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‘Shooting to kill’: 2 poachers shot dead in Zambezi Valley gun battle

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI 

Two suspected poachers were killed by Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) rangers at the weekend following a gun battle on the Zambezi Valley.

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Tinashe Farawo, the Zimparks spokesperson, the poachers were killed in the Rifa area of Chirundu.

“Over the weekend there was an armed contact with suspected poachers in Chirundu where two suspects were shot dead,” Farawo said.

“The rangers managed to recover a rifle, a freshly poached ivory and investigations are in progress.”

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He did not provide further details on the incident, but warned that Zimparks rangers would shoot to kill if they encountered armed poachers in wildlife protected areas.

“We are warning the poachers that national parks are no go areas for criminal activities,” he said.

“If you are found in a protected area, armed, there is no way that we are going to apprehend you.

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“You will be shot on site

“We have a shot to kill policy, so national parks are no go areas for criminal activities.”

Elephants are being poached at an alarming rate in Zimbabwe

Poaching of animals such as elephants and rhinos for their ivory continues to be on the rise in Zimbabwe’s game reserves.

The government says it is finding it increasingly difficult to fund conservation activities that include anti-poaching operations due to lack of funds and is strongly pushing for the resumption of the global ban on the sale of ivory.

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Zimbabwe last week held an African conference at the Hwange National Park to lobby for support to end the ban, saying it wants to be allowed to sell $600 million worth of ivory stockpiles.

Zimparks director general Fulton Mangwanya told VicFallsLive in an earlier interview that ivory buyers in Asian countries were promoting poaching activities by providing an illegal market for ivory, hence the push to have Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) trade ban lifted.

“So it is not a matter of marketing because they are still on and they are still trading in ivory locally and they are getting all these imports from poachers who are into trafficking because to them, it’s a cultural industry that can never be closed,” Mangwanya said.

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“It’s not a secret that the market is still there and we are only being blocked by CITES.”

Zimbabwe has the second biggest population of elephants in Africa after Botswana.

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National

Coal train in flames: NRZ locomotive damaged in fire incident

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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.

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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.

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National

Ranger killed by elephant in Kariba

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI 

A 62-year-old ranger, Josphat Mandishara, was tragically killed by an elephant in Kariba yesterday.

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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.

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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.

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National

ZIMRA customs officer appears in court for criminal abuse of office

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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.

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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.

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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.

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