National

War vets, residents kick Victoria Falls town clerk out of office

Published

3 years ago

October 5, 2022

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Victoria Falls town clerk Ronnie Dube was on Tuesday locked out of his office by angry war veterans and residents who accuse him of corruption and mismanagement of the local authority’s finances.

Dube, who has been under fire over a US$80 000 car loan he got from council, allegedly ignored his suspension by mayor Somvelo Dhlamini last month and has been reporting for work.

Ronnie Dube

Dhlamini told VicFallsLive that a group of about 15 people, who included war veterans and members of the Hwange District Residents Association, stormed the town clerk’s office at around 4PM and instructed him to vacate his office to pave way for investigations into the allegations raised against him.

“We did not know that they were coming,” the mayor said.

“I just received a call from them when they were already there and they invited me to his office,” Dhlamini said.

“It was around 4PM and they forcefully ejected him saying they were not happy with the level of corruption and mismanagement, which has resulted in poor service delivery.

“They told him that investigations were directed towards corrupt handshakes that he has received and the car that he recently bought.

“They exchanged words where he questioned the source of their allegations, but they eventually took him out and locked his office before putting a key blocker.”

Dhlamini said the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) was already on the ground to investigate the allegations.

“A ZACC team from Bulawayo is already here to investigate.

“So for now the chamber secretary (Kholwani Mangena) is the acting town clerk,” he added.

Dube did not answer his mobile phone when attempts were made to get his comment.

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

Residents boycotted meetings held last month and demanded to be first addressed by council over the alleged irregular sale of commercial stands and the US$89 000 loan that was given to Dube to buy a car, a luxury handshake car for the mayor and leasing of breweries.

The Victoria Falls Combined Residents Association has since written a letter to relevant 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.

Victoria Falls residents, mainly in the high density suburbs, have endured over six months without water and the perennial shortage has been worsening since August.

Residents argue that poor service delivery is caused by mismanagement, although council recently told VicFallsLive that the issue of water shortages had to do with rising demand during the summer season.

National

Coal train in flames: NRZ locomotive damaged in fire incident

Published

3 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.