Zim News Blog -NEWS NETWORK

The Government’s newly introduced 0.5 percent levy on fast-food items has generated almost US$1 million in revenue during the first half of 2025, a senior official has confirmed.

The tax, commonly known as a “sin tax,” aims to encourage healthier eating habits and combat rising levels of obesity and non-communicable diseases. It applies to popular fast-food items such as pizza, burgers, French fries, and doughnuts.

During a Question and Answer session in the National Assembly on Wednesday, Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Deputy Minister Kudakwashe Mnangagwa revealed that total collections from the levy amounted to US$954 912. He explained that while the tax was introduced in January 2025, formal accounting for the revenue only began in March due to the pending Tax and Revenue Management System and confederation process by ZIMRA.

Economists have welcomed the measure, noting that it is likely to boost Treasury revenue and support funding for development projects. The levy is imposed on a per-unit basis, targeting both revenue generation and the discouragement of unhealthy food consumption.

The initiative follows the success of the sugar content tax implemented last year, which has already generated over US$30 million in revenue in the first half of 2025. While the fast-food levy has sparked debate, experts view it as a strategic move to enhance domestic resource mobilisation and address critical national priorities.

Source – online

HARARE – Nine Chinese nationals arrested for cocaine possession in Harare walked free on Friday after being fined just US$150 each, a sentence that has triggered outrage over the judiciary’s soft approach to drug offences.

Magistrate Vakayi Chikwekwe convicted the group but ruled that the quantities of cocaine recovered were “insignificant,” saying a harsher penalty was not justified. The alternative punishment was six months in prison.

Those convicted are Yu Hefeng, Dong Yunmei, Yang Wanwan, Wu Yuejun, Yang Qin, Fang Yue, Sun Jie, Yao Wenming and Li Zhongju.

Police raided a Newlands property on September 1 following a tip-off about rampant drug use. Inside, police found the Chinese nationals split between two lounges, sniffing cocaine off a wooden tray with a golden playing card.

Investigators also recovered crystal meth, benzodiazepam and sachets of cocaine worth more than US$1,000.

While most of the group were released on bail last week, alleged ringleader Huang Zhen was denied bail and remains in custody.

The outcome has raised eyebrows in Zimbabwe, where drug abuse is surging and authorities have vowed to crack down on international cartels.

The ruling contrasts sharply with a recent case before the High Court, where Justice Esther Muremba blasted a Harare magistrate for giving a suspended sentence and community service to Christine Chambati, a 39-year-old mother of four, caught with nearly a kilogram of cannabis.

Chambati had been arrested with 962.6g of dagga worth just US$96.20. Muremba ruled that the lower court had “fallen short of real and substantial justice,” noting that the Sentencing Guidelines prescribe a minimum three-year prison term for large drug quantities.

She further criticised the view that 962g was a “small amount,” ruling instead that any quantity above 700g warrants imprisonment.

The sharp disparity in sentencing between a local woman and foreign nationals has fuelled public anger, with critics accusing courts of inconsistency and leniency towards well-connected foreigners. – ZimLive

HARARE – Fastjet Zimbabwe has announced an expansion of its Johannesburg–Harare schedule, unveiling a new early-morning service designed to cater to growing demand from business travellers.

In a statement on Friday, the budget carrier said it will introduce an additional morning flight from Johannesburg to Harare, with a corresponding evening return from Harare to Johannesburg, effective 29 September. The service will operate daily except on Saturdays, using the 50-seat Embraer ERJ145 aircraft.

“We are always looking to provide customers with flexible flight times to better suit their travel needs,” said Vivian Ruwuya, Fastjet Zimbabwe’s Chief Commercial Officer. “In recent months, we have seen strong demand from businesspeople for an early morning departure from Johannesburg to Harare. Our new flight FN8220 now makes a full business day in Harare possible.”

The airline has been steadily broadening its regional network. In April, Fastjet introduced three weekly flights between Harare and Lusaka, Zambia, and last month launched a Victoria Falls–Bulawayo route operating four times a week.

Fastjet, which is privately owned, says the latest schedule adjustment underscores its strategy to enhance regional connectivity and meet the needs of Zimbabwe’s growing business and tourism markets.

A 21-year-old man was scheduled to appear before the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Thursday after allegedly stabbing to death 24-year-old Liberty Shawn Wazara during an altercation reportedly linked to a woman. Gauteng provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo told IOL that the murder-accused 21-year-old man was arrested after handing himself over to police this week. “

Accurate punches landed where it hurt most when a raging husband named Accurate allegedly turned his co-tenant Leonard into a human punching bag after busting him with his wife in a late-night bedroom scandal. The dramatic showdown occurred in Bulawayo’s Entumbane suburb on 8 September around 9.30 PM, leaving Leonard Mandivengerei (30) nursing a battered and swollen face. Accurate Mudimba, 38,