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Victoria Falls mayor pays huge price for war vets rampage

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Incarcerated Victoria Falls mayor Somvelo Dhlamini was denied bail on Monday after the Hwange regional magistrates’ court linked him with a move by war veterans to forcibly remove town clerk Ronnie Dube from his office last week.

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Dhlamini was arrested Thursday last week, two days after the group of about 14 war veterans and members of the Hwange Residents Association stormed into Dube’s office and locked the town clerk’s office saying they wanted him to stop reporting for work until corruption allegations against him were investigated.

The mayor was whisked away from his council offices by Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) investigators to the regional court in Hwange where he was charged with fraud according to his lawyer Givemore Muvhiringi

“(He was denied bail) because the people who locked the town clerk’s office gave the keys to him and the court believes they did it on the instructions of his worship,” Muvhiringi said.

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Regional magistrate Collet Ncube remanded Dhlamini in custody to October 24.

Prosecutors said “On the 15th of August 2022 and at Victoria Falls City Council offices the accused Somvelo Dhlamini, who is the mayor of the city council and in his capacity as such unlawfully and intentionally made a misrepresentation and purported to be Valentine Munyaradzi Maseko, who he had earlier on in 2003 purchased stand 1139  by making an application using the name Valentine Munyaradzi Maseko to Victoria Falls City Council under the Wood Road Housing Scheme upon which the council offered him stand number 1771 Wood Road which needed a deposit of US$25 000.”

It was alleged that Dhlamini paid US$10 000 and the balance was supposed to be paid within five days, but he failed to settle the debt and paid $7 500 000 instead.

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His lawyers had told the court that the mayor was a good candidate for bail because the case against him was weak and that he was not a flight risk.

“We had submitted that he is a good candidate for bail, that the states’ case is hopeless as he did not misrepresent himself as any other person to council, staff who knows him,” Muvhiringi said.

“Council was not going to suffer any prejudice and he is not a flight risk and has no previous conviction.

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“The court agreed to this but made a U-turn on the issue of the demonstrations.”

Before his arrest Dhlamini told VicFallsLive that he did not have any prior warning about the demonstrations.

He also said Zacc investigators were on the ground to investigate the corruption allegations before the tables were turned against him.

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The power struggles between the mayor and the town clerk have been raging on for some time amid charges by residents that corruption has paralysed service delivery in the resort city.

Victoria Falls ratepayers have been boycotting the city council’s 2023 budget consultation meetings demanding answers over various allegations of corruption.

Residents boycotted 2023 budget meetings held last month as they demanded to be first addressed by council over the alleged irregular sale of commercial stands.

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Ratepayers say they also want on explanation on how Dube was given a US$89 000 loan to buy a car and why the mayor was being bought a luxury car as a handshake and the alleged irregular leasing of council breweries.

The Victoria Falls Combined Residents Association has since written a letter to different government ministries, police and parliament asking them to investigate the allegations.

They said they had proof of corrupt deals by the town clerk and councillors which have resulted in poor service delivery.

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National

Coal train in flames: NRZ locomotive damaged in fire incident

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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.

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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.

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Ranger killed by elephant in Kariba

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI 

A 62-year-old ranger, Josphat Mandishara, was tragically killed by an elephant in Kariba yesterday.

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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.

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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.

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ZIMRA customs officer appears in court for criminal abuse of office

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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.

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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.

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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.

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