National

Baboons wreak havoc in drought prone Binga, Hwange

Published

2 years ago

October 16, 2022

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) says traditional methods to stop baboons from raiding people’s homes in Matabeleland North districts such as Hwange and Binga have become ineffective against the animals that are pushed from their habitat by climate change induced droughts.

A number of residents in Victoria Falls, Binga and Hwange have had their property destroyed by baboons, which break into houses through windows and rooftops while searching for food.

The baboons also attack women and children.

A video shared by a Mpumalanga resident in Hwange that has gone viral on social media shows a troop of baboons ripping apart the rooftop of his house before they gained entry.

Zimparks has since embarked on an exercise to capture the baboons, but its Matabeleland North regional manager Samson Chibaya said it was proving to be a herculean task.

“Baboons are a perennial nuisance in Hwange urban and other areas such as Binga and Victoria Falls,” Chibaya said in an interview.

“They cause damage in hotels, lodges and homes and their behavior includes destruction of property and taking food from kitchens, off the buffets and tables.”

He said it was becoming increasingly difficult to capture the baboons because they now know how to avoid baits.

“Capture and translocation is no longer effective because the baboons no longer come to the baits,” Chibaya said.

“Shooting is also ineffective as the baboons are so elusive and flee once they see armed people in uniform.

“They are (also) territorial, once a troop is wiped out another different one quickly moves in within a week or two.”

Zimparks rangers put the captured baboons in cages before moving them deep into the Hwange National Park around the Sinamatella area.

Mary Mulinde, a Hwange resident, said the situation had gone out of control and urged Zimparks to find better ways of controlling the population of baboons.

“It is so bad because they target children walking to school and snatch their satchels,” Mary Mulinde said.

“They are also targeting houses without anyone inside and they gain entry through windows, doors and rooftops that they would’ve vandalised.

Chibaya attributed the increasing cases of human wildlife conflict in urban areas such as Hwange to droughts caused by climate change and poor solid waste management.

“Poor solid waste management is another factor as baboons are attracted to leftovers food and addible waste,” he added.

“Most raids in residential areas happen where houses are not manned, and sometimes in the presence of children and women.

“Ecologically, most of the areas around towns have no food and fruits for baboons, hence (they) rely on waste from residential area.”

“The problem worsens during the hot and dry season when food availability is less available.

“Baboons generally have a high recruitment rate and do not have a lot of predators to feed on them, hence the high survival rate and a high population density.”

He said Hwange town was surrounded by areas with a high population of wild animals such as the Hwange Colliery Concession, private farms, state land and protected areas under Zimparks and this meant that animals such as baboons would stray into residential areas.

According to a 2019 game census for Hwange National Park and surrounding areas conducted by Wildlife and Environment Zimbabwe, there was an increase in species such as the chacma baboon, impala and zebra population from 14 882 in 2011 to 22 544 in 2019.

Chibaya urged Hwange residents to assist Zimparks in controlling the baboon population by refraining from giving them food and disposing waste in undesignated areas.

He said alternative ways to control the baboon population was killing the problematic ones through poisoning and tightening security in homes.

National

Water levels dropping at Kariba dam

Published

5 days ago

November 1, 2024

VicFallsLive

BY STAFF REPORTER

1 November 2024

The Zambezi River Authority has issued an update on the water levels at the Kariba lake, revealing a sharp decrease due to low inflow.

The current lake level stands at 476.14m, a significant drop from last year’s level of 478.07m.

The usable live storage volume has also decreased dramatically, from 17.90% in 2023 to just 4.46%.

This translates to a reduction from 11.59 billion cubic meters (BCM) to 2.89 BCM, a worrying trend for power generation and water supply between Zimbabwe and Zambia

National

ZIMTA calls for quarterly salary reviews to address inflation

Published

6 days ago

October 31, 2024

VicFallsLive

BY NOTHANDO DUBE & NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Educators in Zimbabwe have been crying out for decent salaries for over five years, with their salaries eroded by the high cost of living and harsh economic conditions.

We recently had a one-on-one interview with the ZIMTA president, Akuneni Maphosa, who shared his insights on the issue.

“Allow me to explain briefly about salaries for heads and teachers generally. Our issue is that, in October 2018, teachers were generally getting a US$540 salary. Such that, we put it across to the government that they stole from us, because, with the mix-up that came with the RTGS currency, whereby 1 US dollar was said to be equivalent to 1 RTGS, that is where we lost our value for money.”

Maphosa emphasized that ZIMTA has a research department that tracks the market and determines the minimum salary required for teachers to survive.

“We found out that a teacher must earn US$1 200, but what we wrote to the government, looking at the average figure, considering that we still have not reached US$540 of 2018, we submitted US$840 to National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC), where we negotiate with the government on salaries.”

He highlighted the shortfall in the recent US$40 increment offered by the government.

“When you look at the amount of the US$40, we were given recently, as we know that our salaries have a component of US dollars and Zim dollars, but when we look at it from the US dollar value, our entry grade is US$479, such that there is a shortfall of US$361 for us to get to the US$840, that is for grade D1.”

Maphosa stressed that ZIMTA is pushing for quarterly reviews to reach the desired salary.

“We are saying the government should have quarterly reviews of these salaries.”

He outlined ZIMTA’s three-pronged approach to address the issue: negotiating at NJNC level, pursuing job evaluation, and professionalizing the teaching service.

“We believe that this is the route that will enhance the earnings for the educators in the country.”

Additionally, Maphosa mentioned that ZIMTA is also pushing for the establishment of a Civil Service Bargaining Council, which would allow for collective bargaining and binding agreements with the government.

“We are currently working with the government and Public Service Commission to ensure that this is put in place.”

Maphosa concluded by emphasizing ZIMTA’s commitment to engaging with the government.

National

Enhancing heritage-based curriculum: A call to action for school heads

Published

7 days ago

October 30, 2024

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

The National Association of Primary Heads (NAPH) National Conference for 2024 rounded off with a resounding call to action for school heads to take leadership roles in implementing the Heritage-Based Curriculum.

(MINI DOCUMENTARY ON THE LINK BELOW| New heritage-based curriculum under discussion. 2 700 primary school heads meet in Victoria Falls to discuss implementation. Zimta president calls for decent salaries & policies to support teachers. Minister emphasizes leadership roles in schools)

https://x.com/vic_falls_live/status/1851544275416236323?s=46

Minister of State and Provincial Affairs, Richard Moyo, his speech read on his behalf by provincial coordinating director Tapera Mugoriya, emphasized the importance of this curriculum in promoting a holistic approach to learning, focusing on Zimbabwe’s cultural heritage, history, and values.

“The nation looks upon all heads of schools to take noticeably leadership roles in the implementation of the Heritage-Based Curriculum in schools,” Moyo stressed, addressing a gathering of over 2 700 primary school heads from across the country.

Moyo also highlighted the need for school heads to understand the socio-economic contexts of their communities and how local heritage can be leveraged to enhance learning outcomes.

“Your aptly coined theme, ‘The Role Of The School Head In Enhancing The Heritage Based Curriculum Under The Current Socio– Economic Situation,’ is befitting as it challenges us all not to offer education for its own sake, but to utilize the many years that pupils invest in school to prepare them well for their lives and for the sustenance of communities and the country.”

The Minister also expressed appreciation for NAPH’s efforts in championing curriculum reform and implementation, noting that the Heritage-Based Curriculum subsumes all Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets and indicators related to education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Furthermore, Moyo addressed the issue of the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM), acknowledging concerns raised by school heads.

The delegates

“The Government is already seized with addressing the matter, and indeed those that are meant to benefit from the safety net will definitely do so,” he assured.

Additionally, Moyo highlighted the Ministry’s commitment to pupil welfare, citing the distribution of tonnes of mealie-mealie to all P3, P2, and satellite primary schools nationally to support the Emergency School Feeding Programme.