Category: Health News

Cimas Health Group Set to Host Third Edition of Pedal to W3llness Cycling Event

Michael Gwarisa

By Staff Reporter  Cimas Health Group has announced September 27, 2025, as the date for the third edition of its flagship cycling event, Pedal to W3llness, an initiative aimed at promoting cardiovascular fitness and healthy living among Zimbabweans. The event, organised through the health group’s wellness division iGo, will take place at Borrowdale Office Park in Harare, which will serve as both the start and finishing point. Open to all—including professional cyclists, beginners, and children—the Pedal to W3llness event has grown into a major fixture on the health and wellness…

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Mombeshora Threatens Closure of Private Health Facilities Withholding HIV MTCT Data

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere Health and Child Care Minister Dr. Douglas Mombeshora has warned private health players who fail to provide data on Mother-to-Child Transmission (MTCT) programs, saying such facilities risk closure. He gave the warning during the National Validation Committee (NVC) Meeting for the Triple Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV, Syphilis, and Hepatitis B in Zimbabwe on Wednesday. “We need the data for planning purposes. So, it cannot be choice to supply data or out of choice. Or it must be then mandatory. Those who do not want to…

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Zimbabwe’s HIV Care at Risk as Funding Cuts Loom

Healthtimes

By Rukudzo Gota In an unsettling turn of events, funding cuts from the U.S. and other donor nations are jeopardizing years of progress in HIV care and treatment in Zimbabwe. As a community advocates like Angela Jambo who has dedicated over two decades to supporting those living with HIV—bear witness to the unraveling of critical support systems, the health of thousands hangs in the balance. With supplies dwindling and support networks collapsing, the future looks bleak for a nation that once made significant strides in managing Angela Jambo, a community…

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Report Exposes Gaps in Zimbabwe’s Devolution Implementation

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa A new study has revealed that Zimbabwe’s devolution programme, though enshrined in the 2013 Constitution, has had limited impact on improving public service delivery, particularly for women and girls. The report, titled A Critical Analysis of the Impact of Devolution on Public Service Provision in Zimbabwe: A Gendered Perspective on Access, Quality, and Affordability in Health, Education, and Water and Sanitation for Women and Girls, was launched by a consortium of civil society organisations with support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). It highlights persistent challenges…

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Call for Dedicated Community Health Directorate

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere and Rebeccah Zindati The creation of a dedicated Primary Health Care and Community Health Directorate has been described as a significant step toward improving accountability, coordination, and service delivery for community health worker (CHW) programming in Zimbabwe. Currently, the Department of Community Health is housed under the Nursing Services Directorate in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, a structure that stakeholders say limits oversight of CHWs despite their central role in delivering healthcare at the grassroots level. The proposal to establish the directorate was discussed at…

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Zimbabwe to Absorb 22,000 Community Health Workers Into Civil Service by Year-End

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere Zimbabwe intends to absorb 22,000 Community Health Workers (CHWs) into the civil service by year-end, Health and Child Care Minister Dr. Douglas Mombeshora announced on Tuesday, in a bid  to strengthen primary health care amidst donor retreat. Officiating at the inaugural Multi-Stakeholder Community Health Forum in Mazowe, which was supported by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and other partners, Dr. Mombeshora said the integration is expected to be complete by the end of this year. The move comes at a time when…

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Africa CDC Hails Zimbabwe’s CHWs as Maternal Mortality Declines

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere Community or Village Health Workers have been commended by Africa CDC, top government officials and other health partners for their contribution to improving key health indicators, among them, maternal mortality. According to the Zimbabwe Health Demographic Survey (2023–2024), the country recorded a 21 percent decline in maternal mortality, from 462 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2015 to 363 in 2024. Speaking at the ongoing Multistakeholder Forum for Community Health, Dr. Barnabas Kwame Veboah, Africa CDC Senior Technical Officer for Community Health Advocacy and Sustainability, said it…

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Zimbabwe Legislator to Move Motion in Parliament to Make DNA Testing Mandatory at Birth

Michael Gwarisa
Honourable Bridget Nyandoro addressing a GBV symposium in Harare where she announced plans to push for mandatory DNA testing at birth in Parliament

By Michael Gwarisa As calls for mandatory DNA testing grow louder, Southerton Constituency Legislator Honourable Bridget Nyandoro has indicated she will soon move a motion in Parliament to make DNA testing compulsory for all children at birth. Her proposal comes amid rising cases of gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide linked to paternity disputes, as more cases of negative paternity results continue to surface. Speaking during an Action Indaba on GBV symposium in Harare, Hon. Nyandoro said, “I am going to move a motion in Parliament to have mandatory DNA testing…

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Zimbabwe Records Alarming Surge in Fathers Raping Their Own Children

Michael Gwarisa
Tracey Mundanga, Principal Public Prosecutor at the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), speaking at the Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe Action Indaba on Gender-Based Violence in Harare, where she raised concern over the rise in fathers raping their own children.

By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe is facing a chilling rise in sexual gender-based violence (SGBV), with authorities reporting a surge in cases of fathers raping their own children. Officials from the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) say the trend, which began escalating during the COVID-19 pandemic, is worsening with no signs of slowing down. Speaking at the Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ) Action Indaba on Gender-Based Violence in Harare, Tracey Mundanga, Principal Public Prosecutor at the NPA, described the situation as deeply worrying. The father-daughter rapes…

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ZRP Warns After Mentally Ill Patients Kill Eight in Karoi, Bulilima

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has raised alarm over a disturbing rise in violent killings linked to individuals with mental health challenges, after two separate incidents in Karoi and Bulilima claimed the lives of at least eight people within a week. The latest incident occurred in Makoni Village, Tengwe, Karoi, on August 18, 2025, where a 55-year-old woman, a child and a teenager were brutally killed. Police said Patrick Makufa, a mental health patient, allegedly struck Constaine Mabheka (55) several times on the head with an axe…

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