🇿🇼ZimbabweSouthern Africa
Zimbabwe's 46th independence celebrations feature festivals, sport, and outdoor activities
via NewsDay Zimbabwe1 min read
Zimbabwe is celebrating its 46th independence anniversary with a long weekend filled with festivals, sports, and outdoor escapes. This comes as several economic and political developments are noted, including increased scrutiny on imports by Zimra, a 62% surge in tobacco exports due to strong global demand, and the rollout of drones to reduce medical delivery times to under 30 minutes. Edgars' financial performance indicates recovery and a strategic shift, with retail operations now complemented by financial services as a significant profit driver. However, challenges persist, such as power outages and raw material shortages impacting ART operations, leading to a decline in export and paper division volumes by 6% and 26% respectively in the third quarter to June 2022. Political tensions at grasslands plots have also resulted in violent attacks and forced evictions.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by NewsDay Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe's tobacco exports have seen a significant 62% increase due to strong global demand. This positive trend in exports comes as other sectors face challenges, including power outages and raw material shortages impacting ART operations, leading to a 6% decline in export volumes and a 26% drop in paper division volumes for the manufacturer in the third quarter to June 2022. Edgars' full-year performance indicates a recovery and a strategic shift, with financial services becoming a key profit driver alongside retail operations. Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority Zimra is tightening regulations on imports. Political tensions are reported at grasslands plots, resulting in violent attacks and forced evictions. In other news, a drone rollout is expected to reduce medical delivery times to under 30 minutes, and March rains have improved some crop conditions. Mthuli Ncube's remarks have drawn attention, and a Member of Parliament has donated 20 cattle for independence celebrations.
Zimbabwe international forward Tawanda Maswanhise has been recognized for his outstanding performance in the Scottish Premiership by being named in the PFA Scotland Team of the Season. The 23-year-old winger, who plays for Motherwell F.C., has been a key player for his team, achieving personal and club records. This marks the first time since the 2012/13 season that Motherwell has had more than one player in the PFA Team of the Season, with Calum Ward, Paul McGinn, Elliot Watt, Elijah Just, and Maswanhise all receiving this honor. Maswanhise has scored 17 goals in 30 league matches and a total of 22 goals across all competitions, placing him among the club's elite 20-goal scorers. His speed, strength, and composure have made him a formidable opponent for defenses. He is also nominated for Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year, and Goal of the Season at Motherwell's end-of-season awards. His impressive form has led to speculation about potential transfer interest from clubs like Celtic F.C. and Rangers F.C. in the upcoming summer transfer window.
The Forestry Commission of Zimbabwe has introduced a drone-based monitoring system to modernize forest management and data collection. Initial field operations were conducted this week at Ruzawi Forest in Marondera, in collaboration with Afrostain Farmtech. The drones utilize high-resolution cameras and sensors to capture real-time data, significantly improving the speed and accuracy of forest assessments. This technology allows for detailed imagery and measurements, which are then processed to generate precise forest metrics. The Commission stated that the drones can estimate tree biomass, aiding in understanding carbon dioxide capture, and can calculate tree volume and map carbon storage by analyzing canopy height and vegetation density. This deployment signifies a move towards digital innovation in Zimbabwe’s forestry sector, aiming to enhance sustainability, monitoring, and resource management.
Zimbabwe's gold deliveries increased by 8.3% in the first quarter of 2026, reaching 9.31 tonnes, according to data from Fidelity Gold Refinery. This marks an increase from 8.59 tonnes in the same period last year. Small-scale and artisanal miners were the primary contributors, accounting for nearly 70% of total deliveries with 6.51 tonnes between January and March, while large-scale producers delivered 2.8 tonnes. However, March saw a nearly 30% month-on-month contraction in output from artisanal miners due to a now-suspended directive from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe RBZ requiring 10% of payments in local currency. Economist Enock Musara noted this policy disrupted supply flows and risked pushing gold into informal markets. RBZ Governor John Mushayavanhu suspended the measure, citing operational challenges. In contrast, primary producers experienced a strong quarter, with March deliveries rising 24% to 1.1 tonnes, supported by stable operations and a 70% foreign currency retention threshold. Gold is Zimbabwe's largest export earner, contributing approximately one-third of foreign currency inflows and supporting imports. It also underpins the country's gold-backed Zimbabwe Gold ZiG currency. To encourage formal deliveries, Fidelity Gold Refinery has lowered the threshold for its 5% gold incentive bonus and expanded its buying network. This improved output occurs amid elevated global gold prices, offering Zimbabwe an opportunity to increase export earnings if policy stability