National

Nigerian in court for trying to smuggle 2.3 kg of cocaine via Victoria Falls Airport

Published

2 years ago

October 26, 2022

BY AWAKHIWE KHUMALO

A Nigerian national allegedly tried to smuggle 2.33 kilogrammes of cocaine through the Victoria Falls International Airport, which was hidden in linings of hats and jackets that were on his travelling bag, a magistrates’ court has been told.

Onuoha Desmond Onyii (46) was not asked to plead to the drug smuggling charges when he appeared before Victoria Falls resident magistrate Godswill Mavenge on Tuesday.

Onyii was arrested by police at the airport on Sunday with the cocaine stash valued at $126 752 000.

Prosecutor Portia Moyo said on October 23, detectives from police’s Criminal Investigation Department under the Drug and Narcotics section received information showing that Onyii was in possession of cocaine, which he intended to smuggle into Zimbabwe.

A trap was set up for the Nigerian.

“Whilst at the airport, detectives observed the accused at the arrivals gate with two bags wrapped with red plastic wrapping paper, a small brown satchel and a small brown travelling bag,” Moyo said.

“The accused went through all check-in immigration and customs formalities from Ethiopian Airlines and the detectives, who pretended to be agents told the accused person that they will assist him to go to a hotel in Victoria Falls.

“The detectives then assisted the accused person with his bags to the vehicle outside the airport terminal before introducing themselves and outlining their mission to the accused person.”

Moyo said Onyii’s bags were taken to police for a search.

“Some white substance was recovered stashed in linings of some hats and jackets which were in two big bags,” she added.

A preliminary test of the substances was done in Onyii’s presence and the results came out positive for cocaine, leading to his arrest.

“During the arrest of the accused it was established that he had a Ghanaian passport- number G0559957 and a Nigerian passport number B50060514,” Moyo revealed.

He had travelled from Brazil via Ethiopia to Zimbabwe.

He allegedly used his Nigerian passport to book his flight in Brazil but used his Ghanaian passport on arrival in Zimbabwe.

In opposing bail, Moyo argued that Onyii was a flight risk.

“(The) accused is a foreign national and his place of residence in Zimbabwe is not known,” she argued.

“The accused is likely to interfere with the evidence and the main supplier of the contraband is still to be accounted for and if the accused is released on bail this will jeopardise and derail investigations.”

“The gravity of the offence the accused is facing if convicted carries a long custodial mandatory sentence, so there are high chances for the accused to abscond.”

Mavenge remanded Onyii in custody to November 7 where he will appear at the regional court in Hwange. He was advised to apply for bail at the High Court.

National

Ranger killed by elephant in Kariba

Published

4 days 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

1 month 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.

National

Retailers send Mnangagwa SOS as shops continue shutting down over operational woes

Published

2 months ago

January 27, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY ZIMLIVE

The Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers (CZR) has implored President Emmerson Mnangagwa to intervene and save the sector which has seen various formal retail and wholesale businesses closing shop countrywide due to operational challenges.

In a statement on Sunday, CZR president Denford Mutashu said the continued closure of formal retail and wholesale businesses is a direct consequence of the tough economic environment that has consistently failed to support formalised sector players who face stiff competition from informal businesses and vendors the majority of whom have no tax obligations to deal with.

Mutashu said his association was concerned that authorities continue to downplay the crisis.

“The recent closure of several outlets under the N. Richards Group, coupled with Spar Zimbabwe’s painful decision to shut down Queensdale Spar, Choppies Zimbabwe’s exit from the market, and Mahommed Mussa’s significant reduction of shop space by 60%, highlights the growing crisis.

“As the representative association for these and other brands, CZR is alarmed that while formal businesses face enormous challenges, the authorities continue to present a different picture of the operating environment,” he said.

Given the situation, Mutashu said, only President Mnangagwa can rescue the troubled sector.

“CZR therefore calls for urgent intervention from His Excellency, President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, to rescue what remains of the formalized retail and wholesale sector,” said Mutashu.

He said the sector was in urgent need of rescue.

“While CZR acknowledges the continued support from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, it is clear that the root causes of these challenges are fiscal and monetary in nature. These require urgent and decisive action to ensure the survival of formal businesses.

“CZR therefore appeals to the Presidium to prioritize interventions aimed at saving jobs and mitigating the ongoing wave of shop closures and retrenchments,” he said.