Zimbabwe's national soccer team faces a challenging path at AFCON 2025 as it seeks to advance beyond the group stage for the first time in tournament history. The Warriors have assembled their most experienced roster in years, drawing strength from players competing in top European leagues, including Marshall Munetsi of Wolverhampton Wanderers, Marvelous Nakamba of Luton Town, Jordan Zemura of Udinese, and veteran striker Tino Kadewere.
The team drew into Group B alongside Egypt, a multiple AFCON champion and heavy favorite, regional rival South Africa, and physically imposing Angola. Zimbabwe will open against Egypt on Sunday, December 22, followed by matches against Angola on Thursday, December 26, and South Africa on Sunday...
A Mount Darwin writer released a thriller examining religious exploitation through the story of a teenage kidnapping victim whose abductor masquerades as a spiritual healer. Entrouge Usayi crafted The Killer Pastor around fictional character Chivimbiso, whose disappearance leads desperate parents to consult Prophet Holiness for guidance despite his orchestration of the crime for ritual sacrifice purposes.
The author drew inspiration from observing clergy misconduct, noting how the narrative exposes fraudulent spiritual leaders who charge vulnerable families for consultations while concealing their involvement in crimes. International reception proved strong, with Canadian buyers acquiring 100 copies and Amazon hosting sales alongside...
Lightning killed a municipal official in Gambia's agricultural region during weekend storms, prompting expressions of grief from national leadership. Hamat Ceesay, representing Kaiaf Ward within the Mansakonko Area Council, died on Saturday, November 8, 2025, after being struck while cultivating his farmland in Kiang East.
President Adama Barrow, serving as National People's Party leader and secretary general, transmitted sympathies to Ceesay's relatives and constituents. Party officials characterized the deceased councillor as a committed supporter who demonstrated humility and dedication throughout his public service tenure.
Barrow invoked religious appeals for divine forgiveness and eternal peace for the departed representative...
A Gambian nonprofit and its German collaborator provided more than 15 backpacks loaded with educational supplies to students across remote settlements in Kombo East and Central Districts during a Monday ceremony at Mandinaba. The Rural Child, established in 2018 to advance education and community welfare in underserved regions, partnered with Carsten Kreemer to furnish children from Mandinaba, Kuloro, Tubakuta Serrekundanding and Busura with notebooks, writing instruments and curriculum-aligned textbooks.
Secretary Alhagie Jassey explained that many recipients travel considerable distances to attend classes without basic learning tools, making academic progress difficult. Education officer Lamin Y Dampha pledged continued program...
A Gambian civil society group will dispatch monitors to political gatherings and campaign tours as the nation approaches its next electoral contest. The No to Tribalism, Racism, and Discrimination Organization announced that its Executive Committee had approved surveillance operations combining physical attendance and digital platform tracking to document behavior by party members and their followers.
The organization urged citizens and residents to reject ethnic prejudice and discriminatory practices throughout campaign activities, stressing that social cohesion supersedes temporary political divisions. NTRD representatives emphasized that national harmony depends on respectful engagement regardless of partisan or ancestral...
The Gates Foundation pledged $1.4 billion over four years to strengthen agricultural resilience among smallholder farmers facing climate challenges in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The commitment, revealed during COP30 sessions in Belem, Brazil, addresses a funding disparity where less than 1 percent of global climate financing reaches threatened food production systems despite farmers in these regions producing one-third of worldwide food supplies.
Bill Gates emphasized that supporting farmer innovation represents an effective strategy for protecting both human welfare and environmental stability. Foundation CEO Mark Suzman characterized climate adaptation as an economic and moral priority requiring coordinated action from...
The UN refugee agency needs $25 million to maintain repatriation programs after facilitating more than 42,000 returns across West and Central Africa during 2025, bringing the four-year total past 272,000 people. Regional Director Abdouraouf Gnon-Konde warned from Dakar that insufficient funding threatens planned operations supporting an additional 10,000 refugees from Nigeria and the Central African Republic expected to depart camps before year's end.
UNHCR aims to help 60,000 Central Africans leave Cameroon and Chad in 2026 as part of projections reaching 300,000 returnees by 2028, while agreements signed in February enable safe passage for Nigerian refugees from Chad. Peace accords concluded between the DRC and Rwanda in Washington...
Dutch billionaire Marcel Boekhoorn presented expansion strategies for his Zimbabwean mining investments during discussions with President Mnangagwa at State House on Monday. The Ramphastos Investments founder currently operates the Canterbury mining facility in Shamva, producing approximately 45 kilograms of gold monthly after deploying around $25 million in capital. Company secretary Samuel Rusike indicated the firm plans to double its financial commitment while pursuing exploration activities in Zvishavane for potential facility development.
The meeting preceded scheduled talks between President Mnangagwa and African industrialist Aliko Dangote on Wednesday. Canterbury Mining has constructed educational infrastructure accommodating...
Zimbabwe established baseline performance requirements for municipal councils targeting achievement by 2030, when authorities anticipate reaching upper-middle-income status. Local Government Minister Daniel Garwe formalized the benchmarks through Statutory Instrument 170 on Friday, addressing water distribution, sanitation systems, waste management, road maintenance, governance structures, environmental protection and public health services.
Urban jurisdictions must extend water access to 90 percent of their territories by late 2026 and complete universal coverage within four years, while rural districts face 70 percent and full availability targets, respectively. Regulations specify direct household connections or sources positioned...
