National

Uproar as ZEC cancels Victoria Falls voter registration exercise

Published

5 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

30 killed in Easter road crashes as pedestrians bear the brunt

Published

10 hours ago

April 9, 2026

VicFallsLive

BY WANDILE TSHUMA

The Zimbabwe Republic Police has reported a worrying rise in road fatalities during the 2026 Easter holiday, despite a decline in the total number of accidents.

According to the police, 30 people were killed in road traffic accidents during the holiday period, up from 24 deaths recorded in 2025. However, the total number of accidents dropped from 384 in 2025 to 337 in 2026, while injuries also decreased significantly from 178 to 104.

Police said 22 of the recorded accidents were fatal, compared to 21 during the same period last year.

Pedestrians most affected

Pedestrians accounted for the majority of fatalities, making up 63% of the deaths (19 people). Passengers were the second most affected group with seven deaths (23%), followed by drivers with three (10%), while one rider (3%) was killed.

Speeding, overtaking blamed

Authorities identified speeding as the leading cause of accidents during the period, with many drivers losing control of their vehicles. Unsafe overtaking was also cited as a major contributor to head-on collisions.

Deadly incidents recorded

One of the most tragic incidents occurred on 2 April 2026, when six family members died after a head-on collision between a Toyota Corolla and a truck along the Harare–Masvingo Road.

In another traffic accident , seven people were killed and four injured on 3 April 2026 at the 51km peg along the Bulawayo–Beitbridge Road. A truck rammed into three vehicles — a Nissan March, Toyota Probox and Toyota Hiace — before striking pedestrians who had gathered at the scene.

Police warning

The police have urged motorists to exercise caution, obey traffic laws and avoid speeding, especially during peak travel periods. Drivers involved in accidents are also being reminded to stop, render assistance and report incidents.

National

Econet InfraCo targets ultra-luxury market with Vic Falls resort

Published

10 hours ago

April 9, 2026

VicFallsLive

BY STAFF REPORTER

Econet InfraCo has unveiled plans for a multimillion-dollar luxury resort in Victoria Falls, marking a strategic push by the billion-dollar infrastructure platform into high-end tourism.

The development, branded Vic Falls Lifestyle, will feature 40 luxury residential villas supported by premium amenities, including restaurants, wellness centres and sports facilities.

Chief executive Fayaz King described the project as a landmark for Zimbabwe’s luxury tourism segment.
“These will be among the most exclusive residential properties ever developed in Zimbabwe, designed to meet top-tier international hospitality standards comparable to presidential suites in leading global hotels,” he said.

The project aims to reposition Victoria Falls as a destination for affluent global travellers seeking privacy, exclusivity and fully integrated services.
Recently listed on the Victoria Falls Stock Exchange with a valuation of about US$1 billion, Econet InfraCo said the resort will include a 24-hour, 10-bed private hospital offering emergency and dental services—an amenity tailored to high-net-worth clientele.
Security and privacy will be central to the offering, with the gated development providing round-the-clock protection for residents and guests.

Under the investment model, buyers will own individual villas but will be required to place them in a rental pool for up to 11 months a year, balancing personal use with income generation.

“Victoria Falls needs developments of this calibre to attract visitors who not only spend, but invest,” King said.

Econet founder and group chairman Strive Masiyiwa played an advisory role in shaping the concept and is expected to be among the property owners.
The company said the project has already drawn interest from local and diaspora investors, as well as international buyers.

Land has been secured, planning is at an advanced stage, and construction is scheduled to begin before year-end.

The Victoria Falls resort is Econet InfraCo’s second major project. Its flagship, Econet Tech City, is a planned industrial and technology hub near Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare, expected to host around 300 businesses across more than 800 hectares.

National

Parliament moves to curb machete gang violence in rural areas

Published

1 day ago

April 8, 2026

VicFallsLive

BY WANDILE TSHUMA

Lawmakers are demanding an urgent security crackdown in rural constituencies following a report of nearly 1 000 violent incidents involving machete-wielding gangs over a four-year period.

A motion moved by Brown Ndlovu highlighted the “horrific terror unleashed by machete-wielding gangsters” in the Vungu Constituency of Midlands Province, where murders, robberies, and assaults have reportedly become a daily occurrence. Official records presented to the House show that 997 violent cases were reported in the Vungu district alone between 2021 and 2025 .

Hwange Central MP, Daniel Molokele, recently raised the alarm to VicFallsLive, following his tour at Inyathi District Hospital, where he revealed that the gold panners were now digging under the hospital and that most casualties and admissions at the hospital were linked to machete-gang violence.

Parliamentarians expressed sharp “disdain” for current judicial practices, noting that the integrity of the legal system is at risk . The motion criticized the fact that “suspects who perpetrate such horrendous crimes are often granted bail and allowed to return to the same communities where they freely continue to molest and intimidate victims and witnesses,”a practice they say grossly undermines public safety.

The House has called for the Zimbabwe Republic Police in rural areas to be modernized and properly equipped. Specifically, lawmakers are urging the Ministry of Home Affairs to provide officers with “adequate tools of trade such as vehicles, modern communication equipment, and weapons to wade off criminal activities”. Additionally, the motion proposes that bail should be denied in machete-related cases and that state witnesses be granted enhanced protection from “intimidation, retributions and retaliations”