BY TANAKA MREWA

In a district where hunger drives thousands of children out of school and most households lack basic sanitation, a luxury four-bedroom house with a jacuzzi is nearing completion on the shores of Lake Kariba, built at public expense for the long-serving chief executive of one of Zimbabwe’s poorest local authorities.

An investigation by CITE reveals that Binga Rural District Council (RDC) has spent close to US$200 000 constructing a “grace-and-favour” home for its chief executive officer, Joshua Muzamba, despite a standing government directive prohibiting local authorities from building personal residences for senior officials.

The development has ignited questions about governance, accountability and political protection in a district consistently ranked among Zimbabwe’s poorest, and where residents say public resources are routinely diverted from desperately needed services.

The house sits on a two-acre stand overlooking Lake Kariba, in an exclusive peninsula neighbourhood about six kilometres from Binga town, surrounded by water on two sides.

Council records and sources familiar with the project say the stand, valued at over US$40 000, was allocated to Muzamba free of charge. The property includes four bedrooms – three of them ensuite – a jacuzzi and two garages.

The project’s cost and scale contrast sharply with living conditions in the district.

Official statistics paint a grim picture: ZimStat data shows that 73 percent of households in Binga lack toilets, while many communities travel long distances for schools and healthcare facilities amid largely impassable roads.

Education ministry figures indicate that in 2022 alone, 6 671 pupils dropped out of school, while more than 13 000 children were irregular attendees due to hunger.

Yet despite chronic underdevelopment, council funds have been channelled into the high-end residence.

Muzamba and the council did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

A ministry of local government circular issued on October 6, 2014 (Circular CX154) explicitly forbids local authorities from allocating institutional properties to employees, mayors or council chairpersons.

The ministry’s spokesperson Gabriel Masvora confirmed the directive remains in force.

“The government’s wish is to see improved service delivery prioritised in local authorities for the benefit of the people,” Masvora said. “Local authorities are a third tier of government which have systems and controls in place to ensure resources are used effectively.”

He added that councillors should scrutinise expenditures to ensure compliance with government policy and residents’ priorities.

The Association of Rural District Councils of Zimbabwe (ARDCZ), with Muzamba as chair, passed a resolution allowing construction of houses for senior officials after 10 years of service, effectively sidestepping central government policy.

Muzamba has led Binga RDC for 14 years, a tenure marked by recurring controversies.

Fanuel Cumanzala, the MP for Binga South (CCC) describes the CEO as a dominant figure operating with little internal resistance.

“He has become a liability to Binga,” Cumanzala said. “Whatever he does is for personal gain, not for the wellbeing of the people. Councillors are afraid to go against him.”

Cumanzala alleges the CEO survives political pressure because of backing from influential figures with economic interests in the district.

Muzamba lost his position in Zanu PF’s central committee in 2018 after the Supreme Court ruled public officials could not hold multiple posts simultaneously.

Concerns over governance at Binga RDC stretch back years.

In 2018, police requested a full audit of the council after investigations into suspected theft of trust property revealed potential financial irregularities.

The then senior assistant commissioner Stephen Mutamba, now police commissioner general, wrote to the local government ministry recommending a comprehensive audit after police uncovered evidence that council employees were allegedly under-receipting cash.

The subsequent ministry audit found serious weaknesses, including: bank transfers not being recorded in cash books; rampant under-receipting; an absence of an authenticated employment policy, exposing the council to nepotism and unethical hiring practices; and unsigned council minutes, raising doubts about the authenticity of the records.

Despite these findings, residents say meaningful corrective action never followed.

Muzamba is accused of protecting one employee, Lovemore Siamuyi, who was implicated in earlier investigations and remains employed.

Current and former council insiders allege the CEO has filled the local authority with relatives, claims he has not publicly addressed.

A council official, speaking anonymously for fear of reprisals, said a previous resolution capped staff numbers at 50 due to financial constraints, leading to retrenchments.

“But soon after that, more people started being employed,” the source said. “Now the place is flooded with his kinsmen.”

Employees describe a workplace climate of fear and factionalism.

Residents also question a council resolution allowing senior officials to purchase service vehicles at book value after five years, a policy they say disproportionately benefits senior executives and their associates.

“This means residents effectively buy new vehicles every five years,” said one ratepayer.

The council is reportedly struggling with cash flow, at times paying salaries through allocations of housing stands instead of wages.

Muzamba’s critics argue that such challenges make spending on his luxury house especially difficult to justify.

The Auditor-General has previously warned that similar practices elsewhere risk undermining service delivery. In 2022, Marondera RDC was flagged after building a CEO residence using capital development funds. The Auditor-General cautioned that “service delivery may be compromised as council funds are used for unintended purposes.”

Matabeleland North Minister Richard Moyo said his office had received no formal complaints about corruption at Binga RDC.

“We haven’t received any official reports pertaining to this matter,” he said, suggesting some allegations could be politically motivated disputes between councillors from different parties.

Meanwhile, the government says a Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) taskforce is examining corruption allegations across local authorities.

“If there are any reports made, the committee will swiftly look into the issues,” Masvora said.

The MP Cumanzala said it was particularly disheartening that communities in Binga remain trapped in poverty despite vast natural resources including Lake Kariba fisheries, forests teeming with wildlife and mineral wealth.

“Binga RDC is one of the worst run in the country in the sense that we have so much resources and a lot of potential and we receive a lot of attention from non-governmental organisations and the government itself, but those resources are being pocketed by certain people,” he said.

SOURCE: CITE

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI 

A three-year-old girl from Matetsi in Hwange District, Matabeleland North Province, was killed by a crocodile on Tuesday evening while playing near the Matetsi River Bridge along the Bulawayo–Victoria Falls Highway.

According to ZBC, the toddler was with her five-year-old brother as their mother, Tariro Tsondzowore, was fishing nearby when the attack occurred. Authorities said the mother had briefly stepped away, leaving the children close to the riverbank, when a crocodile suddenly emerged from the water, struck and dragged the girl into the river.

People who were nearby reportedly attempted to scare the reptile away but were unsuccessful.

The child, who was from Masikili Village under Chief Shana in Hwange District, was taken before help could arrive.

Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority (ZimParks) rangers responded to the scene and shot one crocodile. Authorities confirmed that partial human remains have since been recovered, while efforts to retrieve additional remains are continuing.

Additional details of the incident were widely shared on social media platforms, where images from the scene show a sombre gathering along the riverbank. In the footage, several community members stand watching as uniformed personnel are seen in the water. A ZimParks vehicle is parked close to the river, while small groups of people look on from the grassy embankment, underscoring the gravity of the situation.

The tragedy has once again brought into focus the growing challenge of human-wildlife conflict in Zimbabwe, particularly in communities located near rivers and wildlife corridors.

Local authorities have urged residents, especially those living near riverbanks, to exercise extreme caution and remain vigilant against the dangers posed by crocodiles and other wild animals.

VicFallsLive will continue to follow developments on this story.

BY STAFF REPORTER

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has raised alarm over the low number of environmental cases recorded and prosecuted in Matabeleland North Province, warning that weak enforcement risks emboldening offenders.

Speaking at a multi-stakeholder engagement meeting organised by the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), Hwange-based public prosecutor Pride Mharadza said fewer than 15 EMA-related cases were recorded in the province in 2025, describing the situation as “deeply disappointing.”

“In Hwange, we only received one case last year involving the transport of hazardous substances without a permit,” Mharadza said. The accused, who had transported mercury, was convicted and fined US$500, with four months’ imprisonment suspended for five years.

Mharadza said Victoria Falls recorded no EMA cases in 2025, calling it “worrying that a whole station did not receive a single case.”

Binga recorded two cases involving cyanide, one resulting in six months’ imprisonment and forfeiture of the chemical, while the other could not proceed to court due to the absence of a forensic report.

In Inyathi, a single case involved implementing a project without an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) certificate, resulting in a US$200 fine. Nkayi recorded one case of prohibited alluvial mining, leading to suspended sentences for 19 accused persons.

Meanwhile, Tsholotsho and Lupane reported no EMA cases during the year.

Mharadza said delays in forensic reports, limited EMA representation, and weak collaboration between police and prosecutors were major obstacles to successful prosecution.

“The overall picture points to weak environmental law enforcement rather than an absence of environmental crimes,” she said. “Half the stations did not receive any EMA cases. Some prosecutors even said they do not know how to handle EMA cases because they are not receiving them.”

Mharadza urged law enforcement and prosecutors to take action, saying that successful prosecutions would “send a message to society” and strengthen environmental protection across the province.

SOURCE: CITE