National

Victoria Falls roads extensively damaged by heavy rains

Published

2 years ago

November 3, 2022

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Victoria Falls residents have appealed to the local authority to repair roads and storm drains that were damaged by heavy rains that pounded the resort city on Tuesday.

The rains caused massive damage to a number of roads within the city.

The Victoria Falls-Bulawayo highway was partially damaged near the Truck Inn Stop.

Concerned residents resorted to putting stones as barriers and to warn motorists against the lurking danger after gullies formed on the roads.

Some drivers employed by shuttle services in the city said the state of the roads posed a danger to tourists, who frequently use the highway to the Victoria Falls International Airport.

“The rains started at night and as I was driving to drop clients at the airport in the morning I saw a buffalo from a distance that had been trapped.

“It was struggling to cross over the road,” one of the drivers said.

“I could see from a distance that there was a problem, and I started to move cautiously and as l approached I saw that one side of the road on my left had been destroyed.

“I was lucky because if it was not for that buffalo that was struggling to cross the road I was going to be a victim together with my six clients.”

Another driver said they tried in vain to engage relevant authorities to do something about the gully on the highway, which he said existed before the rains.

“This is not a new problem, and it could have been prevented because this gulley formed years ago and it had been widening towards the road, but they never bothered to respond to our pleas to attend to it,” he said.

“When we got here we had to look around the bush for stones to barricade the place as there was no one present to monitor traffic and there was no action being taken.”

Along Ngugama Road in the high density suburb of Mkhosana storm drains that were still under construction were damaged by the heavy rains.

The construction of the storm drains began three months ago and residents told VicFallsLive that the trenches, some over a meter deep, posed a danger to children as they were too close to houses.

Council officials toured the Mkhosana area on Wednesday to assess the damage.

In the press statement council said the construction of the storm drains, which was meant to end in September was being done by the Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (Zinara) under the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme.

Council said the contractor abandoned the project due to non-payment.

“We hope that Zinara will disburse payment soon, which will enable the contractor to move back onsite to complete the project,” council said.

“Meanwhile, Council will put some temporary measures in affected areas as it continues to engage the parastatal for funds.”

The local authority urged residents to desist from clogging the drainage system with litter.

“Residents are also advised not to block drainage using soil in the name of seeking passage across the drain as it defeats the purpose of a drain and causes flooding,” council said.

“Council will carry out an extensive exercise to identify and fine all who clog our drainage system with building materials.

“It is also imperative to take note of the construction dangers and we implore drivers to be responsible on the road and for parents to ensure the safety of their children.”

Most parts of Zimbabwe have been receiving heavy rains since last week

National

Ranger killed by elephant in Kariba

Published

3 days 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

1 month 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.

National

Retailers send Mnangagwa SOS as shops continue shutting down over operational woes

Published

2 months ago

January 27, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY ZIMLIVE

The Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers (CZR) has implored President Emmerson Mnangagwa to intervene and save the sector which has seen various formal retail and wholesale businesses closing shop countrywide due to operational challenges.

In a statement on Sunday, CZR president Denford Mutashu said the continued closure of formal retail and wholesale businesses is a direct consequence of the tough economic environment that has consistently failed to support formalised sector players who face stiff competition from informal businesses and vendors the majority of whom have no tax obligations to deal with.

Mutashu said his association was concerned that authorities continue to downplay the crisis.

“The recent closure of several outlets under the N. Richards Group, coupled with Spar Zimbabwe’s painful decision to shut down Queensdale Spar, Choppies Zimbabwe’s exit from the market, and Mahommed Mussa’s significant reduction of shop space by 60%, highlights the growing crisis.

“As the representative association for these and other brands, CZR is alarmed that while formal businesses face enormous challenges, the authorities continue to present a different picture of the operating environment,” he said.

Given the situation, Mutashu said, only President Mnangagwa can rescue the troubled sector.

“CZR therefore calls for urgent intervention from His Excellency, President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, to rescue what remains of the formalized retail and wholesale sector,” said Mutashu.

He said the sector was in urgent need of rescue.

“While CZR acknowledges the continued support from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, it is clear that the root causes of these challenges are fiscal and monetary in nature. These require urgent and decisive action to ensure the survival of formal businesses.

“CZR therefore appeals to the Presidium to prioritize interventions aimed at saving jobs and mitigating the ongoing wave of shop closures and retrenchments,” he said.