National

UK issues damning Mnangagwa scorecard

Published

4 years ago

August 17, 2021

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

The United Kingdom has given a damning assessment of Zimbabwe under President Emmerson Mnangagwa saying the country has a poor human rights record and corruption is widespread.

Mnangagwa is set to visit the United Kingdom next month and the trip is being touted by Harare as proof that relations between the two countries are thawing.

Zimbabwe has suffered from international isolation for the past two decades due to alleged human rights violations and electoral fraud by the ruling Zanu PF.

The toppling of long-time ruler Robert Mugabe in a military coup in 2017 and Mnangagwa’s rise to power had raised hopes in certain quarters that relations between Harare and London would improve.

However, an overseas business risk guidance on Zimbabwe published on the UK government website on Tuesday showed that Boris Johnson’s government does not agree that the southern African country has turned the corner under the new Zanu PF leader.

“Zimbabwe has a poor record on human rights,” the UK government said.

“Continued abuses have resulted in the placement of targeted sanctions (travel bans and asset freezes) on four security chiefs on 1 February to reflect their role in the most egregious human rights violations (death of six protestors in August 2018 and 17 protestors in January 2019).

Western countries, including the UK, have been piling pressure on Mnangagwa’s government to prosecute members of the security forces behind the 2018 and 2019 killings of protestors.

They have slapped some security chiefs with targeted sanctions.

The UK also believes Mnangagwa’s government has failed to deal with corruption and create an environment that is conducive for investment.

“Corruption in Zimbabwe is widespread,” the guidance says.

“Politically connected individuals are often awarded large state contracts, or allocated state-controlled resources, such as foreign currency.

“For many of the reasons listed above, doing business in Zimbabwe can be challenging, with a number of obstacles and pitfalls.”

It added: “Repatriating profits and paying overseas suppliers is cited as the main challenge, and exporters to Zimbabwe should engage with their customer and/or bank to ensure that this risk is mitigated.

“The high and volatile inflation also makes the business environment more uncertain: many businesses price in United States dollars but as discussed above the supply of foreign currency is erratic.”

Some of Mnangagwa’s 2018 electoral promises were the eradication of corruption and creating an environment that is conducive for business.

National

Ranger killed by elephant in Kariba

Published

1 month ago

March 14, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

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

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.

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.

National

ZIMRA customs officer appears in court for criminal abuse of office

Published

2 months ago

February 3, 2025

VicFallsLive

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.

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.

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.

National

Retailers send Mnangagwa SOS as shops continue shutting down over operational woes

Published

3 months ago

January 27, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY ZIMLIVE

The Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers (CZR) has implored President Emmerson Mnangagwa to intervene and save the sector which has seen various formal retail and wholesale businesses closing shop countrywide due to operational challenges.

In a statement on Sunday, CZR president Denford Mutashu said the continued closure of formal retail and wholesale businesses is a direct consequence of the tough economic environment that has consistently failed to support formalised sector players who face stiff competition from informal businesses and vendors the majority of whom have no tax obligations to deal with.

Mutashu said his association was concerned that authorities continue to downplay the crisis.

“The recent closure of several outlets under the N. Richards Group, coupled with Spar Zimbabwe’s painful decision to shut down Queensdale Spar, Choppies Zimbabwe’s exit from the market, and Mahommed Mussa’s significant reduction of shop space by 60%, highlights the growing crisis.

“As the representative association for these and other brands, CZR is alarmed that while formal businesses face enormous challenges, the authorities continue to present a different picture of the operating environment,” he said.

Given the situation, Mutashu said, only President Mnangagwa can rescue the troubled sector.

“CZR therefore calls for urgent intervention from His Excellency, President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, to rescue what remains of the formalized retail and wholesale sector,” said Mutashu.

He said the sector was in urgent need of rescue.

“While CZR acknowledges the continued support from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, it is clear that the root causes of these challenges are fiscal and monetary in nature. These require urgent and decisive action to ensure the survival of formal businesses.

“CZR therefore appeals to the Presidium to prioritize interventions aimed at saving jobs and mitigating the ongoing wave of shop closures and retrenchments,” he said.