Cabinet slashes bank fees across the board to pull more Zimbabweans into formal finance and kill off sneaky charges.
Zhemu Soda briefing
Information Minister Zhemu Soda announced the sweeping reforms.
Cabinet greenlit cuts to duplicated licences and permits.
Unnecessary levies get axed while high ones drop sharply.
Moves target hidden costs that scared off small users.
Fee reductions
Monthly maintenance vanishes for accounts under 100 dollars.
Transactions below 5 dollars see lowered charges.
Cash deposits become free in both US dollars and ZiG accounts.
Withdrawal fees face a strict 2 percent ceiling.
ZITF shifts its 2026 grand opening forward by one full day and reshuffles the schedule to keep everything flowing.
Official opening adjustment
Zimbabwe International Trade Fair opening moves to 23 April 2026.
The original Friday, 24 April slot gets pushed back one day.
All Thursday activities slide to Friday at the same times.
Fair runs overall from 20 April to 25 April.
Programme update
Exhibitors and visitors receive advance warning of the tweak.
Updated schedule heads out soon via official channels.
Change aims to maintain smooth event progression.
No explanation appears in the public notice.
Local councils regain full control over land planning decisions after the government scraps its year-long freeze.
Daniel Garwe notice
Local Government Minister Daniel Garwe ended the Conditional Moratorium.
Withdrawal took effect from 31 March 2026.
Councils can now approve changes of use and reservations freely.
The original ban started on 2 May 2025 under the Planning Act.
Capacity improvements
The move follows better internal controls at local authorities.
New spatial planning departments get encouragement to grow stronger.
The Inspectorate will keep checking compliance with set measures.
Authorities must maintain robust development oversight going forward.
Floodwaters claim one life when a chief's vehicle gets swept off a submerged river crossing.
Chikombedzi Crossing tragedy
The incident struck around 4 PM on Monday at the Mwenezi River.
Toyota D4D, carrying the Chief Mpapa group, got carried away.
Strong currents submerged the vehicle after heavy rains.
Makusha from Pfumari Village drowned while others escaped.
Attempt details
Chief Mpapa's son drove toward Masukwe despite the visible water.
The bridge sat fully covered when the crossing was tried.
The elderly passenger could not get out in time.
Chief Mpapa took office on 20 August 2023.
Zimbabwe wraps up its food aid pledge by delivering the last maize load to flood-hit Malawi.
Maize handover
Nancy Saungweme handed over 330 metric tonnes last week.
Total support reaches 1000 metric tonnes across three phases.
Final consignment completes the promised humanitarian package.
Malawian officials, including George Chaponda, received the delivery.
Regional solidarity
The initial phase sent 300 tonnes of red sorghum plus other items.
The second batch carried 370 tonnes of maize.
The ambassador stressed ongoing mutual help between the nations.
The gesture comes amid Malawi's recovery from heavy rains and shortages.
Mozambican canoe rescuers finally pluck 15 trapped Zimbabweans off a flooded river island after weeks of delay.
Lisungwe Island rescue
Villagers from Mozambique paddled over and saved the whole group.
Stranded people came from Mahenye in Ward 23, Chipinge.
Rising Save River waters cut them off for over three weeks.
Local canoes carried everyone safely back to shore last Friday.
Response shortcomings
The Zimbabwe Republic Police sub-aqua team could not reach the spot.
The planned helicopter got redirected to Midlands operations.
Chipinge District Development Coordinator William Mashava confirmed success.
Clifford Hlatswayo flagged slow Civil Protection Unit action.
Third fuel price jump in weeks lands despite fresh diesel tax cuts meant to cushion everyone.
ZERA price adjustment
Petrol now sits at 2.23 dollars per litre after the latest rise.
Diesel climbed to 2.11 dollars per litre effective 2 April 2026.
Previous levels stood at 2.17 for petrol and 2.05 for diesel.
Hikes follow earlier changes on 4 March, plus 18 March.
Government mitigation steps
All taxes and levies got stripped from diesel to cap its cost.
Petrol retains 86 cents worth of charges per litre.
Stocks cover over three months from Beira and inland depots.
Road imports of diesel win instant approval alongside pipelines.
Sector protections
Move shields mining along with agriculture and transport users.
Ethanol blending push...
Government slashes diesel taxes overnight to shield businesses and shoppers from skyrocketing global oil costs.
Mthuli Ncube announcement
Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube revealed the tax wipeout on Thursday.
Zero charges start on diesel from 3 April 2026.
Excise Duty plus ZINARA Road Levy gets axed completely.
Carbon Tax and Strategic Reserve Levy vanish too.
Price relief impact
Removing levies is equal to 0.54 dollars per litre.
Petrol keeps every existing tax without any change.
The move aims to hold down transport and goods prices.
Officials vow close watch on world events for extra steps.
South Africa shoulders most of the illegal crossing headache while neighbours slacken on border patrols.
Border Management Authority critique
Michael Masiapato called out uneven cooperation from next-door states.
He spoke at the Mpumalanga border before the Easter rush.
Neighbours fail to match South African resource levels.
The commissioner noted the one-sided burden on his country.
Migration cooperation gap
Collaboration exists but lacks balance, according to him.
The affected nation ends up handling heavier fallout.
Some states show less engagement on the immigration crunch.
Masiapato flagged the disparity as genuinely worrying.
