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Recalls leave Victoria Falls with only two female councillors

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

The mass recall of councillors by Zimbabwe’s former main opposition coalition, the MDC Alliance,  has knocked back the push for more female representation in  the Victoria Falls City Council as the local authority now only has two female councillors.

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Former ward one councillor Marguerite Varley was recalled  two years ago and would not be returning to council chambers  as she has since been replaced by a male councillor following by-elections held on Saturday.

The MDC-T-led by Douglas Mwonzora recalled over two dozen elected legislators and 122 local government representatives, saying they were no longer representing the interests of the party.

Observers, however, say the recalls dealt a huge blow to efforts to increase women representation in local governance platforms as there were already few elected female officials in Parliament and local councils.

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Varley’s recall meant that Victoria Falls, the only city in Matabeleland North province, only has two female councillors namely Patricia Mwale and Netsai Shoko.

Victoria Falls has 11 councillors.

Varley did not stand in the March 26 by-elections to replace the recalled legislators and councillors, which means Victoria Falls might have to wait until 2023 when Zimbabwe holds its next harmonised elections to get a female councillor.

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The main parties, Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) and Zanu PF, both did not field female candidates in the two wards that were up for grabs in the by-elections in Victoria Falls.

Zanu PF’s Tonderai Mutasa, who is Varley’s successor as ward one councillor after the by-elections, said the lack of female councillors in Victoria Falls reflected the patriarchal nature of Zimbabwe’s political landscape.

“Some of them still believe that politics is a game for men,” Mutasa said.

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“From my party in the ward where I contested there was a woman who was willing to contest, but she did not qualify because of Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) restrictions.”

Christopher Ndiweni, who contested in ward one on a CCC ticket said his experience from other parties where he has been a member, was that women were always willing to take part in elections, but they were being thwarted by their male counterparts.

He said women also needed to be assertive in claiming their space in the political terrain.

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“Reading from the bible, it says a woman should be provided and protected by a man.

“So these people are probably not forceful in doing their things,” he said.

“There are some women, who are professionals who no longer want to get into politics because of other politicians who are always frustrating them to save their political positions.

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“So when these professionals find out that such scenarios are playing out in politics, they then slide back as they naturally do not want to be seen to be forcing things.

Ndiweni said he has also seen male politicians discouraging women from taking part in important debates and this discouraged female candidates from taking part in important elections.

“Such professionals are seen as a threat by other male politicians,” he said.

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Bekithemba Mlotshwa, who won the ward six by-election on a Zanu PF ticket, said his campaign team was driven by women whom he said were persuasive.

Mlotshwa believes rigid societal beliefs hindered women from running for political offices.

“Most of my campaigning teams were women because women make things move although there are instances where at times they might not fit,” he said.

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“For example, 6PM to 7PM is the time for them to prepare dinner and that kind of time is not conducive for them to attend (to politics)

“We went to Binga in Siabuwa (last week) to campaign and we left at 4AM so that we will be there at 2PM.

“So that kind of situation for someone who is female and married becomes hard for them to partake in such activities.”

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Mlotshwa said out of the 1210 registered voters in his ward, 709 were female and this made them the majority.

He observed that women were also discouraged from taking part in politics because of  sexual and physical abuse.

According to the Election Resource Centre (ERC), the March 26 by-elections saw political parties fielding 128 candidates 28 constituencies and out of those, only 16 were women.

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ERC said CCC fielded 28 candidates, but only three seats were given to women.

Figures showed that even Zanu PF with 28 candidates had only five female contestants.

Parties such as the Patriotic Zimbabweans, United Democratic Alliance and Zimbabwe African People’s Union did not field any female candidates.

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Ndiweni said it was the duty of political parties to identify female candidates with a potential to win elections in order to achieve gender parity.

“It is our duty as politicians to identify people, who are capable of making things happen and persuade them to join politics,” he said.

“We should also try and support them because they are the most important figures in our societies.”

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Mlotshwa said there was need for political parties to respect the constitution and ensure gender equity.

“I am happy that there has been some legislation, which promotes women to come through and partake in these positions and I am looking forward to that although the landscape does not favour participation of women in politics,” he added.

“So I would like to take it back to some political parties to promote women.  We want them to come through because they are persuasive compared to us men.”

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Zimbabwe’s constitutional provides for a women’s quota in parliamentary seats through proportional representation and there is a push to extend this to local government.

 

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Renowned conservationist Alan Elliott passes away at 86

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

The conservation world is mourning the loss of Alan Elliott, a pioneering conservationist and tourism operator who passed away this morning around 2AM at Materdei Hospital in Bulawayo.

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Elliott, affectionately known as “Mandebele,” was 86 years old.

Photo by Charlene Hewat

Elliott’s contributions to conservation and tourism in Zimbabwe are immeasurable. He was one of the first people to bring tourism to Hwange, Zimbabwe’s largest national park, and founded Touch the Wild, a tourism operation that hosted numerous celebrities, including the Queen and Prince Philip.

We then contacted Charlene Hewat, a close associate of Elliott’s Presidential Elephant Research Trust (PERT), to explain further about his conservation work. Hewat described Elliott as an extraordinary conservationist who dedicated his life to protecting elephants. “Alan’s legacy is imprinted on the wild landscapes he loved so dearly and protected so fiercely,” Hewat said in a Facebook post.

In an interview, Hewat elaborated on Elliott’s work, highlighting his efforts to protect elephants in Hwange. “He went and got a decree from President (Robert) Mugabe to protect the presidential elephants, and he received that decree, and they agreed that they would not shoot any elephants within the Dete Hwange area,” Hewat explained.

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Elliott’s passing has sent shockwaves throughout the conservation community, with many paying tribute to his remarkable legacy. “He’s a legend. Everybody knows him,” Hewat said. “He was an MP in Hwange, spoke fluent Ndebele, and knew a lot of the ministers. He’s just an amazing man, a legend for Zimbabwe.”

As a testament to his enduring legacy, Elliott had asked Hewat to carry on his work with the Presidential Elephant Research Trust. “It was his vision to promote young Zimbabwean researchers, and that’s something that I share and think we can take forward for the country and for the youth,” Hewat said.

 

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UPDATE: ZimParks rangers injured in elephant attack receiving medical treatment

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BY STAFF REPORTER

The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) spokesperson, Tinashe Farawo has provided an update on the condition of two rangers who were injured earlier this week by elephants in the Sengwa, Chirisa Safari area.

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The rangers, who were investigating a reported case of a snared buffalo, encountered a herd of elephants with calves that charged at them.

According to the update, one of the rangers has undergone treatment for his left arm and is currently in a stable condition.

The other ranger had a successful abdominal operation and is currently receiving surgery for his broken left arm and left leg.

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The incident highlights the dangers faced by wildlife rangers in Zimbabwe. In a similar incident in March 2025, a Zimparks ranger was killed by an elephant in Kariba during a routine patrol in the Gatche-gatche area.

The authority has encouraged people to minimize movements at night to reduce the risk of human-wildlife conflicts.

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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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