Baboons (and rank touts) a menace in Gwanda

Residents of Gwanda have raised a concern about the influx of baboons in the greater parts of the town particularly the CBD area.

Complaints sent to Bulawayo24 News by residents claim that the population of the baboons has grown so big that its now virtually impossible to control them.

According the residents the animals have grown so stubborn to human beings that they can't even scare them away.

"The baboons have grown so stubborn that its virtually a waste of time trying to scare them away. They just look at you and not move an inch and instead scare you away in return"said a lady in a whatsapp tip off.

On investigation it was indeed apparent that the area around 1st and 2nd Avenues in the town are literally a home for the baboons.

Taking a drive around the town the news crew met up with various groups of the baboons that easily totalled into thousands of the baboons.

In an interview a grounds man at St Christopher's Primary School located at the edge of town who would not be named said that they have literally lost the battle with the baboons and have given up the fight. The man said that the baboons are causing a lot of damage at the school costing a lot of money in repairs.

"As you can see all these windows were broken by the baboons over the holiday. The furniture is damaged, books and charts are torn to pieces all by the baboons and all these must be replaced before schools open next week," he said.

In another incident a baboon strolling in the town's CBD is said to have found its way to a furniture shop displaying beds for sale outside the shop and took a "deserved" nap on the bed causing panic and mayhem from people in the shop. People tried to scare it of but it relaxed unmoved on he bed.

In another incident one baboon is said to have been seen walking around town wrapped in a political party cloth known as Mazambia. Several people complained of laundry disappearing from the laundry line to confirm the possibility of the baboon having found itself wrapped in the "Zambia" cloth.

Residents claim that they now can no longer afford to have their doors or windows open as the baboons get into the houses and help themselves to any food stuff they find. Residents showed several cars with broken rear view mirrors or roofs bent downwards as baboons find a playing field on the parked cars.

The baboons are reported not to be scared and more so dangerous to women and children.

"What scares us the most is that the baboons are not at all scared of women and children and get aggressive to us," said the woman in her whatsapp alert. "We are scared one day they will rape a woman or maim our children, we need urgent help," she said.

No comment could immediately be obtained from the Department of Parks and Wild Life in the town who are said to be based in West Nicholson some 60 kilometers out of town.

Meanwhile several complaints have been received from the town over a taxi rank tout only called Martin who is said to be speaking vulgar in the open everyday uncontrolled by the police. The tout who is said to have once been arrested for beating up a police officer is reported to be always drunk and drinking in open in front of the police swearing all forms of vulgar in front of the police.

"Can something be done about this tout called Martin who has no respect of people and swears vulgar willy nilly in front of the police and drinks beer in open. Please we are tired of him," reads a complaint.

Bulawayo24 news crew visited the area and indeed found not only Martin but a group of touts drinking beer in public, swearing at people boarding taxis at the taxi rank in front of about six police officers on bicycles.

In one incident a desperate woman passage was seen being pushed into a taxi in the most uncomfortable manner for a woman. Asked why the police were watching the touts drink and harass people uncontrolled, one of the officers who would not be named replied "Ziva zvako shamwari, basa nderedu iri." (Mind your own business my friend, this job is ours not your) before cycling away.

A driver of one of the kombis said that there was nothing they could do to the touts as they are equally harassed by the touts who drink from as early as 6am everyday.