The Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) has cut the volume of water available for electricity generation at Lake Kariba in 2027 to 23 billion cubic metres (BCM), down from 36 BCM this year, citing forecasts of an El Niño-linked drought.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, acting chief executive Peter Kapinga said the allocation will be shared equally between the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) and Zambia’s ZESCO, with each utility receiving 11.5 BCM. The Herald put the reduction at 36 percent.

The authority said its decision draws on the 33rd Southern Africa Regional Climate Outlook Forum (SARCOF-33), held in Swakopmund, Namibia, in August, as well as forecasts from the Zambian and Zimbabwean meteorological services. The forum predicted below-normal rainfall across much of the central and southern SADC region between October 2026 and March 2027. Southern Zambia and much of Zimbabwe are expected to be drier than normal early in the season, with the dry conditions spreading across most areas from January to March.

Under the new allocation, the ZRA projects that Lake Kariba will close 2027 at 476.80 metres above sea level, with 5.83 BCM of usable water remaining, about nine percent of live storage.

The cut follows a stronger year for the lake. The 2026 allocation was raised from an initial 30 BCM to 36 BCM after good inflows during the 2025/26 rainy season. As of 14 October, the lake stood at 480.65 metres and held 23.77 BCM of usable water, or 36.68 percent of usable storage. On the same date last year it stood at 477.34 metres with 8.25 BCM, or 12.75 percent.

Allocations for the rest of this year are tightening, however. ZPC’s Kariba South Bank power station had 6.13 BCM left from its 18 BCM allocation, while ZESCO’s Kariba North Bank station had 3.53 BCM remaining. The ZRA projects the lake will close 2026 with 16.24 BCM of usable water, about 25 percent of live storage, which becomes the starting reserve for 2027.

The authority said it monitors water use daily and meets the two utilities through joint technical committee meetings, and that it will update the public on further operational decisions.

Sources: Zambezi River Authority statement as reported by The Herald and NewZimbabwe.com.

A powerful explosion at an explosives storage facility near Redcliff, in Zimbabwe’s Midlands province, killed a security guard and damaged more than 80 properties in the early hours of Sunday 11 October, according to officials quoted by the state-owned Herald and Chronicle titles and by MyZimbabwe.

Midlands Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Owen Ncube told reporters at the scene that 1,200 boxes of explosives were stored in a concrete structure and that the guard died. He said the guard was allegedly tied up before suspected intruders tried to open the storage room. Redcliff Municipality spokesperson Michael Magoronga said a bolt cutter and other tools were recovered, and that the matter had been referred to the Joint Operations Command.

The municipality put the number of damaged properties at more than 80, including homes, commercial buildings and the Redcliff Civic Centre. Residents described shattered windows and cracked ceilings. Nehanda Radio, citing a municipal notice, said the preliminary suspected cause was an attempted theft of explosives, while stressing that the circumstances had not been conclusively established.

Army officials said the area had been secured and barricaded. Brigadier-General Lawrence Munzararikwa, who commands the Zimbabwe National Army’s 5 Infantry Brigade, warned residents to keep away because some explosives may not have detonated, and said specialist help may be needed to clear the site.

Reports differ on who runs the facility. The Herald, MyZimbabwe and Nehanda Radio describe it as belonging to the Buchwa Iron Mining Company (BIMCO). Separately, the managing director of explosives maker Intrachem told Mining Zimbabwe there had been “an incident at our explosives magazine near Redcliff”, adding that investigators had asked the company not to release further information. The reports also differ slightly on timing: most place the blast around 2am to 3am on Sunday, while Nehanda Radio described it as overnight on Friday.

None of the reports read by AllInZimbabwe included a police statement, and no arrests had been announced. Officials say investigations continue.

Sources: The Herald/Chronicle, MyZimbabwe, Nehanda Radio, Mining Zimbabwe.

The Caine Prize for African Writing has begun looking into claims that the story that won this year’s award may have been written with the help of artificial intelligence, days after the Zimbabwean winner was named.

Simbarashe Steyn Kundizeza was announced as the 2026 winner in London on Tuesday 6 October for his story “The Blue Fighter”. On 11 October, according to the prize’s own statement, journalist Vauhini Vara published an article in The Atlantic suggesting the story may have used AI.

In its statement, the Caine Prize said that when claims such as this are made, “it is our responsibility to look into them”. It said it aims to take a “human-centred approach”, ensuring writers are supported and cared for during the process, and that it has “initiated that process in this case”. It promised to share updates on its website as matters unfold.

The prize also pointed to the way it works: it honours stories that have already been published elsewhere, which it described as a “bond of trust” with the magazines and journals that publish the original work. The Bookseller and NewZimbabwe both reported the statement.

It is important to be clear about where things stand. The Atlantic piece raises a suggestion; the Caine Prize has not announced any finding, and nothing in the coverage reviewed by AllInZimbabwe shows that Kundizeza has been found to have done anything wrong. None of that coverage carried a response from him to the allegation. After winning, he told NewZimbabwe the award meant a great deal and gave him more belief that he could keep making room for a writing life.

AllInZimbabwe will report the outcome of the review when the Caine Prize publishes it.

Sources: Caine Prize statement; NewZimbabwe; The Bookseller.