Chief Mvuthu passes

Chief Mvuthu of Monde area, Hwange West District, has died aged 53.

Hwange District Administrator Tapera Mugoriya said Chief Mvuthu, born Nyangayezizwe Mlotshwa, died at Hwange Colliery Hospital on Monday night. “Chief Mvuthu had not been feeling well for some time and he passed on this Monday around 10:45PM at Hwange Colliery Hospital,” he said.

Chief Mvuthu was born on October 10, 1961. He worked at Hwange Colliery Company until his ascendance to the position of chief on June 7, 2008, taking over from his late father, Abednico Mlotshwa. Chief Mvuthu was officially installed in the same year on September 27.

At the time of his death, he was the chairperson of the Hwange Community Share Ownership Scheme.

Chief Shana of Jambezi described the death of Chief Mvuthu as a sad loss not only to his family but to Hwange District as a whole. He said Chief Mvuthu had distinguished himself as a leader on issues to do with wildlife conservation and tourism.

Source: Chief Mvuthu dies, The Chronicle (12/03/14)
Chief Mvuthu burial today (15/03/14)

Powerlines divide animal populations through UV emissions

Wild animals see overhead electrical powerlines as disturbing lines of flashing lights, which could explain why many species avoid electricity pylons to the point where their natural territories become seriously fragmented, scientists have discovered.
A study of wild reindeer in Norway has shown that they can see overhead power lines in the dark because their eyes are sensitive to the flashes of ultraviolet light which are invisible to the human eye but are constantly being emitted by high-voltage electrical transmission, the researchers said.
Many other species, from birds in the Arctic to elephants in Africa, can also see ultraviolet radiation which may explain why different kinds of animals in widely varying habitats all tend to avoid overhead power lines even though they are considered to be inert and invisible to wildlife, they said.
“Reindeer see deep into the UV range because the Arctic is especially rich in UV light. Insulators on power lines give off flashes of UV light,” Professor Jeffery said. “The animals potentially see not just a few flashes but a line of flashes extending right across the horizon. This is the first bit of evidence that explains why we think they are avoiding power lines,” he said.
Scientists have known that many animals avoid power lines to the point that it sometimes causes their populations to fragment into separate habitats. But until now the observation could not be easily explained, especially as the avoidance goes on for many decades after the power lines were first erected.
Source: Powerlines disturb animal habitats by appearing as disturbing flashes of UV light invisible to the human eye The Indepedent (12/03/14)

Vic Falls Council debt worsens

VICTORIA FALLS — The Victoria Falls Town Council says domestic debt has ballooned to $5,8 million as companies and residents continue to default on paying rates, threatening service delivery in the country’s prime resort town, an official said on Monday.

Municipalities across the country have experienced serious cash problems following a government edict last year to scrap debts owed by households.

The economic slowdown has also impacted on firms and households’ capacity to pay council charges.

The town council cancelled debts of $3,6 million in May last year in line with the decree, but defaults have increased.

“The $5,8 million is after the write off. A lot of people don’t want to pay and that is affecting on service delivery,” acting town clerk Philip Ndlovu said.

As a result, the council has engaged the services of debt collectors to recover the money, he said.

“We have held roadshows. Councillors have been meeting the residents to try and persuade them to at least settle their accounts.

“We are also engaging the services of debt collectors but we did not want to take that route.”

On the other hand, Ndlovu said council owed its creditors $4,1 million, the bulk of which was to the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa), and that the town facing the risk of disconnection.

“We owe Zesa and Zinwa. Zesa is for electricity for water purification and street lights mainly.

“The Zinwa bill carried over from 2009 and we are still fighting to settle it,” he said.

Cities such as Bulawayo and Harare have also struggled to cope after they were forced to write off debts by Local Government minister Ignatius Chombo.

Last month, the Kwekwe City Council, which is saddled with a $12 million debt, said it faced a total service delivery shutdown as heavy industries based in the city and residents continued to default on rate payments.

Mayor Matenda Madzoke said his council could soon fail to offer basic services delivery.

The council is owed $18,4 million mainly by Ziscosteel, now NewZim Steel, ($12 million), ferrochrome producer Zimasco ($161,327), Lancashire Steel ($217 619) and Tor Steel ($151 512), among others.

In turn, the council’s debts stood at $12 601 112 as at December 31 last year, according to documents released by the council finance committee.

The municipality also has a power bill of $7 million, accumulated from 2009.
Other creditors are workers who are owed $3 418 536 in salary arrears and Zimra, which is owed $254 833 in unremitted income tax.

Source: Victoria Falls debt worsens (05/03/14)

Batoka Dam won't affect Victoria Falls

ZAMBEZI River Authority says the Batoka Dam height will be limited not to affect the Victoria Falls owing to Kariba North Bank and Victoria Falls power stations' existence.
And Zambezi River Authority chief executive officer Munyaradzi Munodawafa says the Batoka Gorge Dam will create employment for about 3,000 to 5,000 Zambians and Zimbabweans, and would require four million cubic meters of concrete, compared to the Kariba Dam which consumed one million cubic meters.
Speaking when Zimbabwe's energy and power development minister Dzikamai Mavhaire, Attorney General Johannes Tomanda and energy permanent secretary Patson Mbiriri toured the Batoka Gorge Dam site on the Zimbabwean side of the Zambezi River, Zambezi River Authority senior manager for projects and dam safety Sithembikosi Mhlanga said the dam's water throw-back would not get to the Victoria Falls.
"The Batoka Dam height will be limited with the existence of the Kariba North Bank Power Station and the Vic Falls Power Station so as not to drown the Victoria Falls," said Mhlanga.
And Munodawafa added that if the dam was going to be built at the height over 220 meters, the throw-back would go beyond the Victoria Falls.
"The throw-back will just get a few kilometres from where we have the Victoria Falls Hotel. So, this is going to be a very technical issue which our designers will have to ensure that we don't mess with," Munodawafa said.
He said a ground-breaking ceremony by the two heads of states would possibly be set for August next year. "The Batoka Gorge Dam will employ more than 300 general workers and semi-skilled people to be employed in Zimbabwe and Zambia. But we are looking at all the ash at Wange Collieries, all that ash ...will be needed as aggregate for the concrete as well as cement, that means both Zambia and Zimbabwe will have to work overdrive. Four million cubic metres of concrete compared to Kariba which consumed 1 million cubic will be needed," he said.
And project manager, Ezekiel Kasaro, said the project would generate a lot of development in the two areas. He said by impounding the valley, the dam would generate another source of extra fish to be bread in the lake. "So, we need the two governments to support this development... and as targeted, we hope by 2018 and 2020 we have the first machines running," said Kasaro.
Source: Batoka Dam won't affect Victoria Falls - The Post, Zambia (28-02-14)

Govt directive haunts Vic Falls town

THE Victoria Falls Town Council owes the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa) and Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) a combined total of $1,2 million in charges, a debt the municipality blames on the government directive to scrap residents’ debts.

RICHARD MUPONDE
SENIOR REPORTER

The financially embattled local authority scrapped $3,6 million owed by residents in September 2013 and council said that had seriously backfired as it was now struggling to meet its obligations. Town clerk Phillip Ndlovu confirmed the council owes the two entities, but would not provide figures saying he was out of the office.

“I am in Gweru, phone me on Monday (today) so that I give you the exact figures and strategies put in place to settle the bills,” he said.

The resort town’s council has been losing millions in revenue for the past 14 years in uncollected property tax after failing to regularise the use of land along the Zambezi River corridor.

The council also reportedly maintained a flawed database of its properties resulting in it losing millions of dollars in revenue since it gained town status in 1999. An audit revealed that there were a number of council properties that were being sublet by individuals with the local authority getting nothing from tenants.

The situation has gravely affected the council’s operations resulting in it failing to pay its approximately 300 employees on time.

Employees have in the past engaged in sporadic strikes demanding payment and the matter at one point spilled into the Labour Court.

Source: Govt directive haunts Victoria Falls (24/02/14)

Zim re-engages Europe, America tourism markets

Zimbabwe seeks to re-engage the European and Americas tourism markets as part of efforts to boost depressed tourist receipts.

This comes as President Robert Mugabe’s administration had in the early 2000s abandoned the key traditional source markets under a Look East policy, to focus on Asia.

However, Europe and the West remain the major markets for the country’s tourism industry.

In the meantime, government has intensified efforts to revive the tourism industry, targeting to contribute $5 billion to the country’s gross domestic product by 2018.

Last Friday, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA)’s chief executive Karikoga Kaseke, said there is need to re-engage with the world’s high value markets and improve destination image if the country is grow its tourism industry.

“From 1999 to 2013 European visitors declined by 66 percent from 380 113 to 128 901, while those from the Americas declined by 53 percent from 116 109 to 54 157,” he said, adding that “at the same time, tourists from Oceania also contracted by 65 percent from 65 281 to 22 689”.

Kaseke said the negative image tag attached to Zimbabwe as a tourism brand has continued to haunt the nation considering that the period 1980 to 1999 arrivals average growth rate was 14 percent per annum.

“Had this growth been sustained, over 14 million arrivals would have been realised in year 2013,” he said.

Latest ZTA figures indicate that the country recorded a two percent growth in tourist arrivals from 1 794 230 in 2012 to 1 832 570 in 2013.

Despite the increase, the arrivals are yet to reach the peak of 2, 2 million tourists recorded in 1999.

The majority of 2013 arrivals were low-spending tourists from mainland Africa who came in at 1 570 799.

Kaseke noted that average expenditure by the African visitors is around $250 per trip based on a 2004 Visitor Exit Survey.

“Due to Zimbabwe’ geographic location, the destination is naturally a transit hub in the region. The great traffic from Africa is usually visitors who are transiting through the country to South Africa and Tanzania mainly for trade purposes.”

Source: Zim re-engages Europe, America tourism markets (19/02/14)

Shearwater introduces new product

Senior Victoria Falls Reporter

ONE of the leading tour and adventure operators in Victoria Falls – Shearwater Adventures – has introduced a new product – Zambezi River gorge hikes. The new product, which allows guests to explore the Batoka Gorges below the mighty Zambezi River is now one of the 50 activities that are now on offer in the resort town.

Shearwater group public relations manager, Clement Mukwasi said as the tourism sector anticipates an upsurge in tourists arrivals this year, they were now offering a new product to add to the already existing cartel of activities in the resort town.

“The gorge hikes give participants the opportunity to swim in the Zambezi without the unwelcome attention of crocodiles and hippos. The walk in and out of the Batoka Gorge involves a steep 250 metre climb, which is quite strenuous but can be conquered by anyone with a reasonable level of fitness.”

Mukwasi said there were two hiking options available which are the Boiling Pot Hike and the ‘Devil’s Delight’ which is available during the low season from approximately August to December.
“Participants hike down the Batoka Gorge and pass under the Victoria Falls Bridge to the ‘Boiling Pot’ below the Falls where they are ferried by raft to the rocky outcrops below the Falls,” he said.

Mukwasi said the Batoka Gorge Hike and Ndebele Village Tour were now available all year round.
“The activity includes a 40-minute off-road drive through the Zimbabwean countryside to the starting point of the hike. The hike begins about 20km downstream of the Victoria Falls and is followed by a swim in the Zambezi before the demanding climb out.

Atop the gorge, participants take a short trail through the bush to an authentic Ndebele homestead where they can interact with the local headman and his family while having brunch under the thatched shade of their decorated mud huts,” he said.

Other activities in Victoria Falls include elephant interaction, gorge swing, bungee jumping, lion walk, tour of the Victoria Falls Rainforest, cruises, white water rafting, kayaking, Victoria Falls bridge tour, helicopter ride over the rainforest also known as the Flight of Angels, horse trails, game viewing among others.

Source: Shearwater introduces new product (19/02/14)