with the Nelson Chamisa-led Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC).

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According to MDC-T spokesperson Witness Dube, the eight councillors from Binga and Victoria Falls were fired last week for supporting CCC.

MDC-T leads the MDC Alliance, the opposition coalition that won parliamentary and council seats during the 2018 elections while still under the leadership of Chamisa before Mwonzora took over under controversial circumstances.

Mwonzora’s party has been wielding the axe against elected representatives who are still loyal to Chamisa and the latest recalls followed months of a lull in the removals.

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Dube insisted in an interview with VicFallsLive that the recalls were being done to protect the interests of voters.

“When we do recalls as a party we do them in accordance with section 12K of the national constitution, which gives any party authority to recall any public official who would have ceased to be their member through whatever means and we have a right to recall them so as to protect the vote of the people,” he said.

“It is true that we have recalled councillors in Binga and Victoria Falls in line with the same constitutional provisions (because) they are now supporting other political parties while still serving our term.

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“Councillors were elected in 2018 under the MDC Alliance banner, so for them to then turn around and support other political parties is illegal and it is a misrepresentation of the 2018 votes.

“In this case we even had a very awkward situation whereby people stopped belonging to MDC Alliance and started belonging to a newly formed political party which has no policy document, which has no constitution, which has no manifesto, which is even just following individuals and that is very unfair to the voting public in Zimbabwe.”

In Victoria Falls two councillors were recalled namely Thuso Moyo from ward seven and Joseph Dzangai from ward eight.

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From the Binga Rural District Council the recalled councillors are Wilson Siampolomba from Kariangwe ward, Matheas Mudenda (Simatelele), Kingson Mpofu (Kalungwizi), Joseph Mwembe (Sikalenge), Chrispen Munkuli (Lubimbi) and John Sikabotu  (Siachilaba).

Dube said the purge would leave the party with loyal members only.

“We want to pause and paint the problem that this creates,” he said.

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Dube said when political parties go to elections they present their manifestos and the assumption was that once people were elected into public offices they would abide by the policies.

“This movement of public officials from one party to another during their term of office or during the exercise of their duties is not in line with the constitution because the voters would’ve voted for the policies of the party that they represent even in their manifestos,” he added.

Dube said the MDC intended to fill the vacancies created by the recalls once by-elections are hrld, but in the meantime the remaining councillors will have to cover wards that do not have representatives.

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MDC Alliance has not contested in by-elections since it was humiliated by CCC in the March 26 by-elections.

 

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National

Zimbabwe on track for 6% growth as economy recovers from drought

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BY REUTERS

Zimbabwe is on track to achieve a forecasted 6% economic growth in 2025 helped by good agricultural output and strong commodity prices, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said on Thursday.

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The Southern African country’s economy has shown signs of recovery in the first half of the year following a severe drought and currency turbulence in 2024 that pushed GDP growth down to 2%.

“Given the positive economic developments during the period January to June, we are confident that the projected economic growth of 6% alluded to in the 2025 National Budget is achievable,” Ncube told parliament in a mid-year budget review.

“All sectors of the economy are expected to record positive growth in 2025, mainly on account of a favourable agriculture season, improved electricity generation, stable exchange rate and inflation rate,” he said.

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He did not give an update on the budget deficit, which was seen at 0.4% of gross domestic product in 2025 during the budget forecast last November.

Zimbabwe’s fiscal position remains under strain from grain imports, drought relief spending and the public sector wage bill. While the government has collected more revenue than in the same period last year, analysts say containing the deficit may prove difficult without new fiscal measures.

The local currency, the ZiG, launched in April 2024 to replace the Zimbabwe dollar, has largely remained stable against the U.S. dollar but is still overshadowed by widespread use of the dollar in everyday transactions.

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Ncube reiterated the government’s commitment to the gold-backed unit and said the currency had benefited from tight monetary and fiscal policies.

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Malaria cases surge in Zimbabwe

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Zimbabwe is experiencing a dramatic surge in malaria cases, with 111 998 cases and 310 deaths reported as of epidemiological week 23 in 2025.

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This is a significant increase from the same period in 2024, which saw 29 031 cases and 49 deaths.

According to Dr Memory Mapfumo, an epidemiologist at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), “This surge is no coincidence. Prolonged rains have fueled mosquito breeding, while activities like gold panning, fishing, and artisanal mining are exposing more individuals to risk, especially during peak mosquito activity hours.”

The situation is worsened by the low use of insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs), leaving communities exposed and placing further strain on already stretched health systems. Across Zimbabwe, 115 out of 1 705 health facilities have been affected, highlighting the widespread impact of the disease on healthcare infrastructure.

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Mashonaland Central Province has accounted for 32% of all malaria cases, while Manicaland reported 25% of the malaria-related deaths. The interconnectedness of the countries in the region has also contributed to the spread of the disease.

Zimbabwe’s malaria outbreak is part of a broader regional trend. Other countries in southern Africa, including Botswana, eSwatini, and Namibia, are also experiencing significant increases in malaria cases.

In Botswana, 2 223 cases and 11 deaths have been reported, with Okavango being the hardest hit. eSwatini has recorded 187 cases, with children under 15 and farmers being particularly affected. Namibia has seen over 89 959 cases and 146 deaths, with the majority of cases being local transmissions.

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The Africa CDC emphasizes the need for continued vigilance and investment in malaria control. Governments must enhance their efforts to improve the use of ITNs, strengthen community engagement, and address environmental and social factors driving the outbreaks.

Dr Merawi Aragaw, head of Africa CDC’s Surveillance and Disease Intelligence, notes that “as climate change accelerates, we are witnessing shifts in temperature and rainfall that are expanding the range of malaria-carrying mosquitoes, introducing vectors into previously unaffected regions.”

According to Dr Aragaw, “sustained vector control measures – including environmental management, strengthening surveillance, drug and diagnostic resistance monitoring, and fostering cross-border collaboration – will be critical in mitigating the growing threat of vector-borne diseases, especially malaria.”

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The regional surge underscores a broader global trend, with malaria cases worldwide climbing to 263 million in 2023, up from 252 million the previous year, and Africa accounting for 95% of all malaria-related deaths.

Despite these alarming figures, there have been significant successes: Cabo Verde was certified malaria-free in 2023, and Egypt is poised to achieve the same in 2024. Yet for many countries in southern Africa, the road to elimination remains steep, with outbreaks threatening to reverse years of progress.

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Government unveils plan to curb road accidents

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Minister of Information, Publicity, and Broadcasting Services, Jenfan Muswere, has outlined a series of measures to combat the rising tide of road traffic accidents in the country.

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Zimbabwe has been witnessing a worrying surge in road traffic accidents, with the latest incident claiming 17 lives last week, along Seke road.

Yesterday, Muswere addressed the cabinet, outlining measures to curb road traffic accidents. Below is his statement, word for word:

“So capacitation of the vehicle inspection is ongoing and the sourcing of the vehicle inspection department. Compliance to legislation is also one of the parameters that we are utilising.Standardisation in terms of driving schools, the training of drivers, speed limits as a governance to traffic monitoring, the utilisation of traffic management, the utilisation of cameras for number plate recognition and facial recognition in order to curb over speeding and traffic offences. The capacitation of the Zimbabwe Republic Police in order to apprehend and also deal with traffic offences. Legislation amendments that are taking place in order to ensure that our roads are safe. As the minister (Felix Mhona) has also highlighted that the Civil Protection Unit is being capacitated in order to deal with the challenges that we might not have been able to deal with as part of an architecture under the hall of government approach.”

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Background statistics from the Zimbabwe Republic Police reveal a concerning trend. During the first six months of 2025, the country recorded 28 159 road traffic accidents, up from 25 968 in the same period last year. Fatal crashes also increased by 11% from 784 to 870, while road deaths rose by 4.9% from 1 037 to 1 088. The majority of accidents occur in known danger zones, often due to commuter congestion and erratic driving by public transport operators.

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