National

Victoria Falls boy punished for impregnating 15 year-old

Published

3 years ago

April 26, 2022

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

A Victoria Falls teen has been ordered to perform 525 hours of community service for impregnating a 15 year-old girl.

Victoria Falls magistrate Linda Dzvene convicted the 17-year-old boy from Jengwe Village under Chief Mvuthu who was charged with contravening section 70 (1) of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act Chapter 9:23 “having extra-marital sexual intercourse with a young person”.

The court heard that sometime in 2019 during the month of April, the boyproposed love to the complainant and she accepted.

During the same month, the two went to Mosi-Oa-Tunya High School to celebrate Easter and during the celebration, the two went to a nearby bush and had sexual intercourse once.

The two continued having sexual intercourse at the girl’s village under the same chief until her mother discovered that she was pregnant leading to the boy’s arrest in November 2020.

In court, the boy begged for a lighter sentence as he was already maintaining his child.

Dzvene said the 525 hours of community service which were altered from his 18 months imprisonment would enable the boy to reform while taking into account that he was already taking care of his child.

“Although accused transgressed, justice must be tempered with mercy,” Dzvene said.

“It is important to note that when the offence was committed, the accused person was also a juvenile aged 17 years and had he been convicted by then, he would have been treated as a juvenile

“I have also disregarded a custodial sentence as the accused person is a youthful offender, who should be given a second chance and a custodial sentence will not benefit him in any way as he will be contaminated by hardened criminals.

“I have, therefore, opted for community service as suitable sentence.”

Part of the 18 months imprisonment was suspended for three months on condition that the boy does not commit a similar offence while the remaining was altered to 525 hours of community service at Chisuma Clinic.

National

Coal train in flames: NRZ locomotive damaged in fire incident

Published

2 weeks 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

2 months 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.