via ZANU PF ‘bigwigs’ implicated in over 300 elephant deaths | SW Radio Africa by Alex Bell on Monday, October 21, 2013
Senior government officials, including cabinet ministers, have been implicated in the mass poisoning of elephants in Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park, with the death toll said to be well over 300.
According to a report in the Standard newspaper senior government officials, including cabinet ministers, “are now threatening villagers, whom they sent to kill elephants on their behalf, so they don’t reveal their names.”
The report does not name who the officials are, but goes on to say that there are five individuals who have been identified as being involved. The report claims that the individuals are offering cash bribes to villages to “buy their silence.”
One source was quoted as saying: “Some of them are said to have actually supplied cyanide to runners who in turn gave it to villagers to poison water sources.”
Another source said there are “tigers and flies” in the elephant-cyanide death scandal, with the ‘flies’ being the villagers being used by “powerful politicians to poison the elephants on their behalf.”
Johnny Rodrigues, the Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force (ZCTF) agreed that high level authorities are involved, claiming there is a “cover up operation” underway. He said the entire Hwange Park is on “lockdown,” with a heavily military presence being witnessed.
“Since July, there have been more than 300 elephants killed and hundreds of other animals too, who eat the poisoned meat and also die. So this is not a crisis anymore, this is a disaster,” Rodrigues said.
He added that the authorities are refusing to allow independent investigators access to the park, and the figures he has obtained are according to eyewitnesses who have gathered information from helicopter scouting trips over the park.
“We can’t prove who the individuals involved are but the whole place is on lockdown and it seems they have something to hide. It seems like a big cover up is happening,” Rodrigues said.
The ZANU PF run government last month said it would be clamping down on poachers, after a number of elephants carcasses were discovered in the park. Since then, the death toll has continued to climb while a number of suspected poaching syndicate members have been arrested.
COMMENTS
That’s Zim for sure and such is the irony that goes with ZANU PF and it’s untouchable henchmen. Some very big shots in government are involved but who will own up and say they are responsible.
What could have stopped them from doing so if they are at “peace” in taking human life and nothing is done? What more do you expect? Since Mugabe went ranting about corruption involving Masimirembwa the barking is over and the fortresses to protect those involved is being built and the poor villagers will pay for that. Waiting to see what’s next.
and so zim heads in the direction of looking like somalia land..no animals left, hardly a tree, land fallow and no food. shameful!!! the guys leading zim are not human to cause so much suffering and theft and destruction.
p.s I suppose it will still be the west fault!!!????
There comes Zanu-PF officials.They want to get out of power provided they had destroyed each and every resources.Diamonds themselves isn’t providing enough now they are up to elephants only for their selfishness,greediness fr theirselves and families not fr the nation.Nxaaaa em so disappointed in this government…
So sad that Matebeleland has been turned to a nonetity area, I think Mzilikazi is turning in his grave, first the copper wire by Nehanda now its elephant tusks
Behind the ZANU PF bigwigs will be the Chinese! Mind boggling that Africans will slaughter their own national treasures for beads and mirrors in favor of the yellow man. Is there another race on earth that cares so little for their heritage? I think not so little wonder the Chinese are here in their tens of thousands to rape our resources. Disgusting!
Zanu yakauya kuzoparadza.
Even the animals belong to ZANU PF,hence they can do as they please. Vakarwa hondo,mind you, so that the ordinary person can not question what the little gods of ZPF are doing. No ordinary villager has the capacity to decimate the elephant population of such magnitude.As usual,the culprits will go free and enjoy their filthy lucre. The leopard cannot change its spots. ZPF has been at it from independence in 1980.Numerous “commissions of enquiry” have been constituted over the years but whose findings have never been made public,save for Willowgate. ZPF yakauya kuzoparadza. It impunity will get worse after they they “won” the last elections “resoundingly.” This is the “fresh mandate” that they claim Zimbabweans gave them in July.Ibasa chairo kutongwa navatongi veZPF.