BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

More than 700 residents in Victoria Falls have received free dental care following a three-day outreach programme held at Mkhosana Clinic.

The initiative, led by global charity SmileStar in partnership with CIMAS, saw 705 patients treated between 9 and 11 March. The programme builds on previous outreach efforts in the region and is expanding this year to include Matobo.

A team of 16 volunteer dental professionals—many from Dentex—provided urgent treatment, pain relief, and oral health education, while also sharing skills with local healthcare workers.

Team leader Dr Mitesh Badiani said tooth decay linked to high sugar consumption, particularly among children, was the most common issue encountered.

“Many of these dental problems are preventable, and education plays a key role in helping to avoid such problems in the future,” he said.

The outreach received support from Africa Albida Tourism, with the team hosted at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge.

Africa Albida Tourism managing director Nigel Frost said the initiative would have lasting benefits for the community.

“This initiative provides vital dental care and education that will continue to benefit the residents of Victoria Falls long after the clinics have ended,” he said.

Mark Cockburn added that the programme highlighted the impact of volunteerism in addressing healthcare gaps.

Following the Victoria Falls outreach, SmileStar continued its programme in Hwange, before moving to Matobo today and tomorrow at Ethandweni Children’s Home, with a target of treating more than 1 000 patients across the three regions.

BY STAFF REPORTER

Sixty-five human remains are set to be exhumed from the Kamativi Mining Company premises in Matabeleland North as the firm moves to clear a section of land earmarked for ongoing mining operations.

The development follows a formal notice issued by Kamativi Mining Company in compliance with the Cemeteries Act, which governs the handling and relocation of human remains.

“Notice is hereby issued by Kamativi Mining Company in compliance with the Cemeteries Act, Chapter 5:04, regarding the relocation and reburial of 65 graves situated within the dry tailings operational area at Kamativi Mine, located in the Hwange District of Matabeleland North Province,” the notice read.

According to the company, the relocation is necessary to ensure that mining activities within the affected zone can proceed safely and sustainably.

The graves are located within the mine’s dry tailings operational area, a key section linked to current and planned extraction processes.

While the notice outlines compliance with legal requirements, the move is likely to raise sensitivities among local communities, given the cultural and emotional significance attached to burial sites.

Kamativi Mining Company has urged stakeholders and individuals with concerns or inquiries to engage directly with the company for further clarification on the exhumation and reburial process.

No timeline for the relocation has been publicly disclosed.

Additional reporting source: Byo24 News

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI 

VICTORIA FALLS – Hwange West legislator Vusumuzi Moyo has called for urgent and decisive intervention to address escalating human-elephant conflict after two people were killed by elephants in Victoria Falls within the space of a week.

Rising on a point of national interest in the National Assembly, Moyo said the recent deaths had left families in mourning and exposed the growing danger faced by communities living near wildlife corridors.

“In closing, Mr Speaker Sir, I want to convey my message to two families within Victoria Falls. This happened within a week. They lost their lives because of this conflict,” Moyo said. “In a space of a week, two families are mourning the loss of their loved ones.”

Victoria Falls and surrounding communities, which border wildlife areas, have in recent years experienced increased incidents of elephants straying into residential areas, destroying crops and infrastructure, and in some cases fatally attacking residents.

Moyo told Parliament that the crisis must no longer be viewed solely as a conservation issue but as a matter of human dignity and national development.

“My issue is not merely about wildlife management. It is about national development, constitutional responsibility and ultimately, protecting human dignity,” he said.

He warned that communities from Kariba to Binga, and in tourism corridors around Victoria Falls, are “under siege” from escalating human-elephant conflict.

“Families are losing crops, infrastructure is being destroyed and tragically, lives continue to be lost. This House cannot ignore the cries of rural citizens who coexist with wildlife every day,” Moyo said.

The Hwange West MP defended previous government decisions to cull elephants in high-conflict zones, arguing that such measures were sometimes necessary to restore ecological balance and protect human life.

“These are not acts of recklessness but acts of necessity because conservation must never come at the expense of human survival,” he said.

While acknowledging the importance of non-lethal measures such as fencing and translocation, Moyo said in some areas those interventions were no longer sufficient on their own.

He urged authorities to urgently implement provisions of the Parks and Wildlife Act, promulgated on 28 November 2025, particularly in communities bordering national parks.

“It is my sincere hope that the implementation of the Parks and Wildlife Act… will be taken to the areas that border within national parks so that people appreciate and that the regulations can be done as fast as possible,” he said.

Moyo stressed that Parliament must strike a balance between conservation and protecting human life.

“The people are not asking Parliament to choose between elephants and human beings. They are asking us to restore the balance,” he said.

The latest fatalities have renewed debate in Victoria Falls over how authorities can better safeguard residents while maintaining Zimbabwe’s strong conservation reputation.