MACHENI: Kariba crocodile which killed 21 men and ate their private parts only sets tongues wagging

A MYSTERIOUS crocodile, which the residents of Gatche Gatche claim has supernatural powers and only devours the private parts of its victims, has cast its huge shadow over this small fishing community on the shores of Lake Kariba. They say the elusive …

A MYSTERIOUS crocodile, which the residents of Gatche Gatche claim has supernatural powers and only devours the private parts of its victims, has cast its huge shadow over this small fishing community on the shores of Lake Kariba. They say the elusive giant reptile has killed more than 21 people, mainly fishermen, and all of […]

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SO SAD: Beitbridge accident death toll rises

Death toll rises to 11 in Beitbridge Road accident as government and bus operators extend support The death toll from a tragic road accident in Beitbridge on Saturday has tragically increased from nine to eleven, as two more passengers succumbed to the…

Death toll rises to 11 in Beitbridge Road accident as government and bus operators extend support The death toll from a tragic road accident in Beitbridge on Saturday has tragically increased from nine to eleven, as two more passengers succumbed to their injuries while receiving treatment at the hospital. The incident occurred when a City […]

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Zimbabwe goes hungry as crops wither amid El Nino drought

Source: Zimbabwe goes hungry as crops wither amid El Nino drought | Reuters A wilted maize crop is seen in Mumijo, Buhera district east of the capital Harare, Zimbabwe, March 16, 2024. REUTERS/Philimon Bulawayo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab BUHERA, Zimbabwe  (Reuters) – Residents of the Zimbabwean village of Buhera stood in groups at […]

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Source: Zimbabwe goes hungry as crops wither amid El Nino drought | Reuters

BUHERA, Zimbabwe  (Reuters) – Residents of the Zimbabwean village of Buhera stood in groups at a primary school waiting to be called by name to receive life-saving handouts of grain, peas and cooking oil.
“We are grateful, but the food will only be enough for one month,” said Mushaikwa, 71, who lives with her elderly husband, as she trudged away with her bag of grain. “My crops are wilted.”
Zimbabwe has failed to feed itself since 2000 when former president Robert Mugabe seized white-owned farms, disrupting production and leading to sharp falls in output, leaving many Zimbabweans reliant on food aid for survival.
The crisis has been exacerbated by an El Nino-induced drought that has hit many southern African nations. The government has estimated that 2.7 million people will go hungry this year, although the real number could be higher.
The government is considering whether to declare a state of emergency, a government minister told Reuters.
El Nino is a naturally occurring weather phenomenon associated with a disruption of wind patterns that means warmer ocean surface temperatures in the eastern and central Pacific.
It occurs on average every two to seven years, typically lasts nine to 12 months and can provoke extreme weather such as tropical cyclones, prolonged drought and subsequent wildfires.
“When you drive around, you will see that many crops have wilted,” said World Food Programme acting country director Christine Mendes in Buhera, about 220 km (140 miles) southeast of the capital, Harare.
Zimbabwe’s staple maize harvest is expected to halve to 1.1 million tons this year.
WFP has helped 270,000 people in four drought-prone districts between January and March but will need additional funds to feed more, said Mendes.
In Buhera, 47-year-old Mary Takawira assessed her crop, which dried up before maturity.
“I do not remember the taste of (corn) anymore,” she said. “This is going to be a tough year.”

Reporting by Nyasha Chingono; Editing by Nellie Peyton and Nick Macfie

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Gokwe man nabbed over ED ‘Scud’ slur 

Source: Gokwe man nabbed over ED ‘Scud’ slur –Newsday Zimbabwe GOKWE resident, Mark Mandiki has landed himself in trouble after he allegedly labelled President Emmerson Mnangagwa a “Scud”. Mandiki, who appeared in court last week charged with undermining and insulting the Office of the President, allegedly made the remarks on February 25, 2023, during a […]

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Source: Gokwe man nabbed over ED ‘Scud’ slur –Newsday Zimbabwe

GOKWE resident, Mark Mandiki has landed himself in trouble after he allegedly labelled President Emmerson Mnangagwa a “Scud”.

Mandiki, who appeared in court last week charged with undermining and insulting the Office of the President, allegedly made the remarks on February 25, 2023, during a heated verbal exchange with a Zanu PF member, Doubt Tonhorayi.

 

“Your President Mnangagwa looks like an ancient opaque beer container known as Scud, which is why it was named ED because it is as rotten as him,” reads part of the charge sheet.

On Wednesday, the State closed its case after three witnesses had testified in the matter.

Mandiki, who is expected to submit his defence on April 3, claims Tonhorayi is framing him to settle political scores.

 He claims Tonhorayi was once an opposition activist before switching to Zanu PF, hence there is bad blood between them.

 

Mandiki is being represented by the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights.

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Invictus eyes regional expansion 

Source: Invictus eyes regional expansion –Newsday Zimbabwe OIL and gas exploration firm Invictus Energy, which recently made a gas discovery in Zimbabwe, has expressed ambitions to expand regionally, NewsDay Business can report. The firm recently revealed that preliminary compositional analysis confirmed high quality natural gas containing minimal impurities, which will require minimal processing before sale […]

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Source: Invictus eyes regional expansion –Newsday Zimbabwe

OIL and gas exploration firm Invictus Energy, which recently made a gas discovery in Zimbabwe, has expressed ambitions to expand regionally, NewsDay Business can report.

The firm recently revealed that preliminary compositional analysis confirmed high quality natural gas containing minimal impurities, which will require minimal processing before sale to downstream customers.

 

The energy company declared two material discoveries after recovering 15 downhole gas and gas-condensate samples from both the Upper and Lower Angwa Formation targets in the Mukuyu-2/ST-1 well during its December drilling campaign.

The dual discoveries confirmed the incredible potential of the Mukuyu gas field and defined a new petroleum province in the Cabora Bassa basin, where the company holds a dominant acreage position of 360 000 hectares  in proximity to a high-demand energy market with established delivery infrastructure.

“We do have ambitions to expand regionally dependent upon the ultimate reserves from our licence area as there is a significant power and gas shortfall in South Africa and untapped potential in countries such as Zambia,” Invictus managing director Scott Macmillan told the African Energy Chamber in a statement released Friday.

African Energy Chamber is an energy advocacy group based in South Africa.

 

“We can export electricity through the Southern Africa Power Pool (Sapp) and with our project located within 100km of three major Sapp interconnectors it provides us with the ability to export across the region using the existing infrastructure.”

He continued: “There is also an opportunity to export gas to South Africa by joining into the ROMPCO pipeline from Mozambique which has a captive market in South Africa and fetches premium pricing.

 

“South Africa is facing a one billion cubic foot per day shortfall in gas supply by 2030 which is obviously a huge opportunity for a resource like ours that is strategically placed to fill the void.”

 

With regards to a development plan, Macmillan envisaged Mukuyu to be a phased development consisting of an initial pilot project to provide early revenue and demonstrate proof of concept.

He noted that this would be followed by a more traditional full field development plan to commercialise a large volume of gas through gas-to-power, gas-to-fertiliser and feedstock for industrial customers as well as small scale liquefied natural gas and compressed natural gas for end users not near the pipeline network.

“We see gas playing a critical role in the industrialisation of the country and gas-to-power is probably the biggest opportunity in Zimbabwe for us to monetise large volumes of gas given the energy deficit in the country,” he said.

“This energy deficit is going to be exacerbated in future due to increasing energy demand from some of the intensive energy users such as the mining houses and large industrial consumers and their need for reliable and affordable power is greater than ever and crucial for their businesses.

“Five hundred megawatts (MW) is just the start and it is estimated that an additional 2 500MW of new power generation is required to meet demand in the next few years.

“Due to our proximity to the electricity network, through a gas-to-power development we can utilise the grid as a virtual pipeline to deliver electrons to end users which significantly reduces development cost and timeline of the initial phases of full field development.”

The Invictus chief said raising capital for oil and gas projects has been challenging, particularly in the exploration space, which comes with high risk and no guarantee of achieving success and making a discovery.

“We have been very fortunate to have had excellent support from our shareholders who have funded our exploration activity to date,” he noted.

“Post the gas-condensate discovery at Mukuyu-2, we have now de-risked the asset and — with a tangible resource base — it opens additional options for the company to fund the future work programme.

“We have a high amount of equity in our licence (80%) and it provides us with flexibility on a number of fronts. These options include farming out an interest to other E&P companies, financing from regional development banks, strategic local investors that are positioning to become a part of a new industry in Zimbabwe and pre-payment for future offtake.”

He disclosed that the flow test design work at the Mukuyu-2 well is being undertaken to determine the long leads and mobilisation plan for the test given the relatively remote location.

The company is also planning a 3D seismic survey at the Mukuyu field, which will assist in determining future appraisal and development well locations for an early phase development.

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