The ManicaPost
Luthando Mapepa : Chipinge Correspondent
ZIMBABWE National Parks and Wildlife Management and other anti-poaching agencies should involve local communities in curbing poaching activities in game reserves and conservancies, a Cabinet Minister has said.Speaking during the tour to access the impact of stray wild animals from Save Conservancy in Middle Sabi on the local communities last Friday, Minister of Environment, Water and Climate, Cde Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, said local communities were critical stakeholders in combating poaching.
“There should be collective efforts between Government departments and other partners to end poaching in conservancies and game reserves. The local community is the biggest stakeholder that should not be left out when making policies.
“If the locals are being sidelined, there is no doubt that they can harbour poachers and establish syndicates with them. We should work together with them and teach them how to conserve these animals since some of the infrastructure in game reserves is being destroyed by the surrounding communities.
“The community should desist from destroying perimeter fences because these wild animals will wreak havoc in your areas. The community should also stop having illegal settlements in these conservancies and game reserves because it exacerbates wild animals and human conflict,” she said.
Cde Muchinguri-Kashiri said Government was worried about the menace caused by wild animals straying from Save Conservancy to people in Chipinge, Chiredzi and Bikita.
A total of 10 people were killed by buffaloes and elephants in the past three years, while hundreds of hectares of crops were destroyed in Chipinge. Over 1 000 domestic animals were killed by stray wild animals.
Responding to the menace of stray animals, Cde Muchinguri-Kashiri said:
“Government will engage all stakeholders to speedily erect the perimeter fence around the Save Conservancy. The Conservancy owners should play ball, lest they will be kicked out. People should be protected first. The menace of these stray animals has caused untold suffering to our people. My ministry will this year create a fund aimed at compensating those injured by wild animals, but illegal settlers will not be considered,” she said.
Area manager of the Department of Parks and Wild Life, Mr Luke Njuvo, said his department was doing its level best to protect human lives in the affected areas.
“We are trying our level best to protect human life in Chipinge. The issue of illegal resettlements in these game reserves is one of the issues leading to attacks of people by wild animals. It is easier for a lion to kill a beast than a buffalo.
“There is need to reduce the population of wild animals from Save Conservancy since part of the land was lost to resettlement,” said Mr Njuvo.
Chairperson of Middle Sabi farmers, Mr Martin Munodawafa, said the conservancy should compensate farmers for the loss of their crops and animals.
“At the height of the land reform programme, the whites who are the owners of the conservancy stopped repairing the perimeter fence. The fence was also damaged by Cyclone Eline-induced rains of 2002 and nothing was done to repair it. We need them to compensate us on the damage caused to our wealth, “said Mr Munodawafa.
