National

‘Neglect and failure ‘crippling local authorities, Mnangagwa

Published

2 years ago

March 16, 2023

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Neglect and failure by the majority of local authorities is crippling the service delivery and the country’s goal to be an upper middle class by 2030, president Emmerson Mnangagwa has lamented.

Mnangagwa said this on Thursday at a programme for the announcement of the 2022 performance evaluation results and signing of perfomance contracts for senior public officials for Fiscal year 2023 at the State House.

Present were Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, Chief Executive Officers for Parastatals and Local Authorities, Vice Chancellors of State Universities among other senior civil servants signing their 2023 performance contracts.

“Performance of local authorities as outlined in the assessment report remains worrisome and a huge drawback in our march towards Vision 2030,” Mnangagwa was quoted saying by the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting.

“While devolution funds have gone a long way in accelerating infrastructure development,neglect and failure by majority of local authorities to focus on their core mandate of service delivery is unacceptable.”

No local authority won the best performance award.

97 out of 101 Public Entities spread on 21 ministries were evaluated and nine exceeded set target, 47 percent met set target, 30 percent were within allowable variance and four percent below set target and below allowable variance.

Best performer award was given to the viice chancellor of Harare Institute of Technology.

At least 20 permanent secretaries were evaluated and one exceeded set target, 15 met set target and four were below set target but within allowable variance.

Overall best performer was John Bhasera in the ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development.

For the cabinet ministers, 19 out of 21 ministers were evaluated and two ministers exceeded set target, 15 met set target and two were below set target but within allowable variance.

Best performer award was given to Anxious Masuka from Bhasera’s ministry.

Runner up award went to Fredrick Shava who is the minister of Foreign Affairs.

National

Coal train in flames: NRZ locomotive damaged in fire incident

Published

3 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.