National

‘We are ready for trial’: Vic Falls mayor’s lawyer

Published

3 years ago

November 14, 2022

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Victoria Falls City Council mayor Somvelo Dhlamini’s lawyer Givemore Muvhiringi, has expressed disappointment over the state’s delay to set a trial date for his client who is accused of fraudulently acquiring a stand in the resort city.

Dlamini from the Douglas Mwonzora MDC Alliance led-party was finally granted his bail on Tuesday last week by the High Court, a day after the regional court had further remanded him in custody to November 21 after the state argued that investigations were not yet complete.

He was arrested on October charged with fraud.

Muvhiringi from Muvhiringi and Legal Practitioners told VicFallsLive that the continued incarceration and remand on his client was not fair.

“A trial date has not been set because he has not been asked to plead,”Muvhiringi said.

“We will try to push a trial date to be set on his next appearance because this has taken so long and all those things should’ve been done long ago, so we will hear more on the day.”

Dhlamini was arrested two days after the group of about 14 warveterans from Hwange stormed into the town clerk Ronnie Dube’s office accusing him of being corrupt and wasteful of the resources.

Before his arrest, he had told VicFallsLive that the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) was already on the ground to investigate the allegations, but ironically, the same commission found him on the wrong side.

He was arrested from the council premises and whisked to the regional court in Hwange.

Allegations against him are that “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.

Muvhiringi said part of the mayor’s bail conditions included that he should pay a fee of $50 000, report to police every Friday and surrender his passport.

He was also ordered not to interfere with the witnesses.

National

Coal train in flames: NRZ locomotive damaged in fire incident

Published

2 months 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

3 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

4 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.