News

Yvonne Ncube A BULAWAYO man has received a mandatory nine-year prison sentence for the illegal possession of protected pangolin scales.Thandolwenkosi Ndlovu, 28, of Entumbane suburb, admitted to unlawfully possessing a specially protected animal trophy in contravention of the Parks and Wildlife Act.Bulawayo magistrate Jeconia Prince Ncube convicted and sentenced him to the mandatory custodial term.His…

Hazel Marimbizain Bulawayo BULAWAYO City Council has launched an internal whistleblower platform to strengthen accountability and transparency across all municipal operations.The web-based system, developed in-house by the council’s Information Technology Section, would allow both internal and external stakeholders to report cases of fraud, corruption, unethical behaviour and other forms of malpractice.BCC acting internal audit and…

Brighton MuronzereyiCHIEF REPORTER GOVERNMENT has introduced a digital social registry to improve beneficiary targeting for the Basic Education Assistance Module (Beam).The intervention comes amid growing concern over delays in the disbursement of Beam funds, which are critical for supporting vulnerable learners and sustaining the education system.Beam is a national assistance programme launched in 2001 to…

Hazel Marimbizain BULAWAYO BULAWAYO’S oldest housing settlements are battling a severe sanitation crisis, exposing thousands of residents to worsening public health risks.The worst-affected areas include Burombo, Sidojiwe and Iminyela, all originally constructed decades ago as bachelor accommodation.Over time, rapid urbanisation and severe housing shortages have transformed the one-room units into homes for entire families, far…

A MAN suspected of killing his wife and two daughters in Bedfordshire appeared court in South Africa yesterday after United Kingdom authorities submitted an application to extradite him.Nothabo Zandile Tshuma, 42, and her daughters Natalie, 15, and Nala, five, were found dead by police in a house in Great Denham, near Bedford, on July 6.The…

ZIMBABWE has signed a multi-million-dollar deal to construct 1 000 schools across its 10 provinces. The Ministry of Primary and Sec­ondary Education signed a US$420 million Memorandum of Under­standing (MoU) with MAGCOR Consortium Group of Companies Zimbabwe Private Ltd for the con­struction of the schools countrywide. Speaking at the signing cer­emony in Harare at the…

Tapiwa Chirume HARARE has recorded several cases of chickenpox, prompting city authorities to heighten disease surveillance and step up measures to curb the spread of the highly contagious viral infection. City officials, however, have assured residents that the situation remained under close monitoring. In a statement yesterday, the City of Harare said all affected individuals…

CHIEF WRITER TRANSPARENCY International Zimbabwe (TIZ) has commended the government for strengthen­ing the country’s anti-corruption framework, while urging authorities to sustain reforms and expedite the enactment of the Whistle-Blowers and Witness Protection Bill. In a statement marking Africa Anti-Corruption Day at the weekend, TIZ said Zimbabwe had made notable progress in enhancing its anti-corruption architecture,…

Yvonne Ncube in Bulawayo A 33-YEAR-OLD woman from Tsholotsho has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for murdering her stepmother in a dispute over the distribution of her late father’s estate. Linah Ntombiyakwabo Mzimeli was convicted of murder by the High Court after the court found that she had orchestrated and carried out the…

GOVERNMENT has vowed to crack down on unregistered private schools operating under unsafe and substandard conditions. The minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Torerayi Moyo, told the Junior Parliament last week that authori­ties had received alarming reports of private schools operating without registration and in absolute violation of education regula­tions. Responding to concerns raised by…