National

Victoria Falls braces for a dry Wednesday

Published

4 years ago

August 16, 2021

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Victoria Falls will endure another day without running water on Wednesday as the council will be installing new pumps on the Zambezi River, the city council has said.

Most areas in the city have been experiencing intermittent water cuts since early this month when the local authority switched off supplies for several days to repair the water reticulation infrastructure.

Council on Monday said residents and businesses must brace for water cuts lasting up to 10 hours on Wednesday as it installs the pumps.

“Victoria Falls City Council wishes to inform its residents and stakeholders that new pumps will be installed at the Waterworks Highlift Pump Station,” council said in a statement.

“In light of the installations, there will be an interruption of water services on Wednesday, 18 August 2021, from 0800hrs to 1800hrs.

“The works are part of the council’s efforts to rehabilitate and upgrade its water supply system to provide efficient and uninterrupted services.

“You are, therefore, encouraged to prepare accordingly.”

For the past three weeks, the local authority has been battling to provide adequate water to residents, especially in high density suburbs, after a pump malfunctioned.

Some residents in Chinotimba and Mkhosana’s Garikai and Mfelandawonye areas are being forced to fetch water from the local authority’s main tank in Chinotimba.

Victoria Falls mayor Somvelo Dlamini has blamed the water cuts on aging infrastructure, which he said his council inherited from the Zimbabwe Water Management Authority (Zinwa).

Zinwa ran the city’s water reticulation system until a few months ago.

Dlamini said Zinwa left behind obsolete suction pumps and other equipment, which made it difficult to pump enough raw water from the Zambezi River.

Council won the tussle for control of the water infrastructure a few months ago after the government intervened.

Zinwa recently hiked water charges to $ 4.5 million per month from $1.1 million after losing pumping rights and council officials say the charges are too high as the local authorities must pay other pumping costs like electricity.

National

Coal train in flames: NRZ locomotive damaged in fire incident

Published

4 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.