A parliamentary audit has uncovered serious irregularities in the management of Constituency Development Fund money in Chiredzi West, including the use of an MP’s personal bank account to handle public funds. Auditors found missing documentation, unverified expenditures and a ZWG204,000 variance with no receipts. The findings raise concerns about oversight failures, accountability gaps and potential misuse of development funds meant for schools and clinics.

Zimbabwe’s ongoing labor reforms highlight tensions between economic restructuring and workers’ rights, shaped by painful job losses after a 2015 Supreme Court ruling. New amendments and retrenchment regulations aim to speed up dispute resolution and enforce consultation, but mistrust remains. Analysts argue that transparent selection criteria, documented consultations and genuine union accountability are crucial to ensure restructuring reflects business survival needs rather than covert efforts to weaken labour representation.

Acting President Constantino Chiwenga warned that Zimbabwe’s ambition to become an upper-middle-income economy by 2030 depends on ethical leadership and a firm stance against corruption. He said progress under national development plans can only be sustained through integrity, unity and transparency. He made these remarks at the burial of national hero Mathias Ngarava. His comments fueled speculation about internal political dynamics within Zanu-PF.

Zambia and Zimbabwe each pledged $220 million to revive the stalled $4.2 billion Batoka Gorge hydropower project. The development aims to ease power shortages after drought-hit generation at Kariba. The 2,400MW cross-border plant will be developed under a public-private partnership, with both governments seeking equity partners to improve bankability. Updated feasibility studies are underway as a joint committee works to mobilize additional financing.

Zimbabwe is preparing to launch its third satellite, ZimSat-3, to expand the use of space-based data in agriculture, mining, environmental management and urban planning. Prioritized under National Development Strategy 2, the satellite will provide high-resolution earth-observation imagery to support precision farming, climate monitoring and resource exploration. The project builds on earlier satellite launches and aims to strengthen digital transformation and data sovereignty.

Zimbabwe’s gold-backed ZiG currency has strengthened to its highest level against the US dollar since January, supported by a global surge in gold prices and tight monetary policy. The unit traded at 25.98 per dollar as rising bullion values boosted reserve backing. The central bank says continued gold purchases and high interest rates are supporting stability, though adoption remains cautious amid memories of past currency failures.