National

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

Published

4 years ago

October 13, 2022

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.

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.

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.

“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.”

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.

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.

“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.

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.

National

Malaria surge persists in Zimbabwe despite interventions, rural communities struggle

Published

2 hours ago

April 24, 2026

VicFallsLive

BY NOTHANDO DUBE

Zimbabwe is experiencing a sharp rise in malaria cases in 2026, with health experts warning that funding gaps, climate pressures and persistent transmission in high-risk areas are reversing years of progress.

Latest figures from the Ministry of Health show that by mid-April, the country had recorded over 65 000 malaria cases and 174 deaths, nearly double the numbers reported during the same period in 2025. The increase follows the premature closure of the Zimbabwe Assistance Programme in Malaria (ZAPIM), which had supported key prevention and control efforts.

Save the Children said the end of the programme has contributed to shortages of insecticide-treated mosquito nets, delays in vector control operations and weakened disease surveillance, particularly in vulnerable rural communities.

The Community Working Group on Health (CWGH) also warned that Zimbabwe recorded 154 000 malaria cases and 423 deaths in 2025, linking the continued spread of the disease to erratic rainfall, flooding and rising temperatures that have expanded mosquito breeding sites.

In malaria-prone districts such as Binga, frontline health workers say the disease remains difficult to contain despite ongoing interventions.

Village health worker Margaret Bernard from Tindi said communities continue to receive support, including mosquito nets, medication and other supplies, but challenges persist.

“We do get assistance to fight malaria because Binga is prone to the disease. We receive mosquito nets, medication and other support,” she said. “But even with these interventions, it is still difficult to fully contain malaria here. The cases keep coming, especially during the rainy season.”

Zimbabwe had previously made significant progress in reducing malaria cases, with infections dropping sharply between 2023 and 2024 due to sustained investment and coordinated efforts. However, experts warn that without renewed funding and stronger community-level responses, those gains could be lost.

“Malaria remains preventable and treatable, but deaths are rising again,” CWGH said, calling for urgent action to strengthen prevention, improve treatment access and secure long-term funding.

National

EcoCash launches all-in-one super app

Published

1 day ago

April 23, 2026

VicFallsLive

BY STAFF REPORTER

Leading fintech platform EcoCash has launched an all-in-one “super app” integrating payments, chat and lifestyle services into a single platform, in a push to deepen digital financial inclusion.

Developed by Sasai Fintech, a unit of Cassava Technologies, the app signals EcoCash’s shift towards a fully integrated digital and social ecosystem that goes beyond traditional payments.

In a statement, EcoCash said the platform responds to growing demand for seamless, mobile-first solutions that combine communication and transactions.

“With mobile devices now central to how people live, work and transact, we have reimagined the EcoCash app to deliver a secure, convenient and integrated digital experience,” the company said.

A key feature is social payments, allowing users to send and receive money within chat conversations without switching apps. The platform also includes automated bill-splitting, enabling users to divide shared costs in real time.

The app integrates merchant payments, bill settlements, and airtime and data purchases into a single interface, aiming to reduce transaction time and data costs.

EcoCash said the platform also supports content monetisation, allowing users to create and earn income directly, targeting Zimbabwe’s growing community of digital creators and small businesses.

The company said the super app forms part of a broader innovation pipeline that will include stablecoin-based remittances and other digital financial services, supported by investments in artificial intelligence.

Sasai Fintech recently partnered with Circle, an internet financial platform company, to advance stablecoin adoption in Africa.

National

Zimbabwe approves US$92 million Victoria Falls infrastructure deal

Published

2 days ago

April 22, 2026

VicFallsLive

BY WANDILE TSHUMA

The government has greenlit a major public-private partnership (PPP) to develop critical bulk infrastructure within the Masuwe Special Economic Zone (MSEZ), a move aimed at transforming Victoria Falls into a premier international hub for finance and tourism.

The project, approved during the Tuesday cabinet meeting, establishes a commercial joint venture (CJV) between the state-owned Mosi Oa Tunya Development Company (MTDC) and the JR Goddard (JRG) Consortium.

According to the government briefing, the MSEZ is a “flagship national development project” established to “transform Victoria Falls into a diversified, high-value hub integrating tourism, financial services and sustainable real estate”.

Under the terms of the agreement, the JRG Consortium—which includes JR Goddard Pvt Ltd, Sesani Pvt Ltd, Stewart Scott Zimbabwe Pvt Ltd, and GGF Africa Pvt Ltd—will provide funding of US25.6 million.

This arrangement results in a shareholding structure of 39% for MTDC and 61% for the JR Goddard Consortium.

The infrastructure roadmap for the 1 200-hectare site is extensive. Planned works include the surfacing of 8 km of internal roads, the upgrading of 9 km of existing gravel roads, and the construction of a 13 km water pipeline designed to serve both the economic zone and neighbouring communities.

Additional developments will feature a package water treatment plant, a sewerage reticulation system, a power sub-station, and effluent re-use storage ponds.

Cabinet said the project was subjected to a “rigorous evaluation” in compliance with the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (ZIDA) Act.

Officials believe the partnership will “catalyse high-value investment” and provide a “sustainable fiscal contribution to gross domestic product (GDP)” while creating downstream jobs.

The government said the project is expected to “catapult the transformation of Victoria Falls into a modern and vibrant economic development city, fulfilling the attainment of Vision 2030”.

The joint venture includes a 25-year structured profit recoup period and will be overseen by a board chaired by the MTDC to ensure alignment with the country’s National Development Strategy 2.

Located within the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA-TfCA), the Masuwedevelopment is seen as a strategic pivot for Zimbabwe to diversify its tourism-dependent economy into a more robust financial services and real estate centre.