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New rhino sanctuary changes face of Tsholotsho communities

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BY TERRY WARD

To walk among rhinos is no subtle thing.

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The animals themselves are, after all, enormous, with males tipping the scales at over 5,000 pounds and females typically punching around the 3,700-pound mark.

To watch them stop to pick up your scent and sounds when they can’t yet quite see you in the distance, their ears swivelling like satellite dishes, can make your heart thunder in your ribs.

But it was the measured deliberateness in the manner of two white rhinos moving through their new territory at the edge of Hwange National Park — Zimbabwe’s largest national park, from which the species was poached to disappearance sometime in the early 2000s — that struck me most as I plodded within meters of the magnificent Thuza and Kusasa at the Imvelo Ngamo Wildlife Sanctuary.

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Then, once I regained my composure somewhat from the rush of it all, the surprise was that these animals are even here at all.

The newly established preserve for the two male white rhinos, set on communal land formerly used as important grazing grounds by livestock owners from neighboring villages in the Tsholotsho district, is at the heart of the Community Rhino Conservation Initiative (CRCI).

It’s a landmark conservation project in a country often overlooked as a safari destination in favour of neighbouring South Africa and Botswana.

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And it’s the people who live in the areas bordering the park who are now charged with protecting Thuza and Kusasa.

The two bulls are the first animals to occupy what the CRCI hopes will eventually be a string of sanctuaries lining the park’s boundaries (with the eventual goal of someday safely reintroducing the animals into the 5,657-square-mile park itself).

In May of this year, after years of preparation, much of which took place during the throes of the pandemic, the animals (donated by a private reserve, Malilangwe, in south-eastern Zimbabwe) were translocated by road some 500 miles across the country to communal land that has been turned into a reserve for the purpose of protecting the rhinos.

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And now, tourists can visit the rhinos at the CRCI and walk alongside them, protected by villagers paid to guard the animals.

The CRCI represents a milestone for conservation in Zimbabwe because it’s the first attempt to house rhinos on community land in the country, says Bruce Clegg, a senior ecologist with the Malilangwe Turst   who is also a member of Zimbabwe’s National Rhino Committee (part of ZimParks, the country’s Parks and Wildlife Management Authority).

“If successful, the project may act as a catalyst for similar initiatives and, in so doing, help to foster an improved relationship between people and wildlife,” Clegg says.

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“Africa is littered with failed community wildlife projects because they have been forced down a community’s throats and later rejected,” says Zimbabwean Mark Butcher, a former national parks ranger and managing director of Imvelo Safari Lodges, a key partner in the initiative.

He remembers when white rhinos roamed free in the Hwange’s southern grassy lands, and when the last one was poached away from it too (there are still a handful of black rhinos in the park’s remote northern reaches, Butcher says, but they are rarely seen). And he’s dreamed of seeing white rhinos back in Hwange since.

But while conserving and preserving for future generations is a “wonderful concept,” Butcher says, it’s one that is a luxury to many people in Africa who are starving or just trying to find the money to pay school fees for their children’s education.

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“Particularly people living around the parks in Africa can’t afford that luxury [of a Western mindset toward conservation],” he says.

But Butcher is convinced the way to turn communities into conservationists is straightforward.

“It’s about creating jobs and socioeconomic developments so the cost of poaching is higher than the cost of protection,” he says.

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To that end, the CRCI spent the pandemic training roughly 30 men from the local villages to be scouts. They are the brawn and brains behind the Cobras Community Wildlife Protection Unit (called the COBRAS).

The unit not only closely guards Thusa and Kusasa around the clock on foot patrols and from observation towers, but is also on call to help people from nearby villages address problem animals — such as elephants trampling a crop of watermelons or lions menacing a farmer’s cattle.

Female villagers are being recruited to the CRCI to work on intelligence and surveillance efforts related to anti-poaching too.

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“People don’t have bank accounts here, they have cattle,” Butcher says.

And using communal land as a guarded wildlife sanctuary also serves as a buffer between the people living in the villages and the wild animals living in the national park that often menace them and their livelihoods.

Funds raised from tourists visiting the CRCI — where it’s possible to enter the land inside the sanctuary’s electrified gates to walk alongside the rhinos while listening to the stories of the COBRAS, some of whom were former poachers themselves — go directly toward community improvements to schools, boreholes and healthcare facilities.

Visitors currently pay a US$180 optional fee to walk with the rhinos, but next year a US$100 per person rhino conservation fee will be applied to all guests at Imvelo’s four safari lodges.

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The revenue raised is already being used to fund operating expenses and nurses salaries at a new clinic in nearby Ngamo, in addition to supporting the rhino cause.

For 26-year-old COBRA Wisdom Mdlongwa, the rewards of helping protect these animals — that he is also seeing for the first time in his life here in his home region — are already becoming clear.

The COBRAS are celebrated as local heroes in their home villages, where kids play COBRAS in the sandy streets in the same way others around the world might play cops and robbers.

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“I didn’t grow up seeing rhino,” Mdlongwa says.

“But now, in addition to tourists, local people also get the chance to come here and see them.”

And witnessing the impact on the local schoolchildren who visit the COBRAS and CRCI to see the rhinos has given him hope that in the future the village’s younger children will want to earn their livelihoods and provide for their families working to protect the animals.

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“Once we have money from this project, it helps support our community in many ways,” he says.

Visitors who come to visit the rhinos and meet the COBRAS are usually staying at Imvelo’s Camelthorn Lodge, on a plot of communal land adjacent to the sanctuary.

One of Imvelo’s four safari lodges in and around Hwange National Park, the eight-villa property first opened its doors in 2014 and is managed by two women from neighboring Ngamo village.

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Before construction began, the late village chief of Ngamo, Chief Mathuphula, was adamant that instead of building the lodge in the typical fashion of luxury canvas safari camps across Africa, it should be constructed in a permanent fashion, with the main lodge and accompanying guest accommodations made from concrete and stone instead of canvas.

That way, Camelthorn would stand the test of time for future generations — whether it would continue to operate as a tourist lodge in the future or not.

“The whole community is very proud of what has been achieved and what our local people have done with the building of Camelthorn Lodge,” says Johnson Ncube, the current Ngamo line village headman.

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“I know that with this kind of lodge built out of concrete, it is going to remain standing for quite a long time, whereby even the coming generation will be able to enjoy it.”

“And I know one day, even if Imvelo is gone, this structure will remain standing for us where the community can run it as a lodge for more years and to benefit coming generations,” he says.

It is a sentiment that Butcher of Imvelo Safari Lodges wholly supports.

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“The reality is that the long-term future of Africa’s wildlife will be decided by the rural communities that live with that wildlife,” he says.

Butcher says there are plans to open a second, larger sanctuary in 2023 on neighbouring communal land, with the selection and training for new COBRAS scheduled to start this November.

And in working to bring rhinos back to the border of Hwange National Park and onto community lands with CRCI, he says he is hanging his entire reputation on the concept of community-based conservation.

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Afterall, Thuza and Kusasa — who were dehorned to protect them in transit as well as to make the animals less attractive to poachers — still face an ongoing poaching threat.

Butcher acknowledges it’s only a matter of time before there’s an attempted strike on the animals (the COBRAS are taught to shoot to kill any potential poacher).

But as long as the animals remain protected, the risks will be worth the reward.

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“I strongly believe we have a moral obligation to ensure that the communities that live next door to wildlife and protect it — these communities that bear the consequences of living next door to the lions and elephants and rhinos, and what that means for their agriculture and families and their own livelihoods — that they are the ones that get the benefits from the wildlife and tourism benefits that derive from conservation.”

“The only way wildlife and wild places in Africa can survive is with the support of the communities that live around those protected areas and wildlife,” Butcher says.

“That’s why people need to come on safari, it’s critical to conservation.”

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National

Zimbabwe selected for groundbreaking HIV prevention initiative

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BY STAFF REPORTER 

The U.S. Embassy in Zimbabwe has announced an exciting development in the fight against HIV: Zimbabwe has been selected as one of the ten countries globally to roll out lenacapavir, a breakthrough in HIV prevention.

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“Yes Zimbabwe, it’s happening!” the embassy declared, highlighting the significance of this initiative.

“For decades, we’ve fought to turn the tide against this epidemic, and each day we get closer,” the statement continued. This new treatment represents a pivotal moment in HIV prevention efforts, as it is the first twice-yearly HIV prevention medicine.

The implementation of lenacapavir is made possible through a partnership with U.S.-based Gilead Sciences and the Global Fund. A key finding from a large-scale clinical trial shows that more than 99% of people on lenacapavir remained HIV negative. While this has the potential to save millions of lives, the Embassy emphasized that for Zimbabwe, it represents a major step toward ending new infections.

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“But this is more than medicine—it advances us on a pathway to a safer, stronger, and healthier future!” noted the embassy’s announcement.

The initiative particularly focuses on pregnant and breastfeeding women, aiming to protect the next generation. It will also work toward strengthening healthcare systems, empowering Zimbabwe to lead its own fight against HIV. Moreover, the goal of making lenacapavir more affordable and accessible ensures that no one is left behind.

The embassy highlighted, “This is American leadership at its best: driving innovation, and building a world where children, mothers, and communities can thrive.”

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As this initiative rolls out, the message is clear: “Together, we’re not just fighting HIV—we’re winning.”

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National

RemitHope launches “100 for 10” campaign to raise $100K for grassroots organisations across Africa

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BY STAFF REPORTER 

RemitHope, a pioneering fintech social enterprise – founded by global philanthropist and social entrepreneur Tsitsi Masiyiwa – has launched a bold campaign to raise US$100 000 in just 60 days for 10 grassroots organisations serving some of Africa’s most vulnerable communities.

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The campaign – themed “100 for 10” – seeks to channel life-changing support to organisations on the frontlines of health, education, gender equity and community resilience.

The 10 beneficiaries span nine African countries, including Cancerserve (Zimbabwe), Cáritas Regional De Chokwe (Mozambique), Empowered Girls (Tanzania), Ewang’an Nadede Advocacy Initiative (Kenya), Child Restoration Outreach (Uganda), Hands of Hope (Zimbabwe), Bana Ba Metsi (Botswana), Njira Impact (Malawi), Phelisanong Children’s Centre (Lesotho) and Refugee Children’s Project (South Africa).

“The 100 for 10 campaign is intended to harness the transforming power of small acts of generosity into life-changing opportunities for communities too often overlooked. And every dollar given delivers hope, dignity, and the promise of progress,” Mrs Masiyiwa said.

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Running from September 15 to November 15, 2025, the campaign pivots RemitHope’s unique model of transparency, real-time storytelling and direct funding to vetted local partners, ensuring every contribution makes a measurable difference.

In a powerful show of commitment, and leveraging its network of donors and partners, RemitHope has pledged to match every donation given, dollar-for-dollar – effectively doubling the impact.

“If you give $5 it becomes $10, give US$50 and it becomes US$100. This is multiplying hope, opportunities, and futures with every dollar donated,” she said.

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The campaign builds on RemitHope’s recent success, where the platform raised over US$81 000 in funding to rebuild Mt Selinda Orphanage in Zimbabwe after a devastating fire swept through the institution.

That effort demonstrated RemitHope’s unique ability to mobilise rapidly, scale generosity and deliver urgent impact.

“We’ve witnessed how extraordinary things happen when people unite in moments of crisis. And now, with 100 for 10, we are channelling that same spirit beyond emergencies, for the long journey of community-led development,” Mrs Masiyiwa said.

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RemitHope seeks to unlock the transformative potential of diaspora remittances – redirecting a portion of the more than US$90 billion sent to Africa annually, into structured, high-impact community giving.

By blending trust, technology and targeted generosity, RemitHope aims to mobilise US$50 million for grassroots organisations over the next five years.

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In the community

Avoid nightime movement and stoning elephants, communities told

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI 

Following a recent spate of human-wildlife conflict incidents, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesperson Tinashe Farawo has urged communities to exercise caution when encountering wild animals.

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Farawo emphasized the importance of avoiding confrontations with elephants, particularly when they encroach into community areas. “We would like to urge members of the communities to avoid throwing stones at elephants,” he said. “This action agitates them, leading to attacks on people.”

In addition to avoiding confrontations, Farawo advised community members to minimize movement at night, as this is when wild animals are most active. “We would like to urge communities to avoid moving at night to minimize casualties,” he said.

Farawo’s comments come after a 79-year-old man from Hwange was killed by an elephant yesterday. The incident is still under investigation by rangers. This is the second fatal incident in the area, following the death of another man who was attacked by an elephant while on his way to work in Hwange town several weeks ago.

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