National

Victoria Falls City Council sets 2023 budget at US$20 million

Published

3 years ago

November 1, 2022

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

The Victoria Falls City Council is proposing a US$20 million budget for next year as it tries to keep up with rising inflation.

Speaking on the sidelines of a recent budget consultation meeting, council’s finance director Neville Ndlovu said the proposed budget was a US$2 million increase from the combined 2022 budget and the supplementary budget that was adopted later in the year.

“For 2022, including the supplementary budget we were on US$18 965 149, and for the next year we are proposing US$20 083 932,” Ndlovu said.

The council’s finance boss had earlier told stakeholders that the 2023 tariff increase was mainly driven by the worsening economic situation, characterised by rising inflation.

“Inflation rose from 66, 18 percent in February to 257 percent in July,” Ndlovu said.

“Fuel prices continue to rise and electricity (tariffs) went up by 342 percent while the official exchange rate moved from $85 to $621 yet the parallel market exchange rate has moved from $120 to $750 (to the US dollar).”

He said although the government had eased travel restrictions imposed during Covid-19 lockdowns, the war between Russia and Ukraine continued to affect the city’s biggest economy, which is tourism.

If the proposed budget is approved by central government, 1 000 litres of water will cost US$1.07 cents from US$ 83 cents for the least paying ratepayers from high density suburbs.

Cemetery fees will be pegged at US$250 from $175 while expecting mothers will be paying 50 percent more for delivering at the council-run clinics.

Commercial license fees will go up by between 50 percent and over 170 percent.

Helicopter helipad owners will pay US$1719 up from US$ 860 and operators said the fees were beyond their reach considering that the tourism industry was yet to recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, residents pleaded with the local authority to revise the budget downwards arguing that the proposed tariffs did not match the level of service delivery in the city.

Most suburbs in the city do not have constant water supplies and suffer from frequent sewer pipe bursts.

Ndlovu said council had managed to work on the storm drains in three areas and embarked on road rehabilitation programmes utilising its capital budget.

Council also bought a motorised grader, he said.

He, however, bemoaned shortage of manpower and support staff to efficiently execute duties.

“We have a huge backlog on valve maintenance, both small and commercial, and we also lack service equipment for dewatering and jack hammers,” Ndlovu said.

National

Coal train in flames: NRZ locomotive damaged in fire incident

Published

1 month 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

3 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

4 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.