National

Vic Falls girl suicide: Father alleges rape as the cause of daughter’s demise

Published

3 years ago

November 14, 2022

BY AWAKHIWE KHUMALO

The father of a 11 year- old Victoria Falls girl who committed suicide has revealed some shocking information where he alleges that his daughter was a rape case victim.

Patience Happiness Chishemu, a grade five student at Mpumelelo Primary School in Bulawayo committed suicide by hanging herself on a tree in her Njube residency on Sunday afternoon.

The deceased’s father, Mike Chishemu told VICFALLSLIVE in an interview at his Chinotimba residency in Victoria Falls that his third born child was a victim of sexual abuse by a feared serial gangster in Bulawayo.

“Patience visited me here in December last year, and she told me that she needed to talk to me in private,” Chishemu narrated his suspicion of his daughter’s decision to take away her life.

“We went to the bedroom and she revealed that she had been raped in 2021 and she was advised by a close family member (name withheld for ethical reasons) not to say anything because the person who had raped her was very dangerous and might harm her”

“l the contacted her mother to try and find out about what had happened, her mother confirmed the incident and said they must not do anything because the person who raped Patience was a serial rapist and a killer but has never been convicted,”

“She was raped again this year by a tenant who lived with her in March and she was unwell after and we had to take her to the hospital,”

Chishemu said they reported the matter to the police and the man was arrested, although he was released after a few days due to lack of evidence.

“Patience was then taken by an organization that deals with child care and she lived there for about four months where she had been offered psychological therapy, but had clearly not healed.

Way forward:

“It’s very hard for me to let this go because l have lost a child,” teary Chishemu said as the family prepared to lay her to rest on Thursday last week.

“We will go back to police after this to seek a new investigation into her rape cases and to find out how these people who raped my child are still not in jail.”

What we know so far about Patience’s last Sunday:

“Patience’s mother is working as a vendor at a market in Entumbane complex, so I was told that her mother had asked her to bring her food which she did not do,”Chishena revealed.

“The mother went back home at around 12pm and found Patience playing with her other friends. In anger, she beat her with a cooking stick then told her again to bring her food to the market.

“At around 3pm, two children from the neighborhood went to the market and told her that patience has hung herself on a tree.”

Chishemu said when his ex-wife arrived at the scene, she took a knife and she used it to cut the rope that she had used to hang herself, before attempting to render first aid.

“She went on to look for a taxi to take her to the hospital, but an ambulance passed by and the paramedics tried to assist, but confirmed that she had been deceased.

According to the post-mortem results, the girl died due to suffocation.

National

EcoCash launches all-in-one super app

Published

19 hours 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.

National

Zambia, Zimbabwe to ban heavy trucks from Victoria Falls Bridge

Published

3 days ago

April 21, 2026

VicFallsLive

BY DUMANI MOYO

Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has announced that Zambia and Zimbabwe will restrict heavy trucks and trains from using the century-old Victoria Falls Bridge.

Speaking at an engineering conference in Livingstone, he said the two countries will instead build a new bridge and railway crossing to handle modern freight demands.

Hichilema made it clear that the 121-year-old structure can no longer safely or efficiently carry today’s heavy-duty traffic.

Engineers designed the bridge in the early 1900s for much lighter loads, not for fully laden 60-tonne mining trucks or long freight trains that now dominate regional trade routes.

Engineers completed the Victoria Falls Bridge in 1905 as a narrow arch crossing linking road, rail and pedestrian traffic.

While it remains an iconic piece of infrastructure, its design limits its ability to support modern logistics.

Authorities have already imposed restrictions over the years.

Trains often move at very low speeds, while trucks have faced weight limits that forced heavier vehicles to reroute through other crossings.

Although rehabilitation work in 2006 extended the bridge’s lifespan, it did not solve the fundamental structural limitations.

Experts now agree that upgrading the bridge to meet current freight standards would cost nearly as much as building a new one.

WHY A NEW CROSSING MAKES ECONOMIC SENSE

Officials from both countries now favour constructing a new dual-purpose rail and road bridge instead of attempting further upgrades.

A purpose-built crossing would accommodate higher traffic volumes and modern freight loads without compromising safety.

A new structure would also eliminate a major bottleneck along the North-South Corridor, which links the copper belts of Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo to southern markets such as South Africa.

By separating heavy commercial traffic from tourism and local travel, the new bridge would allow the Victoria Falls Bridge to serve lighter vehicles, pedestrians and tourists, preserving its heritage value.

REGIONAL TRADE AND RAIL INTEGRATION BOOST

The proposed crossing would complement major regional projects, including the Mosetse-Kazungula-Livingstone Railway.

A dual-track rail bridge would strengthen links between Zambia and Zimbabwe while supporting long-term plans to expand rail connectivity across Southern Africa.

It would also mirror the successful model of the Kazungula Bridge, which has significantly increased traffic flow since opening in 2021.

FINANCING AND NEXT STEPS

Despite strong political backing, key questions remain around funding, construction timelines and project ownership.

Zimbabwe’s debt constraints could complicate financing, although improved economic reforms may unlock support from international lenders.

If both governments secure funding and move quickly, the new bridge could become one of the most important infrastructure developments in the Southern African Development Community in recent years.

This could transform trade flows and ease congestion along a critical regional corridor.

SOURCE: THE SOUTH AFRICAN