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Hwange volunteers fighting to save wild dogs from extinction

Published

4 years ago

June 26, 2022

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI
Forty seven year-old Sarah Makina is one of the volunteers from Hwange fighting to save painted dogs from extinction and earning a living while doing something that has become a passion.

Makina from Mabale village on the outskirts of the Hwange National Park and other volunteers regularly venture into Zimbabwe’s biggest game reserve searching for snares used by poachers to trap the wild animals that are threatened with extinction.

The villagers take the snares to Iganyana Art Centre in Dete, which was set up by the community under Chief Nelukoba, where the deadly traps are used to make artifacts to raise awareness about poaching and the importance of conservation.

Makina became involved in the initiative after Chief Nelukoba mobilised the community to take action after he stumbled on a dead female painted dog near his homestead.

“A community meeting was called, and the chief was not happy about the incident as the painted dog was killed by a snare set by poachers. He explained to us that the animals were already at risk of extinction,” she said.

The dead painted dog was brought to the meeting and after a long address by the chief, the community decided to take an initiative to form a committee that will go to the game reserve every day to remove snares.

The Painted Dog Conservation (PDC), an non-profit organisation set up to protect painted dogs – also known as African wild or hunting dogs – joined hands with the Mabele community to set up the Iganyana Art Centre in 2003 where the snares are turned to into artifacts.

Through the initiative the community has removed over 30 000 snares since 2002.

The centre provides materials and training for local’ artisans, who turn snares into beautiful sculptures.A ranger carrying recovered snares

Ronnie Sibanda, PDC’s communications and marketing manager, said the 23 young people at Iganyana Centre, had acquired skills to use the recovered snares to create artifacts depicting wild animals such as painted dogs, lions, pangolins and giraffes, among others.

“When our anti-poaching communities collect snares from the wild, they bring them to our art centre made up of 23 youths’ artisans who then transform the snares into art,” Sibanda said.

“So it’s turning tragedy into conservation, education, skills and income sustainability.”

“When a painted dog was snared in Mabale which is in our area operation, Chief Nelukoba was not happy about it and the communities formed a voluntary anti-poaching unit to help by patrolling in their areas.

“To date we have over 60 Mabale volunteers and we have also started to see even other neighbouring communities like Dopota, Nabushome and Sianyanga joining in.”

PDC equips the volunteers with equipment to protect themselves from poachers and uniforms.

“They have worked hard to reduce wildlife related crimes through our support with equipment such as the GPS trackers, boots, old uniforms from our anti-poaching unit rangers, shoes so that when they go out they can be identified,” Sibanda added.

“Since then we have not recorded any dog being snared.”

He said at the height of Covid-19 induced lockdowns in 2020 they recorded an upsurge in poaching of wild animals such as kudus, impalas and antelopes.

Volunteers such as Makina swung into action and helped to remove 5 000 snares in three months.

“Covid-19 came by with lots of hardships and desperation where we saw a rise in poaching activities and engaged the first group from Mabale to deploy them outside their community to beef up our scouting team of 16 and because of that effort, we removed 5 000 snares in a space of three months,” Sibanda said.

“The numbers went down to 1 900 after maintaining the stance of putting more boots on the ground such that even the poachers were now scared and that is why we saw a reduction in six months.”

The initiative has seen 85 rescued painted dogs being rehabilitated and released back into the wild.

“Our mission is to create an environment where painted dogs can thrive and we are trying to do this using several methods that include an anti-poaching unit work in the Hwange buffer zone and we also have the rehabilitation facility where we take care of sick or injured dogs as well as dogs from compromised backgrounds such as the puppies whose mothers have been ensnared and a research department monitoring the dogs, particularly those that are vulnerable in unsafe areas,” Sibanda said.

PDC is monitoring six packs of painted dogs on a daily basis across the Hwange National Park and four packs in Mana Pools National Park.

According to scientific research on the painted dog population in Hwange National Park in 1990s, there was a decrease of the dogs’ population to 100 due to space limitations, snares, road kill and diseases.

The game reserve now has an estimated 200, thanks to the conservation work by the organisation and the communities.

There are fewer than 7 000 painted dogs left across Africa. Other parts of the world do not have painted dogs.

*This story was first published by The Standard

Related Topics:Hwange National Park Painted Dog Conservation

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Grace-and-Favour: Binga RDC builds $200k lakeside mansion for CEO despite government ban

Published

6 hours ago

February 24, 2026

VicFallsLive

BY TANAKA MREWA

In a district where hunger drives thousands of children out of school and most households lack basic sanitation, a luxury four-bedroom house with a jacuzzi is nearing completion on the shores of Lake Kariba, built at public expense for the long-serving chief executive of one of Zimbabwe’s poorest local authorities.

An investigation by CITE reveals that Binga Rural District Council (RDC) has spent close to US$200 000 constructing a “grace-and-favour” home for its chief executive officer, Joshua Muzamba, despite a standing government directive prohibiting local authorities from building personal residences for senior officials.

The development has ignited questions about governance, accountability and political protection in a district consistently ranked among Zimbabwe’s poorest, and where residents say public resources are routinely diverted from desperately needed services.

The house sits on a two-acre stand overlooking Lake Kariba, in an exclusive peninsula neighbourhood about six kilometres from Binga town, surrounded by water on two sides.

Council records and sources familiar with the project say the stand, valued at over US$40 000, was allocated to Muzamba free of charge. The property includes four bedrooms – three of them ensuite – a jacuzzi and two garages.

The project’s cost and scale contrast sharply with living conditions in the district.

Official statistics paint a grim picture: ZimStat data shows that 73 percent of households in Binga lack toilets, while many communities travel long distances for schools and healthcare facilities amid largely impassable roads.

Education ministry figures indicate that in 2022 alone, 6 671 pupils dropped out of school, while more than 13 000 children were irregular attendees due to hunger.

Yet despite chronic underdevelopment, council funds have been channelled into the high-end residence.

Muzamba and the council did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

A ministry of local government circular issued on October 6, 2014 (Circular CX154) explicitly forbids local authorities from allocating institutional properties to employees, mayors or council chairpersons.

The ministry’s spokesperson Gabriel Masvora confirmed the directive remains in force.

“The government’s wish is to see improved service delivery prioritised in local authorities for the benefit of the people,” Masvora said. “Local authorities are a third tier of government which have systems and controls in place to ensure resources are used effectively.”

He added that councillors should scrutinise expenditures to ensure compliance with government policy and residents’ priorities.

The Association of Rural District Councils of Zimbabwe (ARDCZ), with Muzamba as chair, passed a resolution allowing construction of houses for senior officials after 10 years of service, effectively sidestepping central government policy.

Muzamba has led Binga RDC for 14 years, a tenure marked by recurring controversies.

Fanuel Cumanzala, the MP for Binga South (CCC) describes the CEO as a dominant figure operating with little internal resistance.

“He has become a liability to Binga,” Cumanzala said. “Whatever he does is for personal gain, not for the wellbeing of the people. Councillors are afraid to go against him.”

Cumanzala alleges the CEO survives political pressure because of backing from influential figures with economic interests in the district.

Muzamba lost his position in Zanu PF’s central committee in 2018 after the Supreme Court ruled public officials could not hold multiple posts simultaneously.

Concerns over governance at Binga RDC stretch back years.

In 2018, police requested a full audit of the council after investigations into suspected theft of trust property revealed potential financial irregularities.

The then senior assistant commissioner Stephen Mutamba, now police commissioner general, wrote to the local government ministry recommending a comprehensive audit after police uncovered evidence that council employees were allegedly under-receipting cash.

The subsequent ministry audit found serious weaknesses, including: bank transfers not being recorded in cash books; rampant under-receipting; an absence of an authenticated employment policy, exposing the council to nepotism and unethical hiring practices; and unsigned council minutes, raising doubts about the authenticity of the records.

Despite these findings, residents say meaningful corrective action never followed.

Muzamba is accused of protecting one employee, Lovemore Siamuyi, who was implicated in earlier investigations and remains employed.

Current and former council insiders allege the CEO has filled the local authority with relatives, claims he has not publicly addressed.

A council official, speaking anonymously for fear of reprisals, said a previous resolution capped staff numbers at 50 due to financial constraints, leading to retrenchments.

“But soon after that, more people started being employed,” the source said. “Now the place is flooded with his kinsmen.”

Employees describe a workplace climate of fear and factionalism.

Residents also question a council resolution allowing senior officials to purchase service vehicles at book value after five years, a policy they say disproportionately benefits senior executives and their associates.

“This means residents effectively buy new vehicles every five years,” said one ratepayer.

The council is reportedly struggling with cash flow, at times paying salaries through allocations of housing stands instead of wages.

Muzamba’s critics argue that such challenges make spending on his luxury house especially difficult to justify.

The Auditor-General has previously warned that similar practices elsewhere risk undermining service delivery. In 2022, Marondera RDC was flagged after building a CEO residence using capital development funds. The Auditor-General cautioned that “service delivery may be compromised as council funds are used for unintended purposes.”

Matabeleland North Minister Richard Moyo said his office had received no formal complaints about corruption at Binga RDC.

“We haven’t received any official reports pertaining to this matter,” he said, suggesting some allegations could be politically motivated disputes between councillors from different parties.

Meanwhile, the government says a Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) taskforce is examining corruption allegations across local authorities.

“If there are any reports made, the committee will swiftly look into the issues,” Masvora said.

The MP Cumanzala said it was particularly disheartening that communities in Binga remain trapped in poverty despite vast natural resources including Lake Kariba fisheries, forests teeming with wildlife and mineral wealth.

“Binga RDC is one of the worst run in the country in the sense that we have so much resources and a lot of potential and we receive a lot of attention from non-governmental organisations and the government itself, but those resources are being pocketed by certain people,” he said.

SOURCE: CITE

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Hwange lion DNA helps convict poachers for first time

Published

1 day ago

February 23, 2026

VicFallsLive

BY BBC

Lion DNA has been used to successfully prosecute poachers for the first time in the world, it has emerged.

Wildlife crime experts have only just revealed how they were able to identify the individual animal from body parts found in a suspect’s village, as they matched a profile on Zimbabwe’s lion database.

A blood sample had previously been taken from the male lion, which was being tracked by authorities in Hwange National Park – using a radio collar.

Two poachers were convicted for the 2024 incident and sent to prison in what is thought to be the first prosecution of its kind.

The details of the convictions and the role the DNA database played have been previously unknown.

Non-governmental organisation (NGO) Traffic, which works to combat the illegal trade in wildlife, has shared the detail with us.

In May 2024, authorities in Hwange National Park became suspicious after a radio collar worn by a male lion stopped working.

Investigators and police traced its last known position and found a snare with lion fur attached to it.

After collecting forensic evidence they questioned two men in a nearby village and discovered three sacks of meat, 16 lion claws and four teeth. These body parts would later be tested against the database, with the DNA from all matching the profile of that missing lion.

But possessing lion parts is not necessarily a crime in Zimbabwe.

Having them can be explained away as old, traditional ornaments or as coming from an animal that died of natural causes.

This has been an obstacle to prosecutions in the past.

But thanks to a breakthrough in DNA profiling, that’s now changed.

The lab generated a DNA profile from the recovered body parts and compared this to the profile previously generated from a blood sample of the lion with the radio collar.

The two profiles matched and scientists were able to identify the specific missing animal.

Over the last eight years the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust (VFWT) has received about £250,000 from the People’s Postcode Lottery in the UK to build up the DNA database of lions in Zimbabwe.

The scientist at the trust, who made the discovery, asked to remain anonymous for his own safety, but said:

“Before we had access to this technology, we were only able to do species identification, but sometimes that’s not enough.

“We can essentially match those claws or those products to the lion of interest that we are looking for.”

Within 10 days of the killing, the DNA evidence was presented in court.

Two men pleaded guilty and were given 24 month prison sentences.

The hearing was told the value of the lion was about $20,000.

Richard Scobey, Traffic’s executive director, said “countries now have the forensic capability to bring, solid science-based evidence to court” and that it will have global impact.

This is understood to be the first time that DNA from an individual lion has been identified and used to prosecute poachers.

Professor Rob Ogden has been closely involved in setting up the project and is co- founder of the organisation Trace, which promotes the use of forensic science in wildlife law enforcement.

He says the prosecution gives “a message of hope” and shows what can be done using a combination of training, research and development and forensic casework.

Recent figures suggest an increase in the number of lions being killed for their body parts which are then sold both as cultural objects in Africa and for traditional Chinese medicine.

It is thought the rise may be down to organised crime gangs also involved in the illegal trade in Rhino horn and ivory trafficking.

In Mozambique between 2010 and 2023, 426 lions were killed as a result of contact with humans with a quarter linked to deliberate poaching.

A measure of the scale of the trade is also the number of seizures by the authorities in recent years.

That includes 17 lion skulls found in Lusaka in 2021, reportedly en-route from South Africa, and a 2023 seizure in Maputo of more than 300kg of lion body parts.

Which is why this breakthrough on DNA identification is seen as sending an important message to would-be poachers.

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Nominations open for 2026 Tusk Conservation Awards

Published

4 days ago

February 20, 2026

VicFallsLive

BY WANDILE TSHUMA

Nominations have opened for the 14th edition of the Tusk Conservation Awards, offering global recognition and £225,000 (about UGX 1.1 billion) in grant funding to Africa’s leading conservationists.

The awards, held in partnership with Ninety One, celebrate African-led solutions protecting wildlife, landscapes and livelihoods. Three winners will be selected from hundreds of nominations across the continent and honoured at a ceremony expected to be held in London later this year.

This year’s prize money will be distributed across three categories: £100,000 (UGX 480 million) for the Prince William Award, £75,000 (UGX 360 million) for the Tusk Award, and £50,000 (UGX 240 million) for the Tusk Wildlife Ranger Award.

Speaking at last year’s awards, Tusk’s Royal Patron, Prince William, said communities and local conservation leaders often provide the most practical solutions to sustaining biodiversity and natural landscapes.

“It is so often communities and local conservation leaders who provide the practical solutions to how we can best sustain our precious natural landscapes and vital biodiversity,” he said. “Identifying and supporting locally-led conservation has always been at the heart of Tusk’s ethos.”

Since their launch in 2013, the awards have recognised 61 winners and finalists from 23 African countries. Past recipients have used grant funding to expand ranger patrols, secure wildlife corridors, equip community conservancies and create sustainable livelihoods linked to conservation.

Examples of supported initiatives include protecting gorillas in eastern Congo, conserving turtles in Sierra Leone, restoring forests in Madagascar and dismantling poaching syndicates in Zimbabwe. Organisers say the funding is designed to be catalytic, enabling winners to scale their impact and attract long-term investment.

Nick Bubb, Chief Executive Officer of TUSK, said the awards highlight the courage and commitment of individuals working in challenging and often dangerous conditions.

“We encourage anyone who knows an individual or ranger team who has made a significant impact on wildlife conservation to nominate them for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have their achievements recognised on a global stage,” Bubb said.

In a significant development this year, the Tusk Wildlife Ranger Award has been expanded to recognise ranger teams alongside individual rangers, reflecting what organisers describe as the collaborative nature of modern conservation efforts.

The expanded category aligns with Tusk’s broader ranger programmes, including the Wildlife Ranger Challenge and the Ranger Welfare and Standards Initiative, which supports more than 6,200 rangers with training, equipment and insurance.

Nominations are open to conservation leaders across Africa and do not require nominees to be existing Tusk partners. However, individuals cannot nominate themselves and must be put forward confidentially by someone familiar with their work.

Nominations will close on the 26th of April and must be submitted online.