National

Victoria Falls bartender gored to death by elephant

Published

3 years ago

November 7, 2021

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI
A Victoria Falls bartender was trampled to death by an elephant near the main police station in the early hours of Sunday as he was walking home from work.

The man, only identified as William by local residents, is said to have stumbled on three elephants that had a calf.

A security guard at the Landela Complex, which is close to where the man was killed, said the incident happened close to the police compound.

“I was walking towards that road when I heard elephants trumpeting and this was followed by a loud bang as if something had dropped, or a tree had fallen, “ he said.

“At the scene I found few people and some cars at the scene and they told me that William had been trampled to death by an elephant,

“I discovered that he had been gored by the elephant on his stomach and his body was thrown about 40 metres away.

” It seems when it gored him, he was carrying a loaf of bread and a wallet.

“We were able to again identify him through his national identity card that he was carrying.”

According to police officers who witnessed the incident from their houses nearby, he tried to escape to the police compound.

“He used pass by our houses every morning after knocking-off from work at one of the bars in town,” one police officer told Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) rangers who attended the scene around 9.30AM.

“These elephants for the past one month have been crossing through this road going to the suburbs.

“As this fellow walked to his house, he encountered them and one of the bulls attacked him.

“We heard some loud noise and screams.

” When we went out to investigate we discovered that he had been killed.”

Frustrated residents accused Zimparks of ignoring their pleas to have the wild animals pushed away from residential areas.

“They tell us that we should learn to cohabit with them as we live in their territories,” the security guard said.

Another resident from Chinotimba added: “Recently one elephant entered my yard when I was washing the plates around 8 PM and I jumped off the fence and it started to feed on my vegetables.

“ Whenever we report such problems, Zimparks tells us that we should get used to them and we should also desist from attempting to throw objects at them as it is against the law.”

Zimparks spokesperson Tinashe Farawo said he was yet to receive a report about the incident.

However, Zimparks rangers were already searching for the killer elephant.

Human-wildlife conflicts in the resort city have been on the increase over the past years.

Last month, a Victoria Falls Anti-Poaching Unit conservationist was trampled to death by an elephant bull as he conducted anti-poaching duties around the city.

Last year, another man was trampled to death by an elephant near National Railways of Zimbabwe houses.

National

Coal train in flames: NRZ locomotive damaged in fire incident

Published

1 week ago

April 16, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY WANDILE TSHUMA

A National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) locomotive suffered significant damage after catching fire while transporting export coal to Zambi. The incident occurred between Kalala and Matetsi sidings, resulting in the explosion of the locomotive’s fuel tanks.

According to the NRZ press statement on Monday, “A National Railways of Zimbabwe locomotive suffered some damages after it caught fire this afternoon while transporting export coal to Zambia.” Fortunately, the crew members on board managed to escape unharmed.

The NRZ responded swiftly to the incident, dispatching a rescue train with crews to the site. The team successfully extinguished the fire, preventing further damage. However, the locomotive itself sustained considerable damage.

The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, with investigations currently underway. “Investigations are already underway to establish the cause of the fire and the amount of damage to the locomotive,” the NRZ statement read.

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

3 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.