LONG-Distance runner Blessing Waison is hoping to defend his Econet Victoria Falls Marathon title when he takes part in the 2024 edition of the annual event on Saturday.
Waison improved his time by three minutes from his 2022 performance to win the 2023 race in 2 hours 15 minutes 11 seconds.
Waison beat second-placed Elijah Mabhunu by more than two minutes (2:17:21) while Lyno Muchena was third in 2 hours 17 minutes 30 seconds.
Prosper Mutwira finished fourth in 2 hours 17 minutes 41 seconds while another veteran Mike Fokoroni dropped from fifth last year to eighth, in 2 hours 22 minutes 32 seconds.
Ethel Pangiso was the women’s winner in 2 hours 41 minutes 51 seconds. Waison says his target is to win the race again on Saturday.
“My training has not been at 100 percent because I have been nursing an injury so I can’t promise fireworks but the aim going into Saturday is to defend the title. It’s always a pleasure to participate in this elite competition and I will give it my all to once again be on the podium,” he said.
The 2024 Marathon, running under the theme: “Road to Victory”, offers a variety of distances to cater for any runners.
Econet has advised participants to choose from the famed, full 42km marathon, the half-marathon (21km), a collaborative team relay with two runners doing 10.5km each, or the more popular 7,5km Family Fun run.
Now in its 16th year, the Econet Victoria Falls Marathon has cemented its reputation as a top African running event.
The race’s renowned scenic route takes runners on an unforgettable journey through the breathtaking landscapes and wildlife surrounding the iconic Victoria Falls, allowing participants to enjoy its grandeur up-close.

LOCAL and national artistes captivated a full-house live audience at the Buddie Beatz Victory Show as the curtain came down on the 2024 Econet Vic Falls Marathon at Baobab Primary School in the resort town on Sunday evening.
While the performance of the national stars lived to its billing, it was the appearance of the local artistes that was met with familiar enthusiasm and acclaim, marking a significant moment for the local music scene.
Sharing the stage and standing shoulder to shoulder the with national superstars such as Winky D, Jah Prayzah, Feli Nandi, Nutty O, Tocky Vibes, King Her and DJ Chiweda, Victoria Falls-based artistes Ray “Muffia King” Karipache, DJ CJ (Tawanda Cephas Junior Matema) and Daniel “Danman Croc” Ngwenya acquitted themselves well as they gave powerful performances in front of an estimate 5 000-strong audience.
“It was an awesome concert. It felt good being back in my hometown and performing alongside my colleagues who are also in the music industry,” said DJ CJ, soon after the music extravaganza, which has now become a tradition the evening of the Econet Vic Falls Marathon.
He lauded Econet Wireless, through the Buddie Beatz Victory Show, for “gifting” local artistes the exposure by affording them the opportunity to perform on a big stage to a huge crowd.
“I saw my fellow artistes, born and breed in this city, performing in front of a huge crowd. The night surely brought exposure and unity amongst artistes around the nation as we were gifted the space we have always craved for our growth on the music scene,” DJ CJ said.
Daniel “Danman Croc” Ngwenya was equally elated by the event’s success and the audience’s response.
“It was a great event for me, and the way people gave me feedback was just amazing. I feel everyone enjoyed my performance because of the reactions I noted from the crowd. It was certainly a great night for all the local artists because their performances were amazing and the reception by the crowd was just wonderful,” he said.
Danman Croc noted that Buddie Beatz Victory Show was the biggest event of his career, saying: “This is the biggest event I have performed in my career, and it means a lot for my growth as an artiste.”
Ray “Muffia King” Karipache highlighted the event’s great organization, along with the amazing support from the audience.
“The stage was well set, the treatment we got was super as we managed to perform without any glitches. I really enjoyed the way I performed in front of all those people, and the support was just something else,” he said.
“As artistes in Victoria Falls, we have so much talent that is looking for recognition and an opportunity. Getting opportunities like the Buddie Beatz Victory Show means we are exposed to Zimbabwe and the rest of the world,” he said.

Popular Bulawayo-based dance group IYASA wowed local and international athletes and their families and friends at the just-ended 2024 Econet Victoria Falls Marathon.
The award-winning dance group exhibited boundless energy, artistry and passion as they entertained visitors on arrival at Victoria Falls International Airport, during the marathon and after the event.
This year’s marathon, which took place on Sunday July 7, attracted over 5 200 participants from across the world, including runners from as far afield as the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Colombia, Germany and India, demonstrating its growing international appeal.
A spokesperson for IYASA said the dance group was delighted to take part in a national event that had now taken on international significance.
“Performing at the Econet Vic Falls Marathon, welcoming and meeting so many people from around the world and getting to interact and entertain them, was a most amazing experience,” said Mercy Kayumba, a member and spokesperson of the dance group.
“This Marathon is such a big event that the hype is impossible to ignore. So just being a part of it was incredibly exciting for the IYASA group,” she said.
“This time around, we did activations leading to the marathon and had our team at various water points during the actual marathon. It was an opportunity for our team, especially the younger ones, to grow their art and be more versatile,” Kayumba said, explaining their involvement with Econet well before the marathon.
The group’s dancers performed at various water points along the marathon race routes, transmitting some much-needed energy and motivation to the runners, and displaying the typical cultural richness that one only experiences in Africa.
The IYASA spokesperson said the Econet Vic Falls Marathon offered them a unique platform to showcase the group’s versatility, after spending nearly seven days interacting with the company staff and marathon participants in the resort town.
“Participating in something different like the Econet Victoria Falls Marathon really pushed our group to grow as artistes, because they were not just performing on stage, but literary everywhere,” she added.
IYASA, which stands for ‘Inkululeko Yabatsha School of Arts’, is a Bulawayo-based arts institution.
The group, which has toured several countries around the world – including France, Spain and Australia, among others – has won multiple local and international awards since it was founded over 20 years ago.
Reflecting on the magnitude of the Econet Victoria Falls Marathon event, Kayumba lauded Econet’s efforts in hosting the marathon.
“Sometimes we underestimate how big this marathon is. Credit to Econet for holding such a successful event annually. It never gets watered down, but actually gets bigger and bigger each year. We truly enjoyed every part of it,” Kayumba said.

Today’s marathon event, the16th edition of the Econet Victoria Falls Marathon themed “Road to Victory”, is offering the full Econet 42.2km race, as well as the 21.1km Econet Half Marathon for the seasoned marathon runners.
With a roar that only rivals the mighty Victoria Falls itself, the 2024 Econet Victoria Falls Marathon kicked off early this morning, as an estimated 5 500 athletes and fitness enthusiasts from across the world got off the starting blocks, runnig in the backdrop of the awe-inspiring ‘Smoke that Thunders’ and Seventh Natural Wonder of the World.
Today’s marathon event, the16th edition of the Econet Victoria Falls Marathon themed “Road to Victory”, is offering the full Econet 42.2km race, as well as the 21.1km Econet Half Marathon for the seasoned marathon runners.
The event is also offering the Steward Bank 10.5km relay half marathon, featuring two runners in each team, completing a total of 21km. Last but not least, today’s event is featuring the hugely popular EcoSure 7.5 km Family Fun.
Earlier on, last year’s full marathon winners Blessing Waison (male category) and Ethel Pangiso (female category) expressed their determination to defend their titles.
The Harare-based Waison, a Cadence Athletics Club runner, improved his time by three minutes to win last year’s Econet Victoria Falls Marathon in 2 hours 15 minutes and 11 seconds. Waison beat second-placed Elijah Mabhunu by more than two minutes (2:17:21), while Lyno Muchena was third in 2 hours 17 minutes and 30 seconds.
Prosper Mutwira finished fourth in 2 hours 17 minutes and 41 seconds, while veteran runner Mike Fokoroni dropped from fifth to eighth last year, finishing in 2 hours 22 minutes and 32 seconds.
Fresh from winning the Tanganda Half Marathon in Mutare last week, Black Rhinos athlete Moses Tarakinyu hopes to defend his Econet Victoria Falls Marathon 21km title. Last year he finished the race in 1 hour 4 minutes and 19 seconds, winning the race for the third consecutive time.
Another top Zimbabwean long-distance runner, Isaac Mpofu is participating in today’s race as part of his preparations for the Olympics later this year.
“In terms of my preparations, everything is well in place. I have been putting in the work as the countdown to the Olympics continues. As part of my preparations, I will be taking part in the Econet Victoria Falls Marathon,” Mpofu said.
“This should allow me and my coaches to see where we are in terms of preparations.”
Econet chief operating officer Kezito Makuni, speaking in Victoria Falls yesterday, said he was excited that Econet is successfully hosting the Marathon again this year.
“We are excited at the level of participation by atheletes from our country, from the region and from around the world at the Econet Vic Falls Marathon,” Makuni said.
“It is clear this event now transcends the competition of the atheletes and the promotion of health and fitness, and has evolved into a celebration of life, family, friendships and the spirit of multicultural community that this resort town embodies as an international tourist destination and hospitality centre.”

COLLEN Ann Rowe (50) based in Saudi Arabia, is on cloud nine as she is participating for the first time at the Econet Victoria Falls Marathon which had eluded her since 2007.
A teacher by profession, Rowe, who is accompanied by her daughter Kelli Ann Rowe (20) and her 73-year-old mother Ina Johanna Cochran, said a combination of factors including commitment at work as the marathon would fall during the school term where she was teaching, and relocation to other places made her fail to register for the marathon.
She has done a number of marathons before in Colombia, where she was once based, China and South Africa.
Rowe and her daughter Kelli are running the 21.5km half marathon at the 2024 Econet Victoria Falls Marathon while her mother Cochran who is based in Durban, South Africa, is accompanying them for support. Rowe is using the event as a birthday celebration for herself after turning 50 recently.
“The Victoria Falls Marathon has been on my bucket list since 2007 and I am happy that this time I am here for it,” said Rowe after collecting her badge.
He commended Victoria Falls’ hospitality.
“I currently live in Saudi Arabia. I am here to do the half marathon and I had wanted to do this race since 2007 when I first heard about it but it never worked. So, finally this year is my year and I have been able to bring my mom and my daughter and they are very excited to be finally visiting Victoria Falls.
“I am school teacher so it would happen when schools are open or when I am travelling. I just turned 50 and so I decided I should come celebrate here. It is lovely here and everybody has been so friendly and welcome. I have done a couple of races like the national half marathon in South Africa where I used to live, and I have done races in Colombia and China,” she said.
Her daughter Kelli who is based in Spain said she was excited to be in Victoria Falls.
“It’s very important for me to be here because my mother is a runner and she has been dreaming of this race since when I was very little. So I am joining her in this race. I have done a 10km before and that’s furthest I have ever run, so I am doing 21.5km this time and we will see how it goes. I am very excited to be here, Victoria Falls is beautiful and the people are very kind. Everyone is loving, we have been here a day and so far its been very beautiful,” she said.
Cochran is here to support her daughter and granddaughter.
“I am from Hilcrest, Durban in South Africa. I had never been to Victoria Falls so my daughter said we should come. I love this country, it is clean and unbelievably wonderful. I am not running but will be supporting my daughter and granddaughter,” she said.

ECONET Wireless Zimbabwe has reported significant growth in both data and voice usage, with increases of 74 percent and 46 percent respectively for the first quarter ending May 31, 2024, compared to the same period last year.
In its latest trading update, the technology and telecommunications firm said data and voice revenue now contributed 42 percent and 38 percent of the company’s total revenue respectively, a shift from 33 percent and 45 percent respectively in the first quarter of 2023.
“The marked growth in data usage underscores the need for sustained network expansion and upgrades to adequately meet the ever-increasing demand for mobile broadband and digital services,” the company stated.
“With the advent of 5G, IoT, and other cutting-edge technologies, the need for robust, agile, and future-proof network infrastructure has become more pressing than ever.”
During the quarter, Econet commissioned over 30 new sites across the country, enhancing network performance and quality of service. The company said it plans to continue its network modernization programme, extending coverage in urban, peri-urban, and rural areas.
“Increasing our 5G penetration is also a key initiative, with plans to commission additional 5G sites by the end of the financial year,” said the company.
To address the growing utilization of data services, Econet has added functionalities to its core network, transitioning to a cloud-based system that promises better service personalization to meet diverse customer needs.
However, it said it has faced significant challenges due to ongoing power cuts, leading to increased costs for backup power and investment in solar energy.
“Load shedding on the national power grid continues to negatively affect the business through reliance on costly backup power to maintain the requisite network uptime and meet quality of service standards.
“The business continues to invest in renewable energy sources like solar power,” it said.
Following the acquisition of FinTech businesses from EcoCash Holdings, Econet’s mobile money unit delivered a strong performance, driven by a growing active customer base and increased usage of its digital financial services.
The mobile money business saw active customers grow of 189 percent, compared to the first quarter of the prior year, with international remittance values increasing by 265 percent.
EcoCash has also continued its partnerships with Mobile Transfer Agencies from various source markets to terminate into the EcoCash wallet, leveraging its distribution network for customers to access funds. This is expected to drive further growth in remittance values in the coming period.
The synergies between Econet’s digital insurance platforms and mobile money ecosystem have led to increased adoption and cross-selling opportunities.
The life insurance business recorded a 14.2 percent growth in premiums against the last quarter, while Airtime Cover subscriptions under EcoSure exceeded 400,000 by the end of the quarter. Maisha Health Fund saw a 5.5 percent growth in gross premiums compared to the prior period.
Moovah, Econet’s short-term insurance business, recently introduced mobile phone insurance, reinforcing its position as a pioneering leader in the market and reaffirming its commitment to innovation and responsiveness to customer needs.
“We remain dedicated to expanding our offerings and focusing on customer insights to provide comprehensive and tailored insurance solutions, enabled by the Group’s capacity to develop agile products,” said the company.
In the quarter ended May 31, 2024, Econet declared and paid an interim dividend of 0.26 US cents per share.
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Econet Wireless Zimbabwe says it remains committed to completing current network modernisation initiatives, which will transform network performance, expand coverage, and increase capacity to support changing customer demands for data-intensive applications.
In a trading update for the quarter to November 30, 2023, the company said it will leverage new technologies to enhance the potential for better financial performance through improved customer experience and lower costs.
“The company’s strategic focus on fostering solutions centred around the customer, prioritising security, engaging with regulatory bodies, and investing in infrastructure sets it in a strong position amid the challenges present in the current economic landscape,” reads the statement.
The company said after the successful settlement of debentures in September 2023, the exchange loss exposure was significantly reduced, and this should improve the business performance going forward.
The company successfully closed the renounceable rights offer of new ordinary shares in the capital of the company to raise US$30,3 million, and proceeds from the rights offer were applied to redeem debentures issued by the company, which matured at the end of April 2023.
“Ordinary shares amounting to 401 586 371 were issued and commenced trading on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange on October 9, 2023,” the company said.
For the quarter under review, revenue increased by 177 percent from $0,8 trillion relative to the same period last year.
The company said growth in voice and data traffic of 28 percent and 26 percent, respectively, was largely anchored on network modernisation.
However, for the period under review, exchange losses were 20 percent of revenue against a prior period comparative of 26 percent, and they continue to weigh down the financial performance of the business.
According to a report by POTRAZ, the growth in market share for both voice and data services points to the company’s success in delivering value to its customers.
It said the increased consumption and usage patterns show that ongoing investment in network infrastructure is imperative.
“Econet voice market share increased slightly, and data market share decreased marginally. Other key metrics, such as base station and 4G base station market share, continue to improve,” reads the statement.
Econet added that the continued increase in data traffic reflects changing consumer behaviour and evolving usage patterns towards data-intensive applications such as video streaming, social media engagement, and online gaming, which require commensurate capital expenditure to continue to provide quality service.
“This will require a supportive tariff regime given the inflation trends. In order to sustain the quality of services amidst higher usage rates, there’s a need for tariffs that support the business, especially as inflation impacts capital spending,” the group company said.
It indicated that implementing cutting-edge network technology, optimizing spectrum utilisation, and increasing network density is necessary to manage growing data traffic and maintain a resilient network.

Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, the country’s largest telecommunications and technology company, says it would be expanding its 5G network and utilising artificial intelligence (AI) and automation to enhance customer service and operational efficiency, Business Times can report.
James Myers, the chairman of the Econet board, disclosed this, stating that expanding on the 5G network creates new prospects for the business.
“We are looking to scale up our 5G penetration to unlock new opportunities, leverage artificial intelligence and process automation to improve operational efficiencies and customer service delivery,” Myers said.
He said AI has become an integral part of their business operations.
According to Myers, Econet increased its usage of AI in 2023 to boost productivity, improve operational efficiency, optimise their business and deliver better customer experiences.
He said the company pledges to continue investing in the infrastructure for them to meet their customer needs and keep up with global trends.
“The business continues to experience sustained growth in the demand for its products and services shaped by evolving customer needs. We will continue to invest in our network infrastructure in order to meet customer demands and keep abreast with global trends in line with our vision of a digitally connected future that leaves no Zimbabwean behind,” Myers said.
In its financial results for the 12 months to February 29, 2024, Econet more than doubled its revenue to ZW$14.8 trillion from ZW$6.3 trillion achieved in the previous year.
Investment in network modernization resulted in volume growth of voice and data of 34% and 36% respectively.
However, Econet’s loss widened to ZW$1.1 trillion for the period under review from ZW$317bn reported in 2023.
Myers said the depreciation of the local currency during 2023 affected the group’s financial performance.
Exchange losses for the period under review were ZW$ 3.2 trillion translating to 22% of revenue against 23% for the prior year.
He said the group is looking forward to benefiting from Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) since the hyperinflation of ZW$ affected the financial statements.
Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortisation (EBITDA) grew by 175% to ZW$7.1 trillion for the period under review from ZW$2.6bn recorded prior comparative period.

The report, which was released last week, showed that Econet did better than its peers in the key performance categories of mobile internet and data usage, as well as in mobile voice usage.
The Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz)’s sector performance report for the 3rd quarter of 2023 has revealed that Econet Wireless Zimbabwe extended its market leadership in the local mobile telecommunications sector dominated by three main players: Econet, NetOne and Telecel.
The report, which was released last week, showed that Econet did better than its peers in the key performance categories of mobile internet and data usage, as well as in mobile voice usage.
It revealed that Econet increased its mobile internet and data market share by 6.3%, from 72.0% in Q2 to 78.3% in Q3. This followed a 15.5% surge in the company’s mobile internet and data traffic to 34 985 422 241 Megabytes (MB) in the third quarter, up from 30 299 361 678 MB in the previous quarter.
“NetOne recorded a decline in internet and data traffic by a margin of 18.9%. Despite the decline by NetOne, total Internet and Data traffic for mobile network operators increased significantly by 6.2%, owing to a 15.5% growth in traffic by Econet. Telecel also experienced a huge jump in Internet traffic,” read the report.
Potraz said overall mobile internet and data traffic increased by 6.2% to record 44,67 Petabytes in the third quarter, from 42,06 Petabytes recorded in the second quarter of 2023. (A Petabyte is about 1 million Megabytes).
In the mobile voice traffic category, Econet increased its market share by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter to 82.9%, while NetOne lost market share by the same margin, to exit the 3rd quarter at 16.9%. Telecel maintained its voice traffic market share at 0.2%.
Potraz noted that mobile voice traffic grew significantly, by 30.0%, to record 3.29 billion minutes in the 3rd quarter, up from 2.53 billion minutes recorded in the second quarter of 2023.
“The sector realised growth in mobile voice traffic in the third quarter of 2023. This may be attributed to an eroded voice tariff which fluctuated around USD 0.01 (One USD cent) for on-net calls throughout the quarter,” said Potraz.
“On-net bundles and promotions by operators also played a big role in the significant growth in traffic, which resulted in a 37.5% surge in net-on-net traffic, which is without doubt the major traffic growth driver in the quarter under review.”
The regulator added that the total number of active mobile telephone subscriptions grew by a margin of 6.0% to reach 14 794 579 as of 30 September 2023, up from 13 955 937 recorded in the second quarter.
“As a result, the mobile penetration rate hiked to 97.5% from 91.9% recorded in the second quarter of the year,” said Potraz.
In the period under review, Econet saw its subscribers rise to 10 319 991, from 10 094 328 in the second quarter (a 2.6% drop in customer market share), while NetOne subscriber numbers went up from 3 554 075 in the previous quarter to 4 171 224 in the 3rd quarter (a 2.7% increase).
Telecel was, however, the only mobile network operator to register negative growth in subscribers, with the company’s subscriber numbers falling by 1.4% to 303 364 in the third quarter.
Meanwhile, mobile network operators generated $850.8 billion in the third quarter of 2023, up from $435.7 billion recorded in the previous quarter. This translates to a 95.3% revenue growth in the quarter under review.
On the other hand, mobile network operators incurred $430 billion in costs, up from $215.8 billion incurred in the previous quarter, translating to a 99.3% increase in total operating costs.
The telecommunications regulator noted that total capital expenditure by mobile network operators grew by 27.1%, from $26.7 billion in Q2 to $33.9 billion in the 3rd quarter.
“However, in real terms, revenues, operating costs and capital expenditure did not increase by the same margins due to the inflationary operating environment which has not spared any sector of the economy. This continues to stifle investment in infrastructure as evidenced by a decline in new terrestrial deployments in the quarter under review,” added the regulator.

THOUSANDS of music lovers and athletes turned up for the Victoria Falls Econet Marathon musical after-party concert held at Baobab Primary School grounds on Sunday evening.
Dubbed the “Buddie Beatz Victory Show”, the after-party took place on Sunday evening and lasted until after 3am when Winky D, the final act, left the stage.
Admission was free. The mood was set at midday as Zumba dance coaches led runners and fans in various dance moves. When Winky D announced he was playing his last song around 3am, there were no incidents of revolt from the seemingly satisfied crowd, who began to leave after an almost all-night dance.
Sunday was unusually cold, with morning temperatures dropping to 11 degrees Celsius. Although the day was warm, temperatures dropped again after midnight, but the music lovers were undeterred as they packed the school grounds.

The lack of entertainment in Victoria Falls was evident as locals turned up in large numbers to join the runners who had taken part in the 42,2km; 21,1km and fun run races earlier. The event had 5 190 registered athletes.
The line-up included locals Ray “Maffia King” Karipache, Tawanda Cephas Junior Matema (DJ CJ) and Daniel “Danman Croc” Ngwenya. The show started just after 6pm with DJs playing music. Nutty O, Feli Nandi and Tocky Vibes then took to the stage followed by Jah Prayzah just before midnight. He played a mix of his old and new songs.

Commenting on the event, one reveller identified as Mercy said she enjoyed every bit.
“It’s a rare moment to have Jah Prayzah and Winky D sharing the stage. We enjoyed and wish such events could happen again.”
After the show, hundreds of locals could be seen trekking home, with taxi operators running several trips to the high-density suburbs and various hotels.
Organisers of the marathon, Econet Zimbabwe thanked people for supporting the event and vowed to continue rolling out various corporate social responsibility initiatives across different sectors.