National

Victoria Falls teacher jailed for fondling friend’s daughter

Published

3 years ago

September 16, 2022

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

A Victoria Falls teacher has been jailed for 18 months for sexually abusing his friend’s 13 year-old daughter at a school where he was employed.

Austin Shoko (43) from Chinotimba on February 18 lured the girl to a computer lab after she sought assistance to obtain her results and fondled her breasts.

Shoko was convicted on September 9 by Victoria Falls magistrate Linda Dzvene after a lengthy trial.

Prosecutors said Shoko lured the pupil to a computer lab at Chinotimba Primary School before grabbing her from behind to fondle her breasts.

The victim pupil told the court that on the day in question she went to collect her results at the school but could not locate the receptionist.

While she was waiting by the reception area a teacher identified as Ma Lisa came in looking for the receptionist and Shoko also arrived.

He asked if the victim about her father before asking her to follow him to the lab where he could assist her to obtain the results.

Shoko pretended to be searching for the victim’s results using his phone before leaving the room.

On his return, he grabbed the victim from behind and started fondling her breasts.

The girl said she did not scream for help because she was afraid.

She told Shoko that she will inform her mother about the abuse before going to the reception area to check her results.

On her way home she met a neighbour and narrated her ordeal.

The neighbour, who was a state witness in the case, told the girl to inform her mother about the abuse and this led to Shoko’s arrest.

In his defence, Shoko claimed that he was framed by the girl’s mother to cover-up her extra-marital affair.

He said on the day in question he met the minor and she followed him as he was walking with Mai Lisa.

Shoko said he sought permission from the deputy headmaster to allow the girl to access her results before walking away.

He said the girl’s mother framed him because he was about to spill her alleged extra-marital affair with one of his friends.

But Dzvene said the fact that the minor and two other witnesses’ statements tallied during cross examination, it proved that Shoko had committed the offence even though there was no physical evidence linking him to the crime.

In mitigation, Shoko said he was a married family man.

“The court takes into account that taking the accused to jail will also be punishing those who depend on him for financial support, but what aggravates the accused’s case is that he is facing a serious offense of indecent assault,” Dzvene said.

“It is to be noted that the accused person is a teacher where the complainant was a student and also a friend to the complainant’s father.

“The complainant misled the complainant, who trusted him and violated her instead of being protective of her and the accused is a married man who out of lust and nothing else sought to abuse a child of 13 years by exposing her to sexual acts at a young age.

“It is my view that having taken into account the relationship of the accused and the complainant, the seriousness of the offense, the age disparity of the accused person, and the complainant, a custodial sentence will be appropriate.

“And the court will also be seen to have a date in the row protection of the vulnerable, of the young girl child.“

The magistrate initially sentenced Shoko to 24 months in jail before setting aside six months for five years on condition that he does not commit a similar offence.

National

Ranger killed by elephant in Kariba

Published

3 weeks 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

2 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.

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.