Elephant poaching war spills into courts

THE Tsholotsho Rural District council is suing Gariya Safaris to recover about $135 000 that the company allegedly failed to pay to council as part of conditions to hunt in the district, as the elephant poaching saga deepens.

Addressing villagers at Pumula Village under, Chief Siphoso, in Tsholotsho on Friday, the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, Dr Ignatius Chombo said the Safari operator was banned from operating in Tsholotsho South after failing to remit 60 percent of income it realised from hunting animals that included elephants to the local authority as per Government requirement.

Dr Chombo was part of a delegation of seven Cabinet Ministers that visited the area to get villagers' input on how to stop the poisoning of elephants with Cyanide.

Villagers confessed to working with poaching syndicates to poison the elephants.

They said the break down of the Campfire programme, council and parks services led to some of them resorting to poaching elephants to make ends meet.

 "Gariya was killing elephants without remitting money to council. As we speak, Council is suing them for about $135 000 which belongs to you.

"As Government, we are aware of some of the problems that were not highlighted in this meeting. We know that some people still want Gariya to be operating here. We know they were transported to the District Administrator's office in Gariya vehicles, on at least three occasions, to demonstrate against the cancellation of the safari operator's hunting licence. Some of you were used unknowingly in the protests where villagers closed the DA's offices," said Dr Chombo.

He warned the villagers against closing Government offices in protest.

"You should approach the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs in Matabeleland North Cain Mathema, or approach the DA if you have problems," said the Minister.

Earlier the chief executive officer of Tsholotsho RDC, Mr Themba Moyo, explained how proceeds from hunting animals should be distributed.
"We have pegged the value of an elephant at $15 500. The arrangement is that if an elephant is killed, 60 percent of its value goes straight into the Ward account of the RDC. 36 percent is paid to council for the Problem Animal Control (PAC) programme and four percent is paid to Campfire," said Mr Moyo.

He said Tsholotsho had been allocated a quota of 27 elephants this hunting season.

"The money we get as council is used to build and maintain schools, clinics and water sources. At the moment, 11 out of 22 Wards in Tsholotsho are benefiting from Campfire. We have two hunting concessions, Tsholotsho North where Mathuphula Safaris is operating and Tsholotsho South where we now have Lodzi Safaris," said Mr Moyo.

Villagers who spoke after the event, accused safari operators of exceeding hunting quotas and paying nothing to the local authorities.

"This is a drought stricken area and elephants destroy our crops. These safaris bring their friends from abroad to kill our animals and we do not get anything. That is why some of our children have joined hands with some foreigners to poison elephants. I think the practice started around 2009. We have been told that the tusks from the elephants they kill are taken to the National Parks' stockpile but we think they are sold illegally outside the country," said Mr Amos Ndlovu (74).