In the community

Hwange villagers lose livestock to marauding lions

Published

2 years ago

November 19, 2022

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Sixty seven year-old widow Jenifer Khupe’s world collapsed around her after she received a call informing her that lions had killed almost her entire herd of cattle and goats in their kraals overnight.

Khupe from the Chief Mvuthu area in Matabeleland North’s Hwange West district was particularly devastated because the deadly invasion by the predators on the night of September 8 happened when she was in the process of selling one of her cows in order to replenish the family’s depleted food reserves.

Her family, like most households in the area, is running low on food supplies because their crops were destroyed by elephants during the previous farming season as worsening human-wildlife conflicts continue to threaten livelihoods in areas close to wild life zones.

A total of seven lions killed seven of her 13 herd of cattle that night and 10 goats.

“I was in Plumtree when I received a phone call from my son who told me that lions had killed almost all our livestock,” said a distraught Khupe.

“Our kraal was secured in a way that repels predators. It was secured even at the rooftop, but because these lions are now used to marauding around people’s homesteads even during the day, they have become so daring that they can dig deep to gain entry into the kraals.

“My son was sleeping at home and he was awoken by neighbours who heard noise from the kraals and they mobilised themselves to scare the lions away.”

By the time the villagers intervened, Khupe’s herd of cattle had been almost wiped out and only a few goats remained.

She was still trying to recover from the incident as the family’s wealth had been wiped out overnight.

“What we witnessed was beyond comprehension,” Khupe added.

“The lions killed the entire herd of cattle through suffocation and devoured the carcasses, so much that we couldn’t salvage any meat.

“As for the goats they just killed seven of them, but left the carcasses untouched.”

A local wildlife conservation organisation bought the cattle carcasses for less than US$150.

“All the inheritance that my husband left us is gone,” she said.

“To make matters worse I had identified one cow that we were going to sell in order for us to raise money to buy food because we are running out of grain as elephants destroyed almost all our crops last season.”

Khupe’s case is not an isolated one as another villager from the same area watched helplessly while his herd of cattle was devoured by lions while he was herding them last week.

Human-wildlife conflict has become a significant problem among Zimbabwean communities adjacent to game reserves and other protected areas.

Subsistence farmers are losing crops and in some instances people are being killed by wild animals while trying to protect their livestock or crops.

According to Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust, a conservation group operating in Hwange West district, 159 herd of cattle were killed by lions between 2020 and last year.

Livestock such as cattle and goats are a significant safety net for most smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe and during droughts they augment their food supplies by selling livestock.

Due to frequent droughts, the competition for food and water is intensifying, leading to conflicts between wild animals and people in communities bordering game reserves.

Dangerous animals such as elephants, lions and buffalos have been straying into villages, causing loss of farmland and lives across the country.

Mutuso Dhliwayo, the Zimbabwe Environmental Lawyers Association chief executive officer, told a recent event to discuss human wildlife conflict organised by USAID’s Resilence Anchors Activity programme that problem animals reports had increased by 293% between 2006 and 2021.

Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) spokesperson Tinashe Farawo said areas that were most affected by human-wildlife conflict were adjacent to protected areas or areas with wildlife.

In Matabeleland North the areas stretch from Lupane to Gwayi, Tsholotsho and Matetsi in Hwange district.

“This is mainly because in some cases communities do graze their livestock in areas with predators and some of these predators such as the lions have learnt to follow the sounds of the bells on the cattle until it’s dark and then attack them (in their kraals),” Farawo said.

“In some cases villagers do not properly pen their livestock, which again exposes them to attacks by predators.

“We carry out periodic awareness campaigns in these communities to warn them of the dangers of leaving their livestock unsecured.”

He said Zimparks was working closely with respective rural district councils in responding to problem animals that they either kill or capture depending on the situation on the ground.

Farawo said such exercises were, however, too expensive to carry out.

“There is a need for resources such as vehicles, capture equipment and fuels,” he added.

Zimbabwe says most of its parks are overpopulated and there is scarcity of food and water due to climate change induced droughts, leading to deadly human-wildlife conflicts.

Zimparks said 45 people were killed by wild animals between January and July this year and 40 others were injured.

Besides communities surrounding the Hwange National Park, areas adjacent to the Save Conservancy, Gonarezhou National Park and Mana Pools National Park are susceptible human-wildlife conflicts.

In the community

Crocodile attacks claim 9 lives, injure 11

Published

3 weeks ago

March 13, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

A surge in crocodile attacks has left a trail of death and destruction in Zimbabwe, with 9 fatalities and 11 injuries reported in the last two months.

According to a statement released by the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks), 49 human-crocodile conflict cases were recorded during the same period, resulting in the loss of 44 cattle and 60 goats.

The Mid-Zambezi region, which includes Lake Kariba, Angwa River, and Hunyani River, was the hardest hit, with 19 cases reported. The Central region recorded 14 cases, while 16 cases were reported in other areas, including Matopo, Harare, North-West Matabeleland, and South-East Low-veld.

ZimParks has urged communities to exercise extreme caution, especially around water bodies, during the current rain season. The authority has advised communities to ensure that livestock and children are not left unattended near rivers or lakes, and to take precautions when engaging in water activities such as fishing, swimming, and domestic chores.

To mitigate the situation, ZimParks is working closely with local authorities and conservation partners to raise public awareness and promote safety practices. The authority has emphasized its commitment to finding a balance between ensuring public safety and conserving wildlife.

As the situation continues to unfold, ZimParks has appealed to the public to remain vigilant and to report any crocodile sightings or attacks to the authorities.

Nkayi

Nkayi man sentenced to 20 years for murdering patron

Published

3 weeks ago

March 13, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY STAFF REPORTER

In a High Court circuit sitting in Hwange, a 23-year-old man from Gwelutshena was sentenced to 20 years in prison for murder.

Mtabisi Ndimande was convicted of killing a 39-year-old man in a brutal axe attack that occurred on August 5, 2024, at DZ Sports Bar in Inyathi.

The court heard that Ndimande had been drinking beer with the deceased when an argument ensued.

Despite intervention from a security guard, Ndimande pulled out an axe and struck the deceased on the head.

The blow caused the deceased to collapse, while the axe remained embedded in his head. The offender then removed the axe and walked away.

The deceased bled profusely and was taken to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries on August 6, 2024.

The police responded to the scene and recovered the axe.

Hwange

Drugs causing mayhem in Victoria Falls

Published

1 month ago

March 3, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

The scourge of drugs and substance abuse is tearing families apart in the city of Victoria Falls as young people resort to dangerous substances to cope with mounting economic problems.

Victoria Falls, like most urban areas in Zimbabwe, is battling against a surge in cases of drugs and substance abuse, which has seen the government launching various programmes to curb the crisis.

Eslina Sibanda, a Mkhosana resident whose son was forced to drop out of college due to drug addiction, narrated her heart-rending ordeal in an interview with NewsHub.

“He was a bright student, but then he started experimenting with mbanje and other substances,” Sibanda said.

“Before we knew it, he was hooked. We tried to get him help, but it was too late.

“He dropped out of college and he now struggles to find a job.”

According to the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency, approximately 750 000 people in Zimbabwe use cannabis, while 150 000 use other illicit drugs.

The same report noted that 14.6 percent of males and 5.6 percent of females aged between 15 and 65 years engage in hazardous or harmful drinking.

In a dramatic event that gripped Victoria Falls last November, 82 year-old Paul Siangapi was forced to take his son, Wonder, to court after he attempted to stab a family member in a drug-fuelled rage.

Siangapi pleaded with the magistrate to send his 40year-old son to jail for years, saying after the death of his mother, almost a decade ago, he started smoking cannabis (mbanje) and abusing alcohol.

He said Wonder became abusive even to his grandchildren as a result of drug abuse.

The magistrate subsequently ruled that he must be referred to the Mlondolozi Mental Health Prison in Bulawayo where he is being treated for his addiction together with seven others from Victoria Falls who were facing charges of committing offences under the influence of drugs.

Siangapi told News Hub from his Chinotimba home that his life had become hell on earth because of his son’s drugs problem.

“He is ok there (in prison),” Siangapi said. “I was always running away from him. He would lock the gate, deprive me of food and, at times, l would sleep in the car outside the gate because of him.”

On 18 February, Information minister, Jenfan Muswere, said the police had arrested 9, 527 people and dismantled 79 illegal drug bases as part of a countrywide crackdown on drug and substance abuse between 1 September 2024 and 31 January 2025.

Muswere told a post-Cabinet briefing that 616 drug suppliers and 8 911 drug users had been arrested during the operation.

The government has also established three new rehabilitation centres for drug addicts in Victoria Falls, Harare and Kwekwe.

The ministry of Health and Child Care notes that substance abuse is a major contributor to mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety, and psychosis.

Mental health experts say a combination of factors that include poverty, unemployment, and lack of access to education and healthcare drive young people into drugs and substance abuse.

“Young people are turning to substances as a way to cope with the stress and uncertainty of their lives,” said Silvester Nyoni, a local psychologist. “We need to address the root causes of this crisis, rather than just treating the symptoms.”

Rufaro Nyakwende, a social worker at the Zimbabwe Civil Liberties and Drug Network, said the impact of substance abuse was far-reaching as affected not only individuals, but also families, communities, and the economy.

“Substance abuse is leading to tracking substance use,” Nyakwende said.

“At the end of the day, people have mental issues such as depression, anxiety, and this leads to interest in another driver of tracking substance use, which is peer pressure. A lot of children experience peer pressure through interactions, observation, learning, and playing.

“People may admire the effects of someone using drugs and end up using those drugs themselves. This is another driver of tracking substance use. When they continue using drugs, it also leads to mental health issues like depression, stress, anxiety, and this is what leads to a high risk of suicide,” added Nyakwende.

She said the community also exerts too much pressure on young people.

“There’s also the issue of social pressures. The community expects certain things from people,” Nyakwende added.

“For instance, by a certain age, you’re expected to have achieved certain milestones, such as having a proper job and a family.

“But when you fail to meet these expectations, it can lead to feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem, which can contribute to higher rates of suicide.”

The government launched the National Substance Abuse Policy in 2020 as one of the ways to deal with the scourge.

For Nyoni, however, more needs to be done to provide support and resources for those struggling with addiction.

“We need to increase funding for treatment centres, counselling services, and support groups,” he said.

“We also need to raise awareness about the dangers of substance abuse and provide education and job training programs for young people.”

SOURCE: NEWS HUB