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Zimbabwe ivory trade lobby raises questions

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Zimbabwe’s aggressive lobbying to overturn a global ban on the sale of ivory has raised more questions than answers with conservationists arguing that the country’s claims that it has stockpiles worth US$600 million are an exaggeration.

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The southern African country is hosting a three-day conference where it invited 15 nations to push for the legalisation of ivory trade to finance conservation efforts.

Ahead of the conference, the government showcased its ivory stockpiles at a warehouse just outside the capital Harare to European Union diplomats where officials said the country had the potential to earn US$600 million if it is allowed to sell the stocks.

The position, however, is proving to be a tough sale for some conservation experts attending the conference being held at the Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe’s biggest game reserve, which is home to the largest population of elephants in the country.

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A number of conservationists said Zimbabwe’s claims did not make sense given the fact that the highest price for worked ivory on sale in the market around 2015 was US$ 2 100 per kilogramme, and the price has since crashed. The wholesale price of raw ivory is estimated to be US$150 per kilogramme.

At that price, even if Zimbabwe were able to sell its entire 130 tonnes of stockpiled ivory, it would earn only roughly US$20m.

Zimbabwe has threatened to quit the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) if the trade ban is not lifted.

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CITES banned the sale of ivory in 1998 to save elephants from extinction due to widespread poaching.

“The figures don’t make sense,” said a South African conservationist on the side lines of the conference.

“Most of these countries are using a rate, which was set in 2008 and it was quite high at US$167 per kilogramme, but figures have gone down because the (Asian) countries they are targeting (as the potential markets) bought the ivory at that time and they are still consuming the old stock.”

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The conservationist said the formal ivory markets that countries such as Zimbabwe were targeting were saturated.

China, which used to be the biggest buyer for legal ivory, has banned all trade, as has Vietnam.

Japan, which bought ivory in the past, still has large amounts from earlier one-off sales.

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“These Asian countries that they are targeting have no room for extra stocks,” he added.

“The other observation is that these countries are evaluating their stocks using pricing that is exaggerated and that on its own has created some confusion.”

Another southern African conservationist said countries should be focusing on reforms within CITES to help fund conservation work.

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Leaving CITES would not allow them to sell ivory as buyers would also have to leave the international organisation, which would affect trade in many other wildlife and plant species.

“There is no money from these governments to deal with conservation, so it’s a question of them asking where they can get money,” he said.

“Zimbabwe has threatened to withdraw from CITES if not heard, but the challenge with that is that they can be selling those stockpiles illegally and the Asian buyers that they are targeting that is China, Vietnam, Japan are members of CITES.

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“The danger is that those countries (who are potential buyers) should also pull out (of CITES) so that they both illegally trade, and such will have implications on the credibility of the state.

“Countries should have other ways of making money, whereby they can go through issues of quantifying their carbon sale and we believe that they can get something larger than what they are advocating for in the sale of ivory at a price that is unapproved.

“Most of these countries have issues with their economies so they are hoping that if they sell some of the money will go into conservation and addressing human-wildlife conflicts, but they have not told us how they want to use the money in a way that’s transparent and convincing apart from saying they want to sell.”

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Fulton Mangwanya, Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) director general, insisted that ivory was undervalued on the international market.

“The value of a kilogramme is usually US$15 000, and I don’t know the values that others have, but irrespective of that figure I am talking about all we are saying is we want to unlock the value of that same stock-pile we have,” Mangwanya told VicFallsLive at the conference.

“We want to eat what we should, so this is what we are pushing especially after Covid-19 which has ravaged everything, and the revenue streams are dry.

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“So the best we can do is to leverage on the stockpiles that we have because they have so much value in the markets.”

He said there were countries that were ready to buy Zimbabwe’s ivory.

“If the ban is lifted Asian countries are actually interested in our ivory,” Mangwanya added, without naming which countries he was referring to.

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“So it is not a matter of marketing because they are still on and they are still trading in ivory locally and they are getting all these imports from poachers who are into trafficking because to them, it’s a cultural industry that can never be closed.

“It’s not a secret that the market is still there and we are only being blocked by CITES.”

One Kenya-based conservation source highlighted that China closed its market on the order of its central government, not because of CITES.

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“It is a major distraction from the real issues of conservation finance to suggest ivory can be sold again,” he said.

“China will not open its markets again, so any sale is only going to finance the illicit trade that spurred the poaching surge a decade ago.”

Zimbabwe says its elephant population has become unsustainable because of good conservation programmes.

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Southern African countries have in recent years seen their elephant populations grow significantly and they are now home to about 70 percent of Africa’s elephants.

Zimbabwe is estimated to be home to 100 000 elephants, the second highest population after Botswana, and the wildlife authorities say the figure is double what the country’s game reserves can hold.

Zimparks says the elephant population explosion is also fuelling human-wildlife conflict.

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Zimbabwe last month said 64 people were killed by wild animals since the beginning of the year.

Mangwanya said with more money to fund conservation, the country would be able to prevent the deaths.

“Whichever figure comes with the same funds; we want to unlock the value so that we use the same funds to improve the livelihoods of the 55 districts of communities who are living with the animals,” he said.

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“Countries without species like elephants should not comment about it as long as they are not directly affected because these are issues that we are trying to put across and we expect the same to be accepted at CITES if we don’t have unnecessary opposition from our brother and sisters’ African states.”

A bloc of 28 African countries including Kenya, Gabon, and most West and Central African countries oppose proposals to lift the ban on ivory trade, which they fear would encourage more poaching.

A group of 50 anti-ivory trade organisations warned that opening the ivory market would pose a serious danger to the African herd.

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“The conference is sending a dangerous signal to poachers and criminal syndicates that elephants are mere commodities and that ivory trade could be resumed, heightening the threat to the species,” the groups said.

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National

Zimbabwe Republic Police officer faces charges for allegedly claiming to be ZRP boss

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BY STAFF REPORTER

A Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officer appeared in court today facing charges of causing disaffection among police officers, procuring the use of a motor vehicle by fraud, and transmitting false data messages intending to cause harm.

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Simbarashe Mandizvidza, an Assistant Inspector in the ZRP, was remanded in custody to Monday, when he will apply for bail.

According to the State, Mandizvidza on August 14, broadcast a video on his YouTube channel, Gondo Harishaye, claiming to be the head of the ZRP, despite knowing that Commissioner General Stephen Mutamba holds the position.

The State alleges that Mandizvidza’s actions were intended to cause disaffection among police officers, contrary to Section 30 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, Chapter 9:23.

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Mandizvidza is also accused of procuring the use of a Ford Ranger vehicle by misrepresenting to Chief Inspector Chiteure that he had been instructed by Commissioner Makomo to use the vehicle for errands.

Furthermore, the State alleges that Mandizvidza transmitted false data messages on his YouTube channel, including claims that the ZRP Traffic section had been temporarily disbanded and that Chinese nationals must leave Zimbabwe within 48 hours.

The State indicated that it will oppose Mandizvidza’s bail application, citing the seriousness of the offenses and the need to protect the public interest.

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The case continues on Monday.

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Zimbabwe roads claim 24 lives over Heroes holiday

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI 

A total of 24 people lost their lives on Zimbabwe’s roads during the 2025 Heroes and Defence Forces holidays, according to statistics released by the Zimbabwe Republic Police.

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The police reported 196 road traffic accidents, 13 of which were fatal, between August 11 and 13. This represents a significant increase from the previous year’s figures, which saw 149 accidents and eight fatalities.

Reckless driving, mechanical faults, speeding, and overtaking errors were cited as major causes of the accidents.

Two major accidents occurred during the period, including a fatal crash on the Mutare-Masvingo Road that claimed the lives of six Zion Christian Church congregants. Another accident on the Bindura-Shamva Road resulted in four fatalities and 17 injuries.

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The police have urged motorists to prioritize vehicle maintenance, avoid speeding and reckless overtaking, and adhere to road rules and regulations to prevent further loss of life.

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Another Zimbabwe gold coin sale registers little for most

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BY GAMUCHIRAI MASIYIWA

With the price of gold up globally, the Reserve Bank of

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Zimbabwe in April put the gold coins it stopped minting a year earlier back on the

market.

But interested investors had to act fast.

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By mid-June, the sale of coins from its accumulated stock was abruptly concluded

and another chapter of the currency chaos that has characterized the nation’s

economy for decades was in the books. This time, at least, economists say the

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experiment had little effect.

The short-lived sale is just the latest example in a long line of inconsistent policies,

says Ithiel Mavesere, a lecturer in the economics and development department at theUniversity of Zimbabwe. Storing value in a gold coin is not a viable option for the

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majority of the population, he adds.

“Ideally, what they should have done is come up with low-value coins, with

denominations as low as equivalent to US$20 for the majority of the population to

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afford,

” Mavesere says.

However, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor John Mushayavanhu says in a written

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response to Global Press Journal that the gold coins were effective as an alternative

investment instrument and there was huge demand from both corporations and

individuals. According to RBZ data, corporations bought about 79% of the gold coins

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and individuals bought about 21%.

About US$12 million’s worth sold

The lowest denomination of the coins represents a tenth of an ounce of gold,

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equivalent to 9,299.13 in Zimbabwe gold, or ZiG, the national currency, or about

US$347. The highest denomination of the coins represents one ounce of gold,

equivalent to ZiG 92,991.34 or about US$3,470.

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In all, the central bank has sold gold coins worth ZiG 343 million, or about US$12.8

million, according to Mushayavanhu, who says the recent sale happened after the

bank noted increased demand following the rise in international gold prices.

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“In this context, the Reserve Bank re-issued an accumulated parcel of gold coins from

a combination of gold coins which had been bought back from the market through

redemptions and some coins which were still being held at the Reserve Bank from

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the previously minted stock,

” the governor wrote.

A statement from the bank in mid-June announcing the halt to the sale indicated it

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had been intended to clear the stock of gold coins it had and those that had been

cashed in by their holders.

Mushayavanhu says the bank stopped minting gold coins in April 2024 to prioritize its

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gold reserve which, along with foreign currency reserves, backs the Zimbabwe gold

currency.

He says foreign reserves increased from US$270 million in April 2024 to US$731 million

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as of the end of June.

The central bank first introduced the Mosi-oa-Tunya gold coins — which share an

indigenous name for Victoria Falls — in 2022 at a time when the country was

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experiencing currency instability with high inflation and continued devaluation of

what was then the national currency, the Zimbabwe dollar.

The coins aimed to reduce dependency on the US dollar and help stabilize the

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economy. The coins helped mop up excess cash in local currency that was circulatingin the market. Coupled with other monetary measures in 2022, the monthly inflation

rate dropped from about 31% in June to about 12% in August that year.

However, the exchange rate of the Zimbabwe dollar drastically fell against the US

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dollar and the government replaced it with the new Zimbabwe gold currency in April

2024. Since its introduction, the currency’s value has been cut in half.

A ‘drop in the ocean’

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Lyle Begbie, an economist with Oxford Economics Africa, believes the sale of the gold

coins when they were introduced in 2022 was more of a revenue-generating scheme,

as it happened at a time when inflation was very high.

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He says it makes sense that the recent sale of gold coins was influenced by the

increase in gold prices on the global market. But he adds that the value of gold coins

was too little to have an impact on the economy. Begbie says the US$12.8 million in

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coins the central bank reported selling is less than 1% of Zimbabwe’s gross domestic

product — which the World Bank estimates at US$44 billion — a “drop in the ocean”

when it comes to the country’s macroeconomic picture.

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Prosper Chitambara, an economist based in Harare, agrees the impact of the recent

sale was minimal. He says gold coins don’t have a significant impact on currency

stability in an economy like Zimbabwe’s, which is highly informal and also highly

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dollarized — meaning it’s heavily reliant on the US dollar as a currency.

“Most economic agents in our economy prefer to transact using their US dollars

because it’s a highly tradable and highly liquid asset. … So there’s a huge confidence

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and trust in the USD than in the gold coins or even in the Zimbabwe gold,

Chitambara says.

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Samuel Wadzai, the executive director of Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic

Transformation, an organization in Harare that advocates for the informal business

sector, says there have been a few instances where members have tried to use gold

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coins for everyday transactions, but it hasn’t been widespread.

“Most traders still prefer cash due to the challenges of acceptance and the limited

understanding of gold coins in everyday trade,

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” he says.

Isheanesu Kwenda, 31, a Harare street vendor with a sociology degree, says the recent

sale of gold coins didn’t offer any benefit for him. Like many Zimbabweans, he has

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heard about the gold coins, but has never seen or opted to buy them. The vendor is

part of Zimbabwe’s informal economy, which sustains over 80% of Zimbabwe’s

population and contributes nearly 72% to the country’s GDP.

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“Street economics informs that you should not attempt to get something you are not

sure of or do not understand. … I prefer to sell my goods and keep my money in US

dollars because it holds value, or I can keep my money in stock,

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” Kwenda says of theclothing he sells.

Last year, Kwenda lost more than half his earnings after Zimbabwe gold was

introduced. After being paid the equivalent of US$1,000 in Zimbabwe dollars, he only

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managed to salvage US$360 and lost the rest in exchange rate losses.

For Kwenda, restoring confidence is simple: The government must stick to a plan,

without making sudden U-turns

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This story was originally published by Global Press Journal

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