WATCH LIVE as Gambakwe updates on the body of Zimbabwe War Veteran, Blessed Geza, who passed away in South Africa on 6 February 2026.
Key Events For Today
Repatriation of Blessed Geza’ s body from South Africa to Zimbabwe is expected today.
Top Trending News
1. A syndicate that compromised the Ecocash system has been arrested in Chitungwiza by Zimbabwe police with over $22 000 recovered. The criminal syndicate pretended to be Econet Zimbabwe, the country’s largest mobile network operator and the parent company of the EcoCash mobile money platform. This gave their scheme an air of legitimacy. They created and disseminated fraudulent links, advertising them as part of a “free data promotion.” This offer was designed to attract a wide range of potential victims looking for a good deal. When victims clicked the links, they were taken to a fake website or portal designed to look like a legitimate Econet or EcoCash page. On this fake page, victims were manipulated into entering their One-Time Passwords (OTPs). OTPs are critical security codes sent via SMS to authorize transactions or logins. By giving this away, victims handed over the keys to their EcoCash wallets. With the OTPs, the syndicate could unlawfully access the victims’ EcoCash wallets. Once inside, they transferred (“siphoned”) funds out of the victims’ accounts and into multiple accounts controlled by the criminals.
2. Great Zimbabwe University Intake.
3. Bulawayo City Council to employ 500 new workers to fill open positions that arose duw to natural attrition.
4. Mpilo Introduces Diploma In Midwifery
5. Zimbabwe introduces new HIV testing rules to stop Mother to child HIV transmission
6. After being arrested on February 4, 2026, and suffering a medical emergency that required hospitalisation at Sally Mugabe Hospital, journalist Pelagia Mupurwa was released on February 6 when the state withdrew all charges against her. The legal resolution followed a formal apology and retraction by Zimbo Live, prompting businessman Steven Mutumhe to drop his complaint regarding her reporting on a local property dispute.
Business
1. Major South African banks are significantly expanding their presence in Kenya in 2026, driven by new regulatory capital requirements in the Kenyan market that are forcing industry consolidation. The “Big Four” South African lenders—Standard Bank, Absa, FirstRand, and Nedbank—are all actively pursuing growth in the region to offset slower economic growth in South Africa. Absa Group CEO Kenny Fihla confirmed the bank is actively seeking to buy another Kenyan lender to reclaim its position as a top-tier bank in East Africa. Absa has invested approximately KSh 4 billion in Kenya’s technology infrastructure, focusing on system resilience and operational efficiency.
Africa
Community
Notes
Nedbank Group: On 21 January 2026, Nedbank submitted a major offer to acquire a 66% majority stake in Kenya’s NCBA Group for approximately R13.9 billion ($855.5 million). This move aims to give Nedbank direct access to over 60 million customers across East Africa.
Absa Group: In February 2026, Absa’s top leadership visited Kenya to meet with regulators and the private sector, explicitly seeking acquisitive opportunities to diversify earnings and reduce dependence on the South African market.
FirstRand: The group is actively monitoring the Kenyan market for acquisition opportunities, particularly as smaller Kenyan banks struggle to meet the Central Bank of Kenya’s (CBK) ten-fold increase in minimum core capital requirements (rising to KES 10 billion by 2029).
Standard Bank (Stanbic Holdings): Already a dominant player via its local unit Stanbic Holdings, the group has set an ambition to become a “top three” bank in Kenya through further strategic acquisitions.
