FUNDING CUTS AND SYSTEMATIC FRAGILITY:
Zimbabwe’s HIV system on the brink
In January 2025, United States President Donald Trump ordered a 90-day pause on foreign aid and halted grants by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The agency was responsible for implementing the bulk of the assistance under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the world’s leading HIV and AIDS initiative. This created a US$67 million funding gap for Zimbabwe’s HIV programmes. Clinics slowed services, outreach programmes stalled and fears grew that years of progress could unravel. The crisis exposed Zimbabwe’s heavy dependence on foreign aid and raised urgent questions about sustainability.
Two Broken Health Systems
CITE reporting revealed Zimbabweans caught between an underfunded public health system and an expensive private sector. Patients faced empty pharmacies, high consultation fees, and delayed care. Meanwhile, South Africa, the preferred destination for those seeking better healthcare, imposed stricter access rules for foreign nationals, turning away patients or demanding upfront cash payments.
Bulawayo’s Silent HIV and TB Crisis
Economic hardship disrupted treatment adherence, as patients defaulted on HIV and TB medications due to poverty, transport costs, and food insecurity. Health officials warned this could fuel drug resistance and new infections, underscoring how economic hardship directly fuels public health crises.
Rising STIs Signal Deeper Trouble
Data from Bulawayo showed rising STI infections and repeat cases, reflecting persistent risky sexual behaviour, low condom use and weak behaviour-change interventions, signalling ongoing public health risks despite decades of prevention efforts.
Mpilo Central Hospital Leadership Change
Chief Medical Officer at Mpilo Central Hospital, Dr Narcisius Dzvanga, retired in December 2025, leaving a key leadership vacancy at one of Zimbabwe’s main referral hospitals.
GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION:
Parliament’s US$400 000 Scandal
Revelations that US$400 000 in public funds were spent to beautify Senate President Mabel Chinonoma’s private residence, US$64 000 of it on curtains installed in two lounges, five bedrooms, a home office, staff quarters, scullery and kitchen.At a time of collapsing services, the story showed how the elite live a life of excess and impunity, widening the trust gap between citizens and Parliament.
Constitutional Tensions Over 2030
Zanu PF’s proposed presidential term extension intensified fears of democratic backsliding. At its 22nd Annual National People’s Conference in Mutare in October 2025, the ruling party reaffirmed an earlier resolution to extend Mnangagwa’s current presidential term beyond 2028 to 2030, directing the Ministry of Justice to fast-track the necessary constitutional amendments by October 2026. If passed, the resolution would effectively cancel the 2028 presidential election, stretching Mnangagwa’s second term, mandated to end in 2028 to 2030. Legal experts warned tampering with term limits threatened constitutionalism, while citizens saw echoes of leadership entrenchment rather than renewal.
Bulawayo City Council Implodes
Factional battles over contracts, committees, and the town clerk’s contract paralysed Bulawayo’s local governance. Conflicting statements from the mayor, David Coltart and deputy mayor, Edwin Ndlovu, on the legality of recent council proceedings and the status of Town Clerk Christopher Dube’s contract plus competing legal interpretations revealed dysfunction, while residents endured water shortages and collapsing services.
Bulawayo Water Utility Backlash
Proposed reforms to create a city-owned water and sanitation utility triggered public fear of privatisation and higher tariffs. Council officials scrambled to clarify intentions, revealing deep mistrust rooted in years of service delivery failures. Bulawayo Mayor David Coltart clarified that the utility would remain publicly owned and managed by an independent board, aiming to improve efficiency without privatisation.
JUSTICE, POLICING AND THE LEGACY OF VIOLENCE:
Learners Brutalised During Crime Awareness Campaign
Police assaulted learners at Mahetshe Primary School in Maphisa during a so-called crime awareness campaign, contradicting official accounts and raising concerns about the normalisation of violence in law enforcement, even against children. The implicated police officers appeared in court charged with assault but were acquitted due to poor evidence.
Gukurahundi’s Shadow on Justice
The court ruling in the Mahetshe assault case highlighted the enduring impact of Gukurahundi atrocities on community-police relations, demonstrating how past trauma continues to shape justice.
Gukurahundi Hearings and Compensation Disputes
Community hearings for Gukurahundi survivors began mid-2025, with calls for accountability and redress. Although the hearings were meant to begin on June 26, 2025 they only started around July under the leadership of traditional leaders. The media was barred from covering the hearings. While some survivors welcomed government compensation promises, others criticised delays and unclear eligibility, reflecting tensions between material aid and historical justice. The hearings were launched in Bulawayo as part of Zimbabwe’s ongoing response to the Gukurahundi genocide of the 1980s, against civilians in Matabeleland and parts of Midlands.
ENVIRONMENT AND LIVELIHOODS UNDER THREAT:
Mazayi River Poisoned
Mining pollution in Maphisa’s Mazayi River killed fish and endangered public health. Villagers described foul-smelling water and dying livestock, while authorities struggled to enforce environmental laws. CITE’s investigation highlighted how extractive industries continue to externalise harm onto rural communities.
POLITICS AND ELECTIONS:
Death, political transition and Nkulumane By-Election
The death of Nkulumane MP Desire “Moyoxide” Moyo in October 2025 triggered a fiercely contested by-election with nine candidates. Moyo’s passing marked the start of a by-election that would expose the raw mechanics of Zimbabwean electoral politics.
A Campaign of Promises
Voters were mostly courted by Zanu PF with cash, food, school fees and jobs. CITE’s reporting showed how survival needs are routinely weaponised during elections, turning poverty into political currency. The seat was eventually won by Zanu PF candidate Freedom Murechu.
Grassroots Resistance
During a ‘Meet the Candidate’ debate series organised by CITE in collaboration with the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA), Election Resource Centre (ERC) and the Nkulumane Constituency Development Committee at Nkulumane Hall, one Nkulumane resident publicly challenged the Zanu PF candidate Murechu over the 2030 term extension agenda, signalling growing citizen assertiveness and demand for accountability in politics.
CULTURE, IDENTITY AND COLLECTIVE MEMORY:
King Mzilikazi Commemorations
The two-day expansion of King Mzilikazi celebrations in Mhlahlandlela reflected renewed pride in Ndebele identity. Activities included cultural education for children and large public events demanding heritage preservation or recognition in long denied in national narratives. Even beyond borders, Ndebele communities in South Africa marked their own cultural celebrations, reinforcing how identity survives displacement and migration.
YOUTH, EDUCATION AND VULNERABILITY:
Teenage Pregnancy Crisis
Despite policy reforms, early pregnancies continued to disrupt girls’ education. UNFPA data showed rates rising from 9 percent in 2016 to 22 percent in 2023. In the last quarter of 2025, 26 girls dropped out of school in Bulawayo due to pregnancy and early marriage, highlighting persistent gendered vulnerability, stigma, and systemic failure to protect girls.
Rising Drug Abuse and Mental Health Strain
Rehabilitation centres in Bulawayo struggled with increasing drug abuse cases, raising concerns about a growing mental health crisis among vulnerable youths.
COURTS, CORRUPTION AND CONSEQUENCES:
School Corruption Exposed
Parents at Mafakela Primary School in Bulawayo sparked a larger corruption scandal after protesting a compulsory US$25 bus levy, which the school had threatened to use to bar pupils from writing exams if unpaid. What began as a dispute over fees led parents to uncover allegations that Vordim Trading, a Bulawayo-based company, was charging schools grossly inflated prices for buses, reportedly between US$180 000 and US$210 000 far above the US$50 000 to US$60 000 cost of importing the vehicles, suggesting kickbacks to officials.
At Kumalo Primary School in Bulawayo, headmistress Stella Mhlanga faced embezzlement allegations but was acquitted due to insufficient evidence. Mhlanga was accused of embezzling more than US$12 000 in school funds. She was suspended and relieved of her duties in July 2025 but was cleared in November 2025 after courts ruled the State had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt, citing inconsistencies in testimony, lack of documentation, and an overreliance on assumptions rather than concrete financial evidence.
Political Accountability in Action
A Zanu PF councillor, Josiah Mutangi, was ordered to repay vendors after a fraud conviction, a rare example of political accountability. Mutangi was convicted of 13 counts of fraud for duping vendors of their money. He was ordered to perform 490 hours of community service at Bulawayo Central Police Station, and to restitute the victims their money by February 27, 2026. Mutangi’s co-accused, Janet Zhou, will also perform 450 hours of community service at Cowdray Park police station for the same charges.
US$20 000 Bribe Case rocks Bulawayo City Council
Ward 26 councillor, Mpumelelo Moyo, was jailed in September 2025, for soliciting a US$20 000 bribe, highlighting ongoing corruption in local government. Moyo was sentenced to 12 months in prison for allegedly demanding a US$20,000 bribe from Labenmon Investments in connection with land earmarked for a cement plant in Cowdray Park. In October 2025, Moyo was granted US$200 bail by the High Court pending his appeal. Moyo was initially charged alongside Bulawayo deputy mayor, Edwin Ndlovu, but in August 2025 the State later dropped charges against him after failing to establish a direct link to the offence.
High Court Rules Esidakeni Farm Seizure Was Unlawful
In June 30, 2025, the Bulawayo High Court delivered a significant ruling in June 30, 2025, declaring that the state’s seizure of Esidakeni Farm in Matabeleland North was illegal and unlawful. This was after the government seized the property legally known as Kershelmar Farm without notifying or consulting its owners. The land, measuring over 550 hectares in Nyamandlovu, had been owned since 2017 by Siphosami Malunga, Charles Moyo, and Zephaniah Dhlamini, who purchased shares in Kershelmar Farms (Pvt) Ltd from previous owner Jeffrey Swindels. The three directors, all indigenous Zimbabweans, said they were never informed of the government’s intent to acquire the farm.
ROADS AND TRANSPORT :
Pothole Repairs on Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Highway
One of the most read stories done by CITE was calls for immediate repairs to the deteriorating Bulawayo to Victoria Falls highway. Officials or community stakeholders urged road contractors to prioritise patching potholes along this critical tourist and trade route. The poor road condition poses safety risks, damages vehicles, and threatens the economic vitality of the region, especially the tourism sector in Victoria Falls.
Another most read story was on Zimbabwe National Roads Administration ZINARA saying its e-tag system registered 30 000 vehicles, with Ntabazinduna Tollgate processing 10.43 percent of traffic and collecting an average US$35000 daily in revenue.
LANDMARK RULING CURBS XENOPHOBIC VIGILABTISM:
South Africa High Court Bans Operation Dudula
The South African High Court granted an injunction prohibiting Operation Dudula from harassing foreign nationals primarily from other African nations like Zimbabwe and Mozambique, a landmark ruling defending human rights and condemning xenophobic vigilantism. Operation Dudula was explicitly banned from harassing, intimidating, or threatening foreign nationals; conducting unlawful ‘raids’ on homes or businesses; inciting or engaging in hate speech and xenophobic rhetoric and demanding documentation from people in public spaces.
Press Freedom Crackdown
In 2025, Zimbabwe’s press freedom faced a significant crisis, marked by the arrests and legal battles of two prominent journalists. The state’s actions drew widespread condemnation as attacks on independent media. First, journalist Blessed Mhlanga was arrested on vague charges of “incitement to violence” related to his reporting and social media posts. After two months in pre-trial detention, criticized internationally as a misuse of law to stifle dissent, he was granted a $500 bail by the High Court in May 2025. Subsequently, Faith Zaba, editor of the Zimbabwe Independent, was detained in July over a satirical column, charged with “undermining the authority of the President.” Granted a $200 bail under strict conditions, her arrest was seen as part of a broader pattern of intimidation aimed at creating a chilling effect on critical journalism, especially ahead of national debates and elections.