Zvamaida Murwira
COMESA Vice Chairperson and Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has called for a mindset shift among African countries, urging them to mobilise domestic resources and invest in their own economies rather than relying on Western capital.
Delivering his maiden speech at the ongoing 25th COMESA Heads of State and Government Summit in Mount Hampden, Zimbabwe, President Hichilema challenged African countries to abandon the perception that investment should primarily come from Europe and America.
“Let’s invest together. Let’s produce together. Let’s remove the stereotype mentality that investment comes from Europe, that capital should come from America,” he said.
“Capital should come from ourselves. That should be our approach.”
President Hichilema also called for the removal of bottlenecks in the transport sector and at border posts, saying these hinder trade and limit the movement of goods across the region. ZRP intensify crackdown on smuggling of vehicles and drugs
Freeman Razemba
Senior Reporter
The Zimbabwe Republic Police has continued to intensify its crackdown against syndicates involved in smuggling vehicles and drugs countrywide.
This comes after the police recovered smuggled vehicles and drugs in separate incidents.
In a statement, national police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the operation was continuing until there is sanity countrywide.
“On October 18, 2026, members of Support Unit deployed on Operation “No to Cross Border Crimes” in Plumtree arrested Toverengwa Mabwe (31) and Last Ndlovu (36) at village 6 Mbwenda Business Centre, for smuggling a metallic blue Toyota Yaris vehicle,” he said.
In another case, on October 18 again, members of ZRP Support Unit deployed in Beitbridge under Operation “No to Cross Border Crimes” arrested Korombi Muleya (29) and Elelwanni Mbedzi (36) for smuggling a white Isuzu single-cab motor vehicle, registration AED 4564.
Investigations established that the vehicle was stolen during a robbery in South Africa before it was smuggled into the country.
Meanwhile, on October 20, detectives from CID Drugs and Narcotics in Mashonaland West Province arrested Biemba Daniel Malesu (41), Sydney Shamanga (41), Geoffrey Makumbe (53) and Sandra Makovere (40), in connection with unlawful possession of mbanje and unregistered medicines with a combined street value of US$50 768.
The arrest follows a tip-off that a haulage truck which was travelling along Chinhoyi-Chegutu Road was carrying drugs.
Subsequently, police arrested the truck driver, Biemba Daniel Malesu and his assistant, Geoffrey Makumbe.
Other suspects were arrested at Mapako Bus Stop in Chinhoyi while allegedly loading the dagga into a Nissan Note vehicle.
Police recovered 502 kilogrammes of dagga, 96 bottles of Benylin cough syrup and 250 bottles of Broncleer cough syrup. Two other suspects, Kingstone Matsveruka and Clifford Dozva, are still at large.
