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My only sin is I’m neither Nambya nor Tonga, says Victoria Falls town clerk

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BY TINASHE KAIRIZA

LOCAL Government and Public Works minister July Moyo has instituted an investigation into corruption allegations that led to the suspension of Victoria Falls Town Clerk Ronnie Dube, to ascertain the veracity of the claims.

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The six-member probe team, which is being led by Harare Metropolitan province Local Governance director Cathrine Kampila has cast light on tribal dynamics rocking Victoria Falls as Dube claims that he was victimised because he is neither “Tonga nor Nambya”.

Moyo’s initiated probe seeks to test the veracity of allegations levelled against Dube, which include the sale of a stand at a cost of US$4,3 million although it was tendered for US$5,8 million by the highest bidder. This could have potentially prejudiced the resort city of US$1,5 million.

Dube was suspended on September 8 by Victoria Falls Mayor Somveli Dhlamini, after which he was served with the charge sheet that shows the allocation of a brewery stand to Jackleberry Investments without council authority and expropriating US$84 000 from the local authority’s account.

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Dhlamini was also arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) on October 6, 2022, for allegedly acquiring a residential stand illegally.

In a letter dated September 29, 2022, and seen by the Independent, Moyo appointed Kampila to lead the investigating team, assigning her to “validate all issues and allegations raised in the letter of the Town Clerk’s suspension and other related matters.

“I refer to the attached letter from the Mayor of Victoria Falls, suspending the Town Clerk and copied to me. Subsequent to the request therein to cause an investigation into the matter and the provisions of the Urban Councils Act, I appoint you as the chairperson of the investigations committee. Note that this is a serious matter…I trust you shall execute your task diligently,” Moyo wrote to Kampila.

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Moyo’s letter to Kampila was also furnished to a number of government bureaucrats including Matebeleland North Provincial Affairs minister Richard Moyo and Local Government and Public Works secretary Zvinechimwe Churu.

The Kampila-led committee will review the charges levelled against Dube, which resulted in his suspension.

The investigating team, as learnt by the Independent, flew to the resort destination last week to commence its work.

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In a letter outlining the charges and seen by the Independent, Dube is accused of abuse of office.

The Town Clerk is also accused of unprocedurally allocating the resort area’s dumpsite to Green Life Africa in partnership with Mosia Tunya Waste and Landfill Private Limited.

“On February 25, 2021, you unilaterally allocated the council dumpsite to Green Life Africa in partnership with Mosia Tunya Waste and Landfill Pvt Limited without a council resolution. In your letter dated 25 February 2021, you stated that management had no authority to lease the said dump site/landfill or sewerage pond area.

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You acted outside the scope of your mandate by usurping council powers,” Dhlamini wrote to Dube.

Dube, as the charge sheet shows, is also accused of “theft of trust property” with allegations stating that he illegally transferred US$84 000 from the Victoria Falls City bank account.

The embattled Town Clerk is also accused of “incompetence, dereliction of duty and failure to supervise staff”.

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Dube was also accused of “misleading” council to sell stand number 8300 in a transaction that potentially prejudiced the local authority.

Responding to the allegations, Dube denied any wrongdoing to the Independent, suggesting that he was being victimised by top officials because of his ethnic background.

“My only sin is that I am neither Nambya nor Tonga and this has compromised my effectiveness as some political heavyweights are fronting a tribal agenda,” he said.

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After receiving the charge sheet, Dube, sought counsel from his lawyers, who wrote to Dhlamini indicating that the Mayor’s actions were meant to settle personal scores against their client.

“On a separate note, our client is rather concerned at what appears to be a continued unwarranted attack on his person by yourself. He may be forgiven to think that you have a personal vendetta against him.

“For instance, it is common knowledge that you previously caused his suspension from work. Again, he was cleared of any wrongdoing by the court of law which found him not guilty and acquitted him, Ncube and Partners Legal Practitioners wrote to Dhlamini, in a letter that was also copied to Moyo.

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Dhlamini had not responded to questions posed by this publication. The investigation by the Local Government and Public Works ministry comes three months after the Independent reported that Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe’s top tourism drawcard and world spectacle, was at the centre of a legal dispute pitting environmentalists and two firms planning to build on restricted zones marked by Unesco as a world heritage site. – Zimbabwe Independent

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Zimbabwe moves to establish tough drug control agency amid rising substance abuse crisis

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

As Zimbabwe battles a surge in drug and substance abuse, the government has tabled a new Bill in Parliament seeking to establish a powerful agency to coordinate enforcement, rehabilitation, and prevention programmes across the country.

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The National Drug and Substance Abuse Control and Enforcement Agency Bill (H.B. 12, 2025) proposes the creation of a dedicated agency mandated to combat the supply and demand of illicit drugs, provide rehabilitation services, and strengthen coordination between law enforcement and social service institutions.

According to the explanatory memorandum of the Bill, the agency will operate under two main divisions — a Social Services Intervention Division to focus on prevention, treatment and community rehabilitation, and an Enforcement Division to target supply chains, trafficking networks, and related financial crimes.

The legislation describes drug abuse as “a grave internal national security threat” and “a public health crisis” that fuels organised crime, corruption and violence. It notes that drug profits have enabled criminal cartels to “purchase the instrumentalities of crime, including weapons,” and to corrupt both civilian and non-civilian public officials.

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Under the new framework, the agency will have powers to:

  • Investigate and arrest individuals involved in drug trafficking and production;
  • Work jointly with the Zimbabwe Republic Police, Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, and Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe;
  • Establish checkpoints at ports of entry and exit to intercept harmful substances; and
  • Expand the legal definition of “harmful drugs” to include emerging synthetic substances, in consultation with the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe.

The Social Services Division will lead prevention campaigns, develop demand-reduction programmes, and facilitate the creation of rehabilitation and detoxification centres nationwide. It will also introduce a monitoring system requiring schools, employers, and local authorities to adopt anti-drug awareness and intervention programmes within 90 days of the Act’s commencement.

Each province and district will host offices of the agency to decentralise services and ensure community-level engagement, while traditional leaders will help devise local prevention strategies.

The Bill further empowers the agency to employ prosecutors from the National Prosecuting Authority to handle drug-related cases, signalling a shift toward specialised prosecution of narcotics offences. It also introduces a new, stricter “standard scale of fines” and penalties for drug crimes — higher than those prescribed under existing criminal laws.

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In a major development, the proposed law integrates the agency into Zimbabwe’s Money Laundering and Proceeds of Crime Act, allowing it to pursue unexplained wealth orders and seize assets linked to drug cartels.

The Bill stresses rehabilitation and social reintegration as key pillars. It obliges the agency to support affected individuals through psychosocial counselling, vocational training, and community wellness programmes aimed at helping addicts rebuild their lives.

If passed, the National Drug and Substance Abuse Control and Enforcement Agency will replace fragmented anti-drug efforts currently scattered across ministries and law enforcement agencies, creating a central authority to drive national strategy and coordination.

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Parliament is expected to debate the Bill in the coming weeks amid growing concern over youth addiction to crystal meth, cough syrups, and other illicit substances that have taken root in both urban and rural communities.

 

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Hwange unit 8 breaks down, deepening Zimbabwe’s power supply challenges

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BY WANDILE TSHUMA 

ZESA Holdings has announced that Hwange Unit 8 has been taken off the national grid following a technical fault, a development expected to worsen Zimbabwe’s persistent electricity shortages.

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In a statement released on Monday, the power utility said the unit would be out of service for ten days while restoration work is carried out.

“Hwange Unit 8 has been taken off the grid due to a technical fault. The unit will be out of service for 10 days while restoration work is carried out,” ZESA said.

The company said Hwange Unit 7 remains operational, generating 335 megawatts (MW) to support system stability, while power generation at Kariba South Power Station has been ramped up with “careful management of water allocations” to compensate for the temporary shortfall.

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ZESA apologized for the inconvenience and appealed for public understanding as engineers work to restore the unit.

Zimbabwe has faced recurring electricity supply challenges over the past two decades, driven by ageing infrastructure, limited generation capacity, and low water levels at Kariba Dam. While the commissioning of Hwange Units 7 and 8 in 2023 brought some relief, frequent breakdowns have continued to disrupt supply, forcing industries and households to endure prolonged load-shedding.

The latest fault at Hwange comes at a time when power demand is surging across the country, particularly during the hot season when air conditioning and irrigation systems increase pressure on the grid.

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Energy experts say the outage highlights the need for greater investment in maintenance, renewable energy, and grid modernization to stabilize Zimbabwe’s power supply in the long term.

 

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Tsholotsho to host national commemoration of International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Zimbabwe will on Thursday, this week,  join the rest of the world in commemorating the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDR), with national events set to take place at Tshino Primary School in Ward 5, Tsholotsho District, along the Tsholotsho–Sipepa road.

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The global day, observed annually, aims to promote a culture of disaster risk awareness and highlight efforts to reduce vulnerability and build resilience in communities.

Speaking to VicFallsLive, Civil Protection Unit Director Nathan Nkomo said this year’s commemoration holds special significance for Tsholotsho, a district that has long struggled with recurrent flooding.

“The whole issue is to reduce, not to increase the occurrence of disasters. And by commemorating, that’s where we share ideas with other people,” Nkomo said.

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He noted that Tsholotsho’s selection as the national host was deliberate, following the successful relocation of families who were affected by flooding at the confluence of the Gwai and Shashani rivers.

“It’s not by accident that we are commemorating in Tsholotsho. We have built 305 houses for people who were affected in the Spepa area, and we will be celebrating in style because we have managed to relocate them,” he said.

“Now we no longer hear of people being flooded in Tsholotsho because of that relocation. So, we will be celebrating in style for Tshini and Sawudweni.”

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The relocations, carried out under government’s disaster recovery and housing programs, have been hailed as a success story in proactive disaster risk management.

Looking ahead to the cyclone season, Nkomo said funding remains the major challenge in preparedness and response.

“We cannot preempt to say there are challenges yet, but historically, since we’ve dealt with COVID-19 and Cyclone Idai, the issue of funds has always been critical,” he said.

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“This year, we are dealing with cyclones at a time when even our development partners have dwindling resources. So, funding will take centre stage in our deliberations, to see how best we can respond with the little we have. The whole idea, when you go to war, is not the question of numbers, but of strategy and how to win.”

The International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction is observed globally every October 13, but Zimbabwe’s national commemorations are being held later this year to align with local preparedness programs and community-based activities.

 

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