National

Zimbabwe’s lobby to lift ivory trade ban stutters

Published

3 years ago

May 28, 2022

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Zimbabwe is struggling to convince African countries to support its lobby for the lifting of a global ban on ivory trade with only a few endorsing the campaign.

The Hwange National Park, the country’s largest game reserve hosted the African Elephants Conference between May 23 to 26, where Zimbabwe hoped to influence a common position for the continent on ivory trade ahead of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) conference of the parties (Cop19) to be held in Panama later this year.

Only five of the 19 countries invited to the Hwange conference endorsed the declaration calling for the resumption of ivory trade while South Africa, a potentially influential ally for Zimbabwe, abstained.

Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Botswana and Namibia endorsed the declaration where the countries agreed to push CITES to give them the greenlight to sell their ivory stockpiles.

“We commit to working collectively to…make a clarion call for CITES not to interfere with domestic trade, the sovereignty of states and their rights to sustainable use of wildlife,” reads part of the conference’s resolutions.

“(To) advocate for decisions to be made based on elephants’ numbers in each country or region to curb the prevailing practice where decisions are made by non-affected nations; lobby through diplomatic channels to ensure that the current gaps in communication on topic wildlife issues are closed”

The five countries said they would convince the world to “rreflect and introspect on the founding ideas of CITES to shared commitment to dialogue, equity, inclusiveness and transparency.”

“We urge all African states to join to forge a “new and better deal for elephant conservation, tourism and rural communities in key African Range States “by endorsing and committing to the declaration,” the resolutions read.

First lady Auxillia Mnangagwa, who was the guest of honour at the conference, expressed frustration over lack of support from African countries.

“I strongly encourage Africa to speak with one voice for the good of its people,” Mnangagwa said.

“We are masters of our own destiny.

“As Africans, we must fully manage and benefit from our God given natural resources without undue interference.”

Zimbabwe says it wants to dispose of its ivory stockpiles worth US$600 million to fund conservation efforts and fight human-wildlife conflict, which is being worsened by the overpopulation of elephants.

The country’s population of 100 000 elephants is the second highest in Africa after Botswana.

Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority director-general Fulton Mangwanya told VicFallsLive that there were Asian countries that were ready to buy the ivory stockpiles if CITES lifts the ban, but countries such as Japan say they have excess stocks.

Japan alongside the European Union and Sweden attended the Hwange conference, but made it clear that their only interest was in conservation efforts and not the lifting of the CITES ban.

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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.