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Temperatures rise in Victoria Falls as war vets wade into council fights

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

War veterans from Matabeleland North are piling the pressure on the authorities to deal with alleged corruption and mismanagement at the MDC Alliance-run Victoria Falls City Council following the arrest of mayor Somvelo Dhlamini.

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Dhlamini was arrested last week on allegations of defrauding the local authority of thousands of US dollars through an irregular purchase of a housing stand.

He was denied bail by Hwange regional magistrate Collet Ncube on Monday after prosecutors said he was the one behind a group of war veterans and members of the Hwange Residents Association, who last week forcibly removed town clerk Ronnie Dube from his office.

The group accused Dube of corruption and mismanagement, but Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) investigators pounced on Dhlamini a day later.

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Following the dramatic events at the city council, the Matabeleland North provincial executive of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association said it will convene a public meeting at Chinotimba Hall on Friday to discuss the issue.

Bonface Sibanda, the provincial war veterans association chairperson, told VicFallsLive  in an interview that the meeting was meant to discuss the corruption allegations amid charges that Zacc investigators were taking sides.

“We will be at Chinotimba Hall from 4PM on Friday and we want to discuss with the residents and all other affected stakeholders the rot that is happening in Victoria Falls,” Sibanda said.

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“The mayor’s issue is clearly a scam because when our Hwange war veterans went to get Dube out of office to pave way for investigations by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission the tables turned against the mayor, who had called them in and we have heard about the thousands of dollars that were given to (ZACC investigators) to turn the tables against Dhlamini.

“We have been reading about these issues in the media and other people coming to tell us about spending months without water.

“This is something that just doesn’t make sense in such a town and this is the reason we are stepping in and if Dhlamini is corrupt, he is at the right place and Dube also has to be investigated because when he was forced to leave office last week, he repeatedly refused saying he would want to step down with Dhlamini as they committed corruption together.”

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Sibanda said contributions from the residents were going to be documented and will determine the way forward.

The position by the war veterans followed the move by Zanu Pf district coordinating committee chairperson Mathew Muleya to distance the ruling party from the group that raided Dube’s office.

Muleya issued a statement saying: the party would like to distance itself from the incident’ and claimed Zanu PF was a constitution-abiding party that does not use violence to solve disputes.

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Sibanda said Muleya’s statement reflected an individual’s position.

“The meeting is not on political grounds, but on principles,” Sibanda said.

“That (statement) was written by Muleya in his individual capacity and without any consensus and as war veterans we cannot be stopped by these corrupt individuals, who hide behind the party’s name.

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“We went to war based on principles of equality and freedom and what is happening in Victoria Falls is against those principles.”

Victoria Falls ratepayers have been boycotting the city council’s 2023 budget consultation meetings demanding answers over various allegations of corruption.

Residents boycotted  2023 budget meetings held last month and demanded  to be first addressed by council over the alleged irregular sale of commercial stands and the US$89 000 loan that was given to Dube to buy a car,  buying a luxury car for the mayor and leasing of breweries.

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The Victoria Falls Combined Residents Association has since written a letter to relevant government ministries, police and parliament asking them to investigate the allegations.

Last month, 300 residents also signed a petition demanding that investigations be done against corrupt council officials.

They said they had proof of corrupt deals by the town clerk and councillors which has resulted in poor service delivery.

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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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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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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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