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Robbers prey on mistrust of Zimbabwe’s financial system

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BY GAMUCHIRAI MASIYIWA AND VIMBAI CHINEMBIRI

Tariro remembers hearing a sudden bang on her kitchen door, the kind that produces shivers.

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She peeked through the window and saw 10 men armed with iron crowbars. They wanted to enter.

The 54-year-old ran into her bedroom shouting “mbavha,” Shona for thieves, as the men knocked down the door.

“They tied my mouth with a top I was wearing before bathing and said that I should cooperate, or they would kill me,” said Tariro, who asked to use only her middle name out of fear of being targeted again.

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They found $700 in her church uniform, as if they knew exactly where to look. Then they left.

Tariro believes the robbers came after her because she used to work at a non-governmental organisation and earned United States dollars.

“They assumed I had a lot of money in my house,” she said, still shaking at the memory.

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Her decision to hoard cash stems from Zimbabwe’s cratering economy and rapid currency changes over the past two decades that have decimated the country’s monetary system and made keeping money under the bed more palatable than putting it in the bank.

Not only has such stockpiling affected Zimbabweans’ ability to grow a savings account, it also has made an increasing number of people targets for robberies.

In 2009, Zimbabwe introduced a multicurrency system that made it possible for residents to use the US dollar, the South African rand and other currencies.

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But inflation rose so much that, a decade later, the government returned to the local currency.

Officials introduced a separate account to deposit foreign currency, but all bank balances that held US dollars were converted into Zimbabwean dollars (ZWL).

Nearly overnight, people’s money was worth much less.

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Zimbabweans like Tariro stopped trusting banks.

Fearing additional changes in policy, many people started keeping their foreign currency — which depreciates slower than the ZWL — at home.

“There’s no incentive to keeping money in the bank,” said Farai Mutambanengwe, founder and executive officer of the Small and Medium Enterprises Association of Zimbabwe, a lobbying organization that promotes access to markets.

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As a pandemic measure, the government started allowing official transactions in foreign currency again in March 2020.

But residents remain wary of unpredictable fluctuations.

Even those paid through the banking system distrust it.

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Some prefer to buy foreign currency on the black market to preserve the value of their money.

Harrison Dumba, who works as a chef at a local restaurant, says he gets paid in local money through a bank transfer but immediately buys US dollars on the black market because they don’t lose value as quickly.

“I do not see the benefit of keeping my money in the bank,” said the 36-year-old. “It can lose value while you think you are saving money.”

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The coronavirus has caused even further economic hardship, as lockdowns and decreased travel affect jobs.

The Zimbabwe Republic Police national crime office recorded nearly 3,500 robberies last year.

Between January and March of this year, police had already counted more than 2,300 burglaries.

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The US Department of State has pointed to money stuffed in pillows and pockets as a motivator for robberies.

“Criminals have specifically targeted businesses and residences known to house or store large sums of cash,” according to an April 2020 safety report.

Zimbabwean officials acknowledge the rise in crime but play down its connection to a flailing monetary system.

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Ruth Mavhungu-Maboyi, deputy minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, attributed the surge in violence to an increasing availability of guns and a lack of police vehicles.

She points to a spate of recent arrests — including those of seven suspects in recent burglaries — as signs that authorities are working to curb crime. But she also emphasizes the need for residents to trust banks.

“Does keeping your money at home really bring something?” she said. “Instead, it can get stolen. Encouraging people to keep money in the banks is an issue of safety.”

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The uptick in crime hasn’t had only financial consequences; it’s had psychological ones.

Since the attack in her home, Tariro finds it hard to trust people.

“My life has not been normal since then,” she said.

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She has rented her house out to other families, so she doesn’t have to live alone.

She panics when dogs bark. And she spends money immediately because she doesn’t feel comfortable saving it anymore. – Global Press Journal

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National

Tragic attack in Madlambuzi: Five dead as suspected mental patient goes on rampage

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BY WANDILE TSHUMA 

Police in Madlambuzi, Matabeleland South Province has are a suspected mental patient, Phamani Sibanda, following a violent rampage that left five people dead and two others injured on Wednesday.

According to the police statement, Sibanda (43) allegedly attacked seven people in the village using a Mopani log, a blunt object, and an unknown sharp weapon, targeting anyone who crossed his path.

The victims of this tragic attack have been identified by their next of kin:

Elliot Khupe, 101, a male adult from Bellas Village
Butho Tshuma, 97, a female adult from Bellas Village
Constance Sibanda, 66, a female adult from Bellas Village
Tiffan Surprise Ndlovu, 6, a female juvenile from Bellas Village
Catra Matsika, 72, from Central Village

In addition to the fatalities, two other women, aged 90 and 41, sustained injuries and are currently receiving treatment at Madlambuzi Clinic and Plumtree District Hospital.

The ZRP has underscored the pressing need for community awareness regarding mental health issues. “We implore the public to promptly refer mental patients to medical institutions for treatment and to actively monitor their behavior to prevent such violent incidents,” the statement elaborated. It encouraged community members to report any concerns to the National Complaints Desk at (0242) 703631 or via WhatsApp at 0712 800197, or to approach the nearest police station.

 

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US suspends visa processing in Zimbabwe, embassy says

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BY REUTERS

The United States has stopped processing most visas in Zimbabwe until further notice, its embassy in the capital Harare said on Wednesday, citing unspecified concerns with the government.
“We have paused routine visa services in Harare while we address concerns with the Government of Zimbabwe,” the embassy said in a post on X. It said the move was not a travel ban and that current visas would remain valid.
The government of the Southern African country did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
The pause took effect on August 7, according to a notice on the U.S. State Department’s website, which said it applied to all visa services with the exception of most diplomatic and official visas.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has restricted travel from a number of African countries, saying it is working to prevent visa overstaying and misuse.
Zimbabwe had a visa overstay rate of 10.57% in 2023, according to a U.S. Department of Homeland Security report.
Starting this week, the U.S. will require visa applicants from Zambia and Malawi to pay bonds of up to $15,000 for some visitor visas. The Trump administration has also paused visa processing in Niger.
Harare resident Angella Chirombo said her 18-year-old son had received a scholarship to do his bachelor’s degree at Michigan State University and had been waiting for a visa interview when the pause hit.
“He was supposed to be in school already. I paid for everything else and was waiting for the visa so I could buy tickets,” she told Reuters.
She said other parents were considering booking interviews at other U.S. embassies in Southern Africa, but that she wouldn’t be able to afford the travel.
“Now they are saying we can go to Zambia and Namibia. I don’t even have money right now and I don’t know where to get this money. They are so many students that have been affected.”

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Landmark HIV trial begins in Zimbabwe

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BY PAUL SIXPENCE

ZIMBABWE became the first site for the administration of a new investigational HIV vaccine. The first doses of the IAVI C114 clinical trial were administered in late July 2025 at the Mutala Trust clinical site in Harare, CITE reports.
“This is a landmark moment for South Africa, Zimbabwe, and the continent. It shows the power of true partnership,” said Dr. Tariro Makadzange, clinical trial lead, Mutala Trust.

“We are edging closer to an HIV vaccine, made possible by global collaboration, with clinical trials conducted in Africa, for Africa, and for the world.”

The development of the vaccine is a partnership that brings together Zimbabwe’s Mutala Trust, ReiThera, the Ragon Institute, International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and African researchers who are co-leading every phase of the trial.

In phase one of the trial, the vaccine candidate, Gorilla Adenovirus Vectored HIV Networked Epitopes Vaccine (GRAdHIVNE1) will be administered to 120 adults between the ages of 18 and 50 years including 48 people living with HIV who are virally suppressed on antiretroviral therapy (ART). Besides Zimbabwe, two other clinical trial sites are located in Cape Town and Durban, South Africa.

Trial sites were chosen on the basis of their high HIV burden and to ensure that the vaccine candidate is tested within communities affected by the epidemic.

This phase of the trial will assess the safety and ability of the vaccine candidate to provoke an immune response in the human body in persons living with HIV and those who are HIV negative.

“The IAVI C114 trial is testing a new vaccine candidate known as GRAdHIVNE1. The trial represents the first time this vaccine is being tested in humans and is aimed at assessing the safety of the vaccine and its ability to stimulate the immune system,” said Dr. Vincent Muturi-Kioi, HIV Vaccines Product Development Team Lead, IAVI.

In a statement, IAVI further advised that “trial participants will receive either one or two doses of the investigational vaccine or a placebo and will be monitored over a period of 19 months for safety and immune responses.” Results of the trial are likely to be available in 2027.

In the past, several HIV vaccine trials have been conducted but none proved effective in preventing HIV acquisition. The novelity of this vaccine candidate lies in that, it uses a harmless viral vector to deliver small parts of HIV “derived from critical structural regions of HIV that are less likely to mutate” with an expected likelihood to trigger an immune response.

“GRAdHIVNE1 uses a harmless virus (a vector for the vaccine derived from a non-replicating gorilla adenovirus) to deliver small, conserved parts of HIV (called epitopes) to the body’s immune system. These targets are derived from critical structural regions of HIV that are less likely to mutate, making them good targets for killer T cells in the immune system (CD8+ T cell responses) — a type of immune defense thought to be important for long-term protection against HIV. The viral vector was selected based on its ability to stimulate this type of response. Should the vaccine be successful in stimulating the desired response, it could be tested in future trials to assess its efficacy,” Dr. Vincent Muturi-Kioi further explained.

The initiation of this clinical trial demonstrates the power of partnerships at a time when the world is witnessing funding cuts towards global public health research. The IAVIC114 clinical trial is sponsored by IAVI. The vaccine candidate, GRAdHIVNE1, was developed by ReiThera and the Ragon Institute with funding from the GatesFoundation. African researchers will be leading

SOURCE| CITE

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