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Baboons wreak havoc in drought prone Binga, Hwange

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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.

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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.

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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.”

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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.

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“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.

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“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.

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“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.”

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“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.

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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.

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National

Ranger killed by elephant in Kariba

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI 

A 62-year-old ranger, Josphat Mandishara, was tragically killed by an elephant in Kariba yesterday.

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Mandishara, who worked for the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks), was on patrol in the Gatche-gatche area with fellow rangers and police officers.

At around 10 pm, Mandishara returned to the harbor where their boat was docked, and that’s when he encountered the elephant. The elephant charged at him, causing fatal injuries. His colleagues were nearby, resupplying at the Gatche-gatche Irrigation Scheme.

Mandishara’s body was taken to Kariba District Hospital for a post-mortem, and the incident was reported to the police.

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ZimParks has sent a team to manage the problem elephant and prevent similar incidents in the future.

The Director General of ZimParks, Prof. Edson Gandiwa, and his team have sent condolences to Mandishara’s family, friends, and colleagues. Mandishara will be remembered for his dedication to wildlife conservation in Zimbabwe.

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ZIMRA customs officer appears in court for criminal abuse of office

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BY STAFF REPORTER 

A Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) customs officer, Phillip Kuvenga, has been accused of criminal abuse of office for allegedly assisting in the importation of banned motor vehicles.

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Kuvenga, 28, who is stationed at Victoria Falls, allegedly received documents from clients, completed valuation sheets, and carried out the valuation process. However, he is accused of endorsing different chassis numbers to deceive his supervisors during the validation and approval process.

After obtaining approval, Kuvenga would capture the correct chassis numbers in the ASYCUDA World System. He would then alter or replace the documents submitted earlier to his supervisors.

The offense came to light when a motor vehicle that had not yet arrived in Zimbabwe was found to have been already registered. A thorough check by ZIMRA led to Kuvenga’s arrest.

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Kuvenga appeared in court on February 1, where he was denied bail by Magistrate Gift Manyka. He is expected to appear in court again today for another bail hearing.

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Retailers send Mnangagwa SOS as shops continue shutting down over operational woes

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BY ZIMLIVE

The Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers (CZR) has implored President Emmerson Mnangagwa to intervene and save the sector which has seen various formal retail and wholesale businesses closing shop countrywide due to operational challenges.

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In a statement on Sunday, CZR president Denford Mutashu said the continued closure of formal retail and wholesale businesses is a direct consequence of the tough economic environment that has consistently failed to support formalised sector players who face stiff competition from informal businesses and vendors the majority of whom have no tax obligations to deal with.

Mutashu said his association was concerned that authorities continue to downplay the crisis.

“The recent closure of several outlets under the N. Richards Group, coupled with Spar Zimbabwe’s painful decision to shut down Queensdale Spar, Choppies Zimbabwe’s exit from the market, and Mahommed Mussa’s significant reduction of shop space by 60%, highlights the growing crisis.

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“As the representative association for these and other brands, CZR is alarmed that while formal businesses face enormous challenges, the authorities continue to present a different picture of the operating environment,” he said.

Given the situation, Mutashu said, only President Mnangagwa can rescue the troubled sector.

“CZR therefore calls for urgent intervention from His Excellency, President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, to rescue what remains of the formalized retail and wholesale sector,” said Mutashu.

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He said the sector was in urgent need of rescue.

“While CZR acknowledges the continued support from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, it is clear that the root causes of these challenges are fiscal and monetary in nature. These require urgent and decisive action to ensure the survival of formal businesses.

“CZR therefore appeals to the Presidium to prioritize interventions aimed at saving jobs and mitigating the ongoing wave of shop closures and retrenchments,” he said.

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