Zimbabwe receives funds for human-wildlife conflict support |

ZIMBABWE has started receiving funding through the Kavango-Zambezi(Kaza) Transfrontier Conservation Area to support communities affected by human/wildlife conflict.

The country was for years excluded from countries receiving funding under the transfrontier park initiative but that changed under the Second Republic when KFW bank from Germany started extending financial support to Zimbabwe.

Recently Government received US$300 000 from the bank and part of the money was used to rehabilitate Maitengwe Dam which is popularly known as Mabhongwane Dam in Matabeleland South Province’s Bulilima District.

The funding was also used to augment funds in the construction of two clinics, Malalume and Mbimba clinics in the same district.

Local communities started the projects but Government offered them some funds to help speed up their completion.
Maitengwe Dam whose rehabilitation was completed last year at a cost of US$200 000 is now spilling bringing relief to people, livestock and wildlife in surroundings areas.

Last week Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister, Mangaliso Ndlovu toured Malalume and Mbimba clinics and the dam to have an appreciation of work which was done using the funds.

“This dam has one of the longest dam walls that you will find which is around 9km and in 2013 there were some breaches to the dam wall following alterations on the spill wall which increased its carrying capacity beyond what it could carry. We went for a number of years without adequate water and we ended up through Zimparks and CAMPFIRE drilling boreholes and putting solar pumps to sustain wild life. But this was not enough and we saw increased cases of human wildlife conflict,” said the minister while at the dam site.

“Working with KAZA-TFC we were able to apply for funding through ZimParks and we got funding and work to rehabilitate them dam was finished in November last year. It is important to acknowledge the support that we get from the President because he continues to open diplomatic channels. KFW Bank was able to warm to our request because of the opening of the country for business by the President.”

He said government was making plans to get more funding for the Relief Fund.
Minister Ndlovu said it is only befitting that communities living in areas with wild life benefit through them so that a poaching activities are curtailed.

The construction of Malalume Clinic started in 2011 while Mbimba Clinic started in 2009 and are now on final touches of completion after the community received financial support from KFW Bank.

“The world is marvelling at how Zimbabwe is managing its wildlife population, but be that as it may they do not know what communities living alongside wildlife areas face on a daily basis.

They do not know that the wild animals attack your crops leaving you with nothing to harvest. They do not know that your livestock is being attacked by wild animals and they do not even know that your own lives are at risk on a daily basis because the human-wildlife conflict is real,” he said.

“Zimbabwe has the second highest elephant population after Botswana world-worldwide and due to diminishing carrying capacity elephants are now moving to where people are. The country came up with the CAMPFIRE programme to make sure that people living in such areas benefit from wild life but we know it is not enough.”

He said the number of people being injured and killed by wild animals continue to be a concern for Government hence the need for the establishment of health centres in wildlife infested areas.

“Last year 79 people were killed by wild animals while others were injured which is a very high number and it means we have to improve how we manage the human wildlife situation,” he said

Minister Ndlovu urged communities to work with Zimparks rangers to drive out problematic wild animals which have already started being a menace in their fields.

He said a new law was being tabled to improve CAMPFIRE operations in the country so that more resources are availed to communities.

“I will be traveling to Germany and I will meet officials from the KFW bank that provided funding and see if we cannot get more funding from them.

We want more funding for all the clinics near areas which have wild animals under CAMPFIRE and KAZA so that they are fully equipped and operationally. We must have snake anti venom because some of these areas have a large population of venomous snakes,” he said.

Bulilima West MP who is also Deputy Minister of ICT and Courier Services Dingumuzi Phuthi said Mbimba and Malalume clinics must start operating to start serving communities.