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Stalked by the droughts, Lubangwe villagers appeal for climate change lessons

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BY LWANDLE MTHUNZI 

Villagers in Lubangwe area in Hwange have said they are facing serious drought as a result of changing weather patterns which result in erratic rains and invasion of fields and homesteads by wild animals.

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Lubangwe is on the edge of the Hwange National Park and villagers, besides struggling to access clean water, endure running battles with wild animals all year round to protect their crops and livestock as animals stray into communities in search for food as a result of the effects of climate change.

Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns, where the start of the rainy season is no longer stable.

Such shifts in weather can be natural, due to changes in the sun’s activity or large volcanic eruptions and also because of human activities such as burning of fossil fuels like coal in nearby Hwange mining town, oil and gas, cutting down of trees for farming and charcoal production, which have been the main driver of climate change.

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Villagers said women and girls are the worst affected as they have to walk long distances to fetch water from the nearby Lubangwe river which also dries up during the dry season.
They appealed to the government to intervene and drill some boreholes.

VicFallsLive, through community listening sessions, also established an information gap on the community’s understanding of climate change, hence the need to educate people about changing weather patterns for sustainable livelihoods.

Edwin Nyoni, who is village head for village 1 Railway Farm 55 said people have tried conservation farming, but elephants and quelea birds destroy crops.

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“We don’t really understand this climate change thing because when we went to school we didn’t learn about it so we wish there could be awareness about it,” said Nyoni.

He said drought has been a challenge the past few years.

“It used to rain but in the last three or four years we have been facing drought. We have shifted planting season and used conservation farming as well as resorted to drought resistant crops like sorghum and millet but still it’s the same.

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“We also have a problem with elephants and qualia birds that destroy the little that we would have gotten. We usually take turns to guard our crops at night and sometimes we call Zimparks rangers to come and help. As we speak people are facing drought so we hope the government will help with grain relief,” he added.

Lanyula Village 2 head Joseph Munsaka concurred that because of changing rainfall patterns farmers are forced to plant early.

He said wild animals are also a problem in his village.

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“Rainfall patterns have changed and people now have to plant early unlike before because the rainy season ends early in February. We do not know what is happening. Those who plant early in November get better yields and if you delay planting you don’t harvest anything,” said Munsaka.

He appealed to the government to help with weather information ahead of the rainy season so that villagers are aware of when to plant.

“We have a problem of elephants destroying crops leaving people facing hunger. As we speak this year few villagers got better yields but many were disturbed by elephants and as village heads we expect the government to help us with food so we feed our people.

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Gilbert Munkuli of Village 3 also echoed similar sentiments, adding that high temperatures were making farming unsustainable.

Besides wild animals that include lions, there are also other pests that have invaded the area because of change in weather patterns.

“We also have pests and birds that destroy crops and we appeal to the government to help us because people are struggling,” said Munkuli..

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“Rivers dry up and the few boreholes that we have have also dried up. Lubangwe river floods during the rainy season, but quickly dries up and we are left with no water.

“People are losing cattle to drought and wild animals and some families have lost the whole herd. We ask the president to help us. We also need schools because our children walk seven kilometers one way to school through the wildlife infested bush and across the river which should also have a bridge,” he said.

Nesi Mpala of village 2 said women and children are the worst affected as they have to walk for about three kilometers to fetch water through wild animal infested bush.

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She thanked a local developer that has installed a solar powered borehole at his project and allowed neary homesteads to fetch water.

“During the rainy season it’s better because rivers have water but now that we are in the dry season all rivers dry up. We thank Lanyula Cultural Village because they have installed a solar powered borehole from where people fetch water. Our prayer is that in future he will be assisted to put jojo tanks for us in the village,” she said.

Another villager Evah Makaza from village 1 said changing weather patterns have worsened the water situation in the area, with girls and women the worst affected.
She appealed to the government and donor community to help establish self help projects for sustainability.”

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Zimparks defends trophy hunting of collared lion in Hwange

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI 

Zimbabwe’s wildlife authority, Zimparks, has defended the killing of a collared lion, Blondie, in Hwange National Park, despite widespread outrage and criticism from conservationists.

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According to BBC News, Blondie, a well-known lion studied by University of Oxford academics, was killed by trophy hunters just outside Hwange National Park in late June. The lion was wearing a collar sponsored by Africa Geographic, a safari company, to support long-term conservation efforts.

In a press statement, Zimparks spokesperson Tinashe Farawo said:

“Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) confirms that a recent hunt of a collared lion in Hwange National Park was legally conducted, with the necessary approvals and having fully complied with all regulations. Contrary to ongoing speculation, there was no illegality involved in this hunt. While collared animals are marked for research purposes, this does not exempt them from being legally hunted under regulated circumstances. We urge the public to stop spreading wrong information that may cause unnecessary alarm. ZimParks remains committed to transparent wildlife management upholding the regulations in all activities.”

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According to BBC News, Simon Espley, CEO of Africa Geographic, expressed his dismay and anger over the incident, saying that Blondie’s prominent collar did not prevent him from being hunted. Espley also noted that Blondie was a breeding male in his prime, contradicting claims that trophy hunters only target old, non-breeding males.

The incident has drawn comparisons to the killing of Cecil the lion in 2015, which sparked widespread outrage and calls for stricter regulations on trophy hunting.

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Renowned conservationist Alan Elliott passes away at 86

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

The conservation world is mourning the loss of Alan Elliott, a pioneering conservationist and tourism operator who passed away this morning around 2AM at Materdei Hospital in Bulawayo.

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Elliott, affectionately known as “Mandebele,” was 86 years old.

Photo by Charlene Hewat

Elliott’s contributions to conservation and tourism in Zimbabwe are immeasurable. He was one of the first people to bring tourism to Hwange, Zimbabwe’s largest national park, and founded Touch the Wild, a tourism operation that hosted numerous celebrities, including the Queen and Prince Philip.

We then contacted Charlene Hewat, a close associate of Elliott’s Presidential Elephant Research Trust (PERT), to explain further about his conservation work. Hewat described Elliott as an extraordinary conservationist who dedicated his life to protecting elephants. “Alan’s legacy is imprinted on the wild landscapes he loved so dearly and protected so fiercely,” Hewat said in a Facebook post.

In an interview, Hewat elaborated on Elliott’s work, highlighting his efforts to protect elephants in Hwange. “He went and got a decree from President (Robert) Mugabe to protect the presidential elephants, and he received that decree, and they agreed that they would not shoot any elephants within the Dete Hwange area,” Hewat explained.

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Elliott’s passing has sent shockwaves throughout the conservation community, with many paying tribute to his remarkable legacy. “He’s a legend. Everybody knows him,” Hewat said. “He was an MP in Hwange, spoke fluent Ndebele, and knew a lot of the ministers. He’s just an amazing man, a legend for Zimbabwe.”

As a testament to his enduring legacy, Elliott had asked Hewat to carry on his work with the Presidential Elephant Research Trust. “It was his vision to promote young Zimbabwean researchers, and that’s something that I share and think we can take forward for the country and for the youth,” Hewat said.

 

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UPDATE: ZimParks rangers injured in elephant attack receiving medical treatment

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BY STAFF REPORTER

The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) spokesperson, Tinashe Farawo has provided an update on the condition of two rangers who were injured earlier this week by elephants in the Sengwa, Chirisa Safari area.

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The rangers, who were investigating a reported case of a snared buffalo, encountered a herd of elephants with calves that charged at them.

According to the update, one of the rangers has undergone treatment for his left arm and is currently in a stable condition.

The other ranger had a successful abdominal operation and is currently receiving surgery for his broken left arm and left leg.

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The incident highlights the dangers faced by wildlife rangers in Zimbabwe. In a similar incident in March 2025, a Zimparks ranger was killed by an elephant in Kariba during a routine patrol in the Gatche-gatche area.

The authority has encouraged people to minimize movements at night to reduce the risk of human-wildlife conflicts.

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