A 21-year-old woman from Mt Darwin died after a cow fell into the well she was drawing water from ( image source ) MT DARWIN – A rural community in Mt Darwin is mourning the tragic death of a 21-year-old woman, Forget Machado, who was killed when a cow fell into a well she was drawing water from. The accident, which occurred on October 22 in Village Mauswa under Chief Dotito, has sparked renewed calls for stronger rural infrastructure and livestock safety measures. According

The Zimbabwe Council of Churches has condemned suspected arson attacks in Harare targeting SAPES Trust and a rights activist’s home ( image source ) HARARE – The Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC) has denounced a series of suspected arson attacks in the capital, including the firebombing of SAPES Trust offices in Belgravia and the torching of the home of Constitutional Defence Forum member Gilbert Mbwende. The council described the incidents as assaults on peace, human dignit

The City of Harare has halved business licence fees to boost entrepreneurship, but the decision leaves a US$500,000 revenue gap, prompting concerns over service delivery and fiscal sustainability ( image source ) HARARE – The City of Harare has cut business licence fees by 50 percent in a bid to stimulate economic activity and ease the burden on struggling entrepreneurs. However, the move will create a US$500,000 shortfall in municipal revenue, sparking debate over how the ci

President Mnangagwa’s 2025 State of the Nation Address prioritised job creation, land productivity, and currency stability ( image source ) President Emmerson Mnangagwa opened his State of the Nation Address with a clear message: Zimbabwe must move from policy promises to measurable economic outcomes. In a speech that blended appeals to investors with reassurances to farming communities and small businesses, Mnangagwa placed job creation, unlocking idle land, and currency sta

The ZRP has disciplined three officers involved in a viral Budiriro traffic altercation but withheld details of the sanctions ( image source ) The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) says it has moved swiftly to discipline three officers filmed in a widely circulated video that captured a tense altercation between motorists and police during a traffic enforcement operation in Budiriro, Harare. The force confirmed the measures were imposed with immediate effect but did not disclose

Harare has launched a prepaid water meter pilot at Birdcage Walk and Calder Gardens to improve revenue collection, but rights groups warn the move could limit access to water for vulnerable residents without proper safeguards ( image source ) Harare has begun a contentious rollout of prepaid water meters in a pilot covering flats near the central business district — a move city officials say will improve revenue collection and reduce losses, but which rights groups warn may c

Elite College in Harare faces backlash over abrupt teacher retrenchments alleged to violate Zimbabwe’s labour laws ( image source ) HARARE — Elite College has come under fire after a wave of sudden retrenchments left several teachers jobless and raised questions about compliance with Zimbabwe’s labour laws. Parents, educators, and labour advocates say the dismissals were abrupt, lacked formal consultation, and omitted the severance and notice procedures required by statute. T

Zimbabwe is drafting a national AI strategy to drive economic transformation, strengthen public services, and position the country as a regional leader in ethical and innovative artificial intelligence ( image source ) HARARE – Zimbabwe is laying the groundwork for a national artificial intelligence (AI) strategy aimed at transforming public services, agriculture, and industrial productivity, according to officials from the Ministry of ICT, Postal and Courier Services. The in

MP Tafanana Zhou has called for chemical castration of convicted child rapists in Zimbabwe ( image source ) HARARE – Member of Parliament for Mberengwa West, Tafanana Zhou, has called for chemical castration of convicted child rapists, citing a disturbing rise in sexual abuse cases across Zimbabwe. His remarks were made during a heated parliamentary debate on child protection laws. Zhou said the current penalties for child sexual abuse are insufficient and fail to deter repea

Zimbabwe’s housing minister Daniel Garwe has urged home seekers to verify land transactions with councils ( image source ) HARARE – Zimbabwe’s Minister of National Housing and Social Amenities, Daniel Garwe, has urged prospective home buyers to verify land transactions with local authorities before making payments, warning that land fraud is on the rise and costing citizens millions. Speaking during a housing policy review workshop in Harare, Garwe said the government is conc

Zimbabwe is reviewing the salaries and conditions of state-employed journalists as part of wider media sector reforms ( image source ) HARARE – The Government of Zimbabwe is reviewing the salaries and working conditions of journalists employed in the public sector, in a move aimed at improving media professionalism, morale, and retention, according to Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr. Jenfan Muswere. Speaking at the 2024–2025 National Journalism an

Zimbabwe’s Youth Inclusive Budget Conference has produced concrete proposals to influence the 2026 national budget, pushing for increased youth funding, taxation reforms and accountable resource allocation across key sectors ( image source ) Youth leaders and parliamentarians say the second Zimbabwe Youth Inclusive Budget Conference (YIBC) has strengthened national budget discussions after two days of policy proposals focused on increasing funding for youth programmes in the

Semwa Dam in Mashonaland Central is now over one-third complete, with engineers and government officials projecting significant progress toward water security, commercial irrigation and rural economic recovery once fully operational ( image source ) Construction of the Semwa Dam in Mashonaland Central is progressing steadily, with engineers estimating the project is now between 32 and 42 percent complete. Authorities say phased commissioning is on track to bolster water secur

Ipec warns that data integrity failures in Zimbabwe’s pensions sector are delaying payouts and undermining valuations, urging urgent digital upgrades and stronger enforcement ( image source ) The Insurance and Pensions Commission (Ipec) has issued a strong warning over persistent data integrity failures across Zimbabwe’s pensions industry, saying fragmented records and unreliable contribution tracking are delaying payouts, distorting valuations and eroding confidence in the s

Harare traders report losing over US$25,000 to suspected con women who allegedly ran fake clothing and blanket supply scams using WhatsApp networks and aliases ( image source ) Several downtown Harare traders say they have lost more than US$25,000 to two suspected con women who allegedly orchestrated a months-long fake supply scheme involving clothing and blankets, leaving some shop owners unable to restock and temporarily shutting their businesses. The suspects, identified a

A 19-year-old trainee was electrocuted in Budiriro after unauthorised power line work, with ZETDC blaming a rogue contractor for safety protocol breaches ( image source ) A 19-year-old student on industrial attachment was fatally electrocuted on Wednesday in Budiriro 1 Extension after working on a medium-voltage line that, the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) says, had not been authorised for repair or intervention by its crews. In a statemen

Analysts warn the cannabis boom in Zimbabwe and South Africa is enriching major investors while excluding small farmers, risking deeper rural inequality ( image source ) A rapid expansion of commercial cannabis cultivation and processing across South Africa and Zimbabwe is creating a lucrative frontier for well-capitalised investors while simultaneously threatening to exclude the smallholder farmers who have long depended on the crop for subsistence and cash income. Industria

Zanu PF backs term limits for senior council executives to curb corruption and improve accountability in local authorities across Zimbabwe ( image source ) Zanu PF has resolved to introduce fixed term limits for town clerks, chief executive officers and senior executives in local authorities, a policy move the party says will dismantle entrenched corruption networks and restore accountability in Zimbabwe’s embattled municipalities. Party delegates at the 22nd National People’

City Parking is reviewing its ANPR enforcement in Harare after complaints of motorists being fined while briefly stopped in traffic ( image source ) City Parking has launched an internal review of its Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system after a surge of public complaints that motorists are being issued electronic parking fines within seconds of stopping — sometimes while halted at traffic lights or obstructed by other vehicles. The company acknowledged growing cr

Zimbabwe’s youth are driving national preparations for COP30, pushing for stronger climate finance, gender-responsive policies and youth inclusion as officials finalise the country’s negotiating position for the UN summit in Brazil ( image source ) Young Zimbabweans dominated a preparatory meeting for the UN climate summit COP30, pressing officials for concrete commitments on adaptation, gendered impacts and youth inclusion as the nation frames its negotiating position in Bel