Rising road deaths irk ZHRC 

Source: Rising road deaths irk ZHRC  -Newsday Zimbabwe The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) has expressed alarm at a sharp rise in fatal road traffic accidents during the 2025 festive season, blaming the surge on the absence of a viable, safe and properly regulated public transport system. In a statement issued Tuesday, the Commission said it was “concerned” […]

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Source: Rising road deaths irk ZHRC  -Newsday Zimbabwe

The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) has expressed alarm at a sharp rise in fatal road traffic accidents during the 2025 festive season, blaming the surge on the absence of a viable, safe and properly regulated public transport system.

In a statement issued Tuesday, the Commission said it was “concerned” by statistics released by the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), which show that fatal road accidents doubled from 1 211 in 2024 to 2 412 in 2025 between December 15 and December 26.

“The doubling of total road accidents from 1 211 in 2024 to 2 412 in 2025, alongside significant increases in fatalities and injuries, represents not just a statistical rise but a profound national emergency demanding urgent and comprehensive interventions,” the ZHRC said.

According to police figures, at least 100 people were killed while 471 others were injured during the 2025 festive season period, with passengers and pedestrians accounting for the majority of fatalities.

“Behind these numbers lie shattered families, lifelong disabilities and preventable loss of human life,” the Commission said. “Each of the 100 lives lost and 471 injuries represents a story of pain and a community in mourning.”

The ZHRC noted that pedestrians alone accounted for about 40% of all deaths, warning that the data points to systemic failures that disproportionately endanger vulnerable road users.

While acknowledging government efforts to upgrade road infrastructure under President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration, the Commission said the rising accident toll exposed deep-seated problems in the public transport sector.

“Nevertheless, the ZHRC is gravely disconcerted by the increase in accidents, which it considers to be linked to a number of factors, including a disorganised, under-regulated and overstressed transportation sector,” the statement said.

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Through its human rights monitoring and assessment functions, the ZHRC noted that the lack of reliable and affordable formal public transport has led to the proliferation of poorly maintained vehicles, including unroadworthy buses, kombis and private cars operating as informal taxis.

“Overcrowding turns these vehicles into mass death traps, significantly increasing fatality rates when accidents occur, as evidenced by the high passenger death toll, not to mention the indignity suffered by commuters packed into these vehicles,” the Commission said.

It added that economic pressures on informal transport operators encourage dangerous driving practices.

“Drivers in the informal transport sector often face extreme economic pressure to complete more trips, leading to dangerous practices such as overloading, speeding, overtaking on blind curves, driving while fatigued and ignoring traffic laws,” the ZHRC said.

Police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the deadliest crash during the period occurred at the 185-kilometre peg along the Harare–Nyamapanda Road near the Suswe area, resulting in the deaths of all 10 occupants of a Honda Fit vehicle.

Nyathi said a preliminary review of road traffic accidents recorded on major highways across the country during the festive season points to recurring and preventable causes.

“A preliminary review of road traffic accidents recorded on major highways across the country during the period points to recurring and preventable causal factors, largely attributable to driver behaviour and vehicle-related issues, which resulted in multiple fatalities and numerous injuries,” he said.

He added that most fatal crashes involved head-on collisions caused by reckless driving.

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Will Zimbabweans mourn or celebrate the passing of those in power?

Source: Will Zimbabweans mourn or celebrate the passing of those in power? The manner in which one lives their life ultimately follows them beyond the grave. Tendai Ruben Mbofana Yesterday, I attended the funeral of a well-respected member of our Redcliff community. To directly receive articles from Tendai Ruben Mbofana, please join his WhatsApp Channel […]

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Source: Will Zimbabweans mourn or celebrate the passing of those in power?

The manner in which one lives their life ultimately follows them beyond the grave.

Tendai Ruben Mbofana

Yesterday, I attended the funeral of a well-respected member of our Redcliff community.

To directly receive articles from Tendai Ruben Mbofana, please join his WhatsApp Channel on: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaqprWCIyPtRnKpkHe08

As speaker after speaker took the podium—family, friends, church members, neighbours—one striking thing stood out: the unanimity of their testimony.

They spoke glowingly about the man’s integrity, his love for others, his quiet generosity, and his commitment to his church and community.

This was not the customary “wafa wanaka” politeness that often sanitises the memory of the departed in our culture.

It was sincere, heartfelt, and credible.

As someone who knew him reasonably well, I believed every word.

That experience stirred a deeper reflection about legacy.

What will people truly remember about us when we are gone?

Will their words be spoken from obligation, fear, or convenience—or from genuine respect?

A true legacy is not what a few admirers say while others hold a vastly different view.

It is broader than that.

It is the general consensus that forms over years, even decades, about who you were, how you lived, and how you affected the lives of others.

Of course, none of us are perfect.

No one can please everyone.

Even a thief can be remembered fondly by those with whom he shared the proceeds of his crimes, regardless of the pain inflicted on his victims.

On the other hand, Jesus Christ himself faced a crowd that shouted “crucify him” when Pontius Pilate asked what should be done with him.

Yet, despite these extremes, there is usually a prevailing judgment—a dominant truth about a life lived.

I was reminded of this again at my own mother’s funeral in October this year.

Speaker after speaker testified to how she had positively touched their lives during her six decades as a nurse.

They spoke of her compassion, her selflessness, her tireless work ethic, and her unwavering commitment to helping others—even during her decade-long battle with cancer.

These were not rehearsed praises.

They were sincere reflections of a life that had left an indelible mark across family and community.

Then came today.

In a WhatsApp group, someone shared news of the alleged death of a Chinese investor in Zimbabwe, reportedly struck by lightning.

What followed was sobering.

There was not a single message of sympathy.

Some mocked the death.

Others appeared to receive the news with thinly veiled satisfaction, even delight.

Why such a reaction to a human tragedy?

The answer, uncomfortable as it may be, lies in lived experience.

Many Chinese investors—particularly in the mining sector—have become synonymous, in the eyes of ordinary Zimbabweans, with gross injustice.

Communities have been forcibly displaced from ancestral lands.

Graves and sacred sites have been desecrated.

Rivers, mountains, and ecosystems have been destroyed.

Workers are underpaid and overworked.

Meanwhile, the communities from which these minerals are extracted remain trapped in poverty and underdevelopment, seeing no tangible benefit from the wealth beneath their soil.

These investors often operate with arrogance and impunity, shielded by powerful political patrons.

For people who feel powerless in the face of this exploitation, such news can appear as a form of “nature’s justice.”

It is regrettable, yes—but also revealing.

Which brings me to those in power in Zimbabwe today.

If news were to break tomorrow that a member of the ruling elite had passed on, how do they honestly believe Zimbabweans would react?

Would the nation mourn—or would there be celebration, mockery, indifference?

We should be frank.

Beyond the choreographed rallies, the state-sponsored propaganda, and the transactional praise flooding social media, how sincere is the loyalty on display?

History offers a clear lesson.

For nearly four decades, the late Robert Mugabe was portrayed as a beloved, even revered, national icon.

His rallies were packed.

His face adorned ZANU-PF regalia.

Songs praising “Gushungo” echoed across the country.

Yet when news of his death broke on 6 September 2019, the national mood was strikingly subdued.

There was no visible outpouring of grief.

No spontaneous tributes describing an unbearable loss.

Instead, many Zimbabweans responded with indifference, mockery, or quiet relief.

I recall a man interviewed on television at Rufaro Stadium when Mugabe’s body arrived, bluntly stating that he had come only to confirm that “the evil man was indeed dead.”

There were no songs of sorrow.

No poems mourning a fallen giant.

Instead, stories resurfaced—of massacres, repression, economic ruin, and millions plunged into destitution.

And this reaction did not begin with his death.

When the military moved against Mugabe in November 2017, thousands flooded the streets of Harare in celebration, dancing, singing, and taking selfies with soldiers.

The once-deafening praise fell silent overnight.

The Mbare Chimurenga Choir, which had long sung songs in praise of “Gushungo,” did not lift their voices.

Those who had sworn undying loyalty vanished just as quickly.

Mugabe was abandoned with breathtaking speed.

Days before the 2018 elections, a bitter, broken man appeared on television, vowing to vote for the opposition he had spent years persecuting.

He died in Singapore, estranged from the very country he had ruled as if it were his personal property.

It is therefore not difficult to imagine how Zimbabweans might react to the passing of those currently in power.

The manufactured loyalty would evaporate within hours.

Unless mourners are mobilised with handouts—boxes of chicken and chips—there would be little genuine grief.

How else should people respond when nearly 80 percent are trapped in poverty, over 90 percent lack decent employment, and millions are forced into a precarious, dehumanising informal sector?

What emotions are expected when those responsible for collapsing public hospitals—leading to countless avoidable deaths—are themselves gone?

And what are people supposed to feel when the ruling elite enrich themselves from looting national resources while the country burns?

How are citizens meant to react when those in authority drive expensive cars on neglected roads, turning a blind eye to overflowing sewage and basic public decay?

This is the uncomfortable truth that those in authority must confront.

Legacy matters.

Propaganda does not outlive reality, nor does it write history.

No matter how glowingly Mugabe was portrayed by The Herald, Sunday Mail, or ZBC for decades, history books will record the truth of his rule.

The same fate awaits today’s ruling clique if nothing changes.

Yet it is not too late.

There remains an opportunity to alter the trajectory of this country—and of their own legacy.

That requires confronting corruption at the highest levels, abandoning catastrophic, self-serving policies, and placing the interests of Zimbabweans above personal enrichment and political survival.

Only then can there be hope—not just for national renewal, but for a legacy that will be mourned rather than mocked.

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Government scraps duty on fuel in transit 

Source: Government scraps duty on fuel in transit – herald Freeman Razemba and Victor Maphosa Zimpapers Reporters The Shipping and Forwarding Agents’ Association of Zimbabwe (SFAAZ) has commended the Government of Zimbabwe for scrapping duties and taxes on fuel in transit. The latest development has since been gazetted through the Finance Act Number 7 of […]

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Source: Government scraps duty on fuel in transit – herald

Freeman Razemba and Victor Maphosa

Zimpapers Reporters

The Shipping and Forwarding Agents’ Association of Zimbabwe (SFAAZ) has commended the Government of Zimbabwe for scrapping duties and taxes on fuel in transit.

The latest development has since been gazetted through the Finance Act Number 7 of 2025.

This policy adjustment effectively reverses the temporary import duty on fuel in transit that was introduced in August 2024.

At that time, the Government had imposed duties and levies on petrol, diesel, paraffin and Jet A1 fuels moving through Zimbabwe by road to neighbouring countries.

The measure was designed as a control mechanism to curb rising cases of transit fraud.

While the policy was well-intentioned, its operational impact on the clearing, forwarding and transit logistics sector was significant.

The upfront payment requirement increased the cost of doing business, strained cash flows for operators, and led to the diversion of regional transit traffic away from Zimbabwe in favour of alternative corridors.

In light of the latest developments, SFAAZ has welcomed the Government’s decision to scrap the duty, describing it as a timely and pragmatic intervention that restores Zimbabwe’s competitiveness as a regional transit hub.

Commenting on the development, SFAAZ chief executive officer, Mr Washington Dube, said the move was “a clear demonstration of the Government’s willingness to listen to industry concerns and to align policy implementation with economic realities on the ground.”

“This decision is a significant boost to the clearing, transport and freight forwarding sector, which had begun to experience a noticeable decline in transit volumes as a result of the temporary duty. Removing this cost barrier will immediately improve route competitiveness and restore confidence among regional transporters and cargo owners,” Mr Dube said.

He said Zimbabwe occupies a strategic geographic position at the heart of Southern African trade corridors, offering landlocked countries such as Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Malawi some of the shortest and most efficient routes to key regional ports, including Beira Port in Mozambique and Durban Port in South Africa.

“The removal of duty on fuel in transit dovetails neatly with the Second Republic’s broader vision of positioning Zimbabwe as a regional logistics and transport hub within the SADC region. Policy coherence of this nature is essential if the country is to fully capitalise on its geographic advantage and take advantage of the vast opportunities envisaged under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA),” Mr Dube added.

He highlighted the positive downstream effects of increased transit traffic, including higher toll revenue collections, increased demand for roadside services, enhanced utilisation of border infrastructure and broader economic activity along national highways.

In particular, he noted that the policy shift complements the Government’s substantial investment in strategic road infrastructure projects, most notably the Beitbridge–Harare–Chirundu Highway, which forms the backbone of Zimbabwe’s North–South Corridor.

Mr Dube applauded the Second Republic for its consultative approach to policy formulation and implementation, noting that sustained engagement between the Government and the private sector is critical to achieving long-term economic transformation.

“The level of openness, responsiveness and structured engagement being demonstrated by the Government is encouraging for business. Such an approach creates certainty, builds trust and accelerates progress towards Zimbabwe’s aspiration of becoming an Upper Middle-Income Economy by 2030,” he said.

SFAAZ reaffirmed its commitment to continued collaboration with the Government and other stakeholders to strengthen trade facilitation, safeguard compliance, curb smuggling, and enhance Zimbabwe’s standing as a preferred transit and logistics gateway in the region.

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NEW: Zimbabwe’s largest inland dam on brink of spilling, communities told to be vigilant

Source: NEW: Zimbabwe’s largest inland dam on brink of spilling, communities told to be vigilant – herald Masvingo Bureau COMMUNITIES living downstream of Tugwi-Mukosi — Zimbabwe’s largest inland water dam — have been advised by the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) to be on high alert over the water body’s risk of spilling following incessant […]

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Source: NEW: Zimbabwe’s largest inland dam on brink of spilling, communities told to be vigilant – herald

Masvingo Bureau

COMMUNITIES living downstream of Tugwi-Mukosi — Zimbabwe’s largest inland water dam — have been advised by the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) to be on high alert over the water body’s risk of spilling following incessant rains in the catchment area.

Tugwi-Mukosi is now 99,2 percent full and is likely to start spilling soon as heavy rains continue to pound most parts of Masvingo province.

In a notice, Zinwa said there is a high risk of spilling if heavy rains persist.

“Communities downstream (of Tugwi-Mukosi) are advised to be on high alert,” read the Zinwa alert.

Communities were also urged to “avoid crossing flooded rivers and secure their water abstraction equipment”.

The Civil Protection Committee in Masvingo also says it is closely monitoring the situation to make sure communities downstream are safe in the event the water body spills.

Tugwi-Mukosi has a capacity of 1,8 billion cubic metres of water.

The dam is located at the confluence of Tugwi and Mukosi rivers in Gororo communal lands in Chivi South.

*KEY FACTS ABOUT TUGWI-MUKOSI DAM*

Name: Tugwi-Mukosi Dam

Type: Concrete-faced rockfill dam

Contractor: Salini Impregilo (Italy)

Cost: US$265 million

Capacity: 1,8 billion cubic metres

Catchment area: 7 120 square kilometres

Tributaries: Tugwi and Mukosi rivers

Location: Gororo, Chivi district, Masvingo province.

Commissioning date: May 2017

Uses: Irrigation and hydropower generation

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