National

Victoria Falls mayor blames Zinwa as water cuts bite

Published

4 years ago

August 6, 2021

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Victoria Falls City Council mayor Somvelo Dlamini says the local authority inherited obsolete water reticulation infrastructure from the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa), which is causing serious disruptions to supplies.

Dlamini spoke on Friday as the resort city endured week-long water cuts after one of the pumps at the treatment plant malfunctioned.

This forced some residents to fetch water from the Zambezi River while hotels warned of a crisis if supplies are not restored as their reserves were running low.

The mayor said they inherited obsolete water reticulation infrastructure from Zinwa, which he blamed for the frequent cuts.

“They left us with obsolete suction pumps and the pumps could no longer draw water,” Dlamini told VicFallsLive.

“Most of this equipment is corroded while some of it had become dysfunctional.

“So we decided to embark on extensive repairs.

“We had to also purchase some new ones as well in preparation of our summer season.”

He said water supplies would be restored on Saturday.

“We hope that by end of day tomorrow (Saturday) water supplies will return back to normally,” Dlamini said. “Our technicians are at the site.”

Anald Musonza, chairperson of Hotels Association of Zimbabwe’s Matabeleland North chapter, said hotels in Victoria Falls could run out of water anytime if supplies were not resumed soon.

“It could be a nightmare for us soon if it goes further,” Musonza said.

“For now we are surviving on our reservoirs, but my concern is more on those that have no bigger reservoirs.

“It could be already hectic for them if this challenge persists.”

Zinwa recently increased its charges to $ 4.5 million per month from $1.1 million after the local authority took water supplies two months ago.

Council officials say the charges are too high as the local authority has 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.