National

Uproar as ZEC cancels Victoria Falls voter registration exercise

Published

4 years ago

August 31, 2021

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has come under fire from Victoria Falls residents after it cancelled a voter registration outreach programme in the resort town at short notice, citing lack of transport for its staff.

ZEC had announced that it will conduct a voter registration exercise at Mosi-Oa-Tunya High School between Tuesday and Wednesday.

The commission, however, announced a day before the exercise was due to start that it had been cancelled.

Mosi- Oa-Tunya High School headmaster Roland Sibanda said he was informed that there was no car to carry ZEC equipment and staff to the registration centre.

“They notified me (on Monday) because I had given them the venue at the school,” Sibanda said.

“They told me that they were not given the promised car to use as theirs has a breakdown and is supposed to be towed to Bulawayo anytime for repairs.”

Hwange West Member of Parliament Godfrey Dube said he only learnt about the cancellation through social media.

Dube’s constituency covers Victoria Falls urban and rural wards.

“I had to ask one of their officials in Bulawayo after hearing about the developments on social media and they told me that they have transport challenges,” Dube said.

“The cancellation will dampen prospective voters’ mood and kill the vibe that has been there because the focus has been on the youths and all those that did not vote in 2018.”

The legislator said since there was no ZEC office in Victoria Falls, people had to travel to Hwange to register to vote, which was an expense.

Dube said the commission must set up an office in Victoria Falls since it now has city status.

“People have been complaining that they have to walk for 100 kilometres to get registered and for ZEC to make a u-turn after promising to come here, it will appear like a deliberate decision to frustrate prospective voters,” he said.

“There has to be a ZEC office in Victoria Falls because we have rural villagers in the radius of about 60 kilometres, who can easily access Victoria Falls but cannot access Hwange.”

In 2018, slightly over 32 000 people registered to vote in Hwange West and according to Dube, for 2023, they are looking at more than 10 000 new voters.

“As of 2018, we had 32 184 registered voters and we are looking at about 5 000 to 10 000 more people registering within the constituency, but we worry about these long-distance arrangements when there is lockdown in place.”

Activists and the mainstream opposition MDC Alliance have been mobilising Zimbabweans through social media to register to vote in their numbers ahead of the crucial 2023 elections.

The campaign gained momentum early this month when a huge voter turnout helped Zambian opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema defeat the incumbent Edgar Lungu by one million votes in the presidential elections.

National

Ranger killed by elephant in Kariba

Published

3 weeks 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

2 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.