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Zimbabwe celebrates World Pangolin Day

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI 

Zimbabwe on Saturday joined the rest of the globe in celebrating World Pangolin Day with conservationists taking to social media to showcase the work they are doing to protect the endangered animal.

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There are growing concerns that pangolins are nearing extinction due to trafficking  of the animals to Asian countries where they are believed to be used for medicinal purposes.

On Facebook, local conservation group Wild is Life Trust posted a picture of  a pangolin named  Marimba, which is being kept at the sanctuary after its mother was killed by poachers for its scales.

Mateo nursing orphaned pangolin Marimba (Pic by Wild is Life Trust)

“The scales are used in Chinese medicines where it is believed to have medicinal properties,” the organisation said.
“When Marimba’s mother was poached, she was simply too young to fend for herself and so the decision was made to take her to Wild is Life sanctuary in Zimbabwe where she met her full-time carer Mateo.
“Marimba and Mateo spend all day everyday together and their relationship is truly remarkable. Many attempts have been made to rewild Marimba but she always makes her way back to Mateo, who refers to her as his “last born child.”
The organisation said the relationship has elements of what all humans should strive to emulate in their relationship with pangolins “if we are to save them from extinction— one of trust, love, and compassion.”
Bhejane Trust, another organisation that oversees the well being of wild animals around the Hwange conservancy areas, said it was important for communities to protect pangolins.
“Pangolins are the most trafficked mammal in the world and severely threatened,” Bhejane Trust said.
“Let’s stand together to protect our creatures.”
The Gonarezhou Conservation Trust, which has been working with Tikki Hywood Foundation (THF) since 2015, said they had projects to rehabilitate and release pangolins recovered from the illegal wildlife trade.

A pangolin that was recently released to the bush at the Gonareshou National Park (Pic by Tikki Hywood Foundation)

“To date, the project has introduced a number of individuals and includes an important component of post-release monitoring to better understand the biology and behaviour of the species, the natural threats facing pangolin populations and also how these newly introduced individuals interact with the existing wild population,” the Trust said.
“THF has recorded natural births from these reintroduced individuals, all conceived in the wild of Gonarezhou, underlining the success of this project.”
In a statement to commemorate World Pangolin Day, the  United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said pangolins are nocturnal animals “that feast on ants, are highly sought after for their supposed, but unproven, medicinal benefits, and as a culinary delicacy.”
UNEP said there was no scientific evidence that pangolins can be used to treat ailments.
“Pangolin scales are, however, made from keratin, the same substance as our hair and fingernails and have no medicinal properties at all,” the statement said.
UNEP said pangolins were the most trafficked wild animal in the world.
“In December 2019, the Xinhua news agency reported the seizure of over 10 tonnes of pangolin scales in the eastern Chinese city of Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province,”it added
“This was the largest seizure of pangolin scales by Chinese customs officials up to that point in 2019. The pangolins in question were reported to be African tree pangolins.”
World Pangolin Day is celebrated every third Saturday of February throughout the world to raise awareness about their vulnerability.

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National

Government unveils plan to curb road accidents

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Minister of Information, Publicity, and Broadcasting Services, Jenfan Muswere, has outlined a series of measures to combat the rising tide of road traffic accidents in the country.

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Zimbabwe has been witnessing a worrying surge in road traffic accidents, with the latest incident claiming 17 lives last week, along Seke road.

Yesterday, Muswere addressed the cabinet, outlining measures to curb road traffic accidents. Below is his statement, word for word:

“So capacitation of the vehicle inspection is ongoing and the sourcing of the vehicle inspection department. Compliance to legislation is also one of the parameters that we are utilising.Standardisation in terms of driving schools, the training of drivers, speed limits as a governance to traffic monitoring, the utilisation of traffic management, the utilisation of cameras for number plate recognition and facial recognition in order to curb over speeding and traffic offences. The capacitation of the Zimbabwe Republic Police in order to apprehend and also deal with traffic offences. Legislation amendments that are taking place in order to ensure that our roads are safe. As the minister (Felix Mhona) has also highlighted that the Civil Protection Unit is being capacitated in order to deal with the challenges that we might not have been able to deal with as part of an architecture under the hall of government approach.”

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Background statistics from the Zimbabwe Republic Police reveal a concerning trend. During the first six months of 2025, the country recorded 28 159 road traffic accidents, up from 25 968 in the same period last year. Fatal crashes also increased by 11% from 784 to 870, while road deaths rose by 4.9% from 1 037 to 1 088. The majority of accidents occur in known danger zones, often due to commuter congestion and erratic driving by public transport operators.

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Two Zimparks rangers injured in elephant attack

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BY WANDILE TSHUMA

Two Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) rangers were injured by elephants in the Sengwa, Chirisa Safari area yesterday, while investigating a reported case of a snared buffalo.

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According to a Zimparks press statement released yesterday by their spokesperson, Tinashe Farawo, the incident occurred when the duo encountered a herd of elephants with calves, which charged at them.

A helicopter was reportedly dispatched  to airlift both rangers to Harare for urgent medical attention as of yesterday afternoon.

During the chaotic scene, one ranger suffered a broken arm while fleeing, while the other was gored, sustaining severe abdominal wounds and fractures to his arm and leg.

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Farawo concluded by saying that the authority’s thoughts are with the injured rangers and their families during this challenging time.

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In the community

Relatives convicted of brutal assault of son-in-law over property dispute

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

The Bulawayo court has concluded the case of a 65-year-old man, Abednico Maposa, who was brutally attacked by his relatives, including his wife and three brothers-in-law, over a property dispute in Swart Village, Inyathi.

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According to the National Prosecuting Authority, four accused individuals – Sikhanyiso Zulu, Isaac Sibanda, Cabangani Zulu, and Lucky Zulu – were on trial for assaulting Maposa.

The State alleged that on February 9, the accused persons attacked Maposa with stones, demanding a fridge and other belongings, and left him unconscious with head and body injuries.

In conclusion, the Tredgold Regional Court Magistrate in Bulawayo acquitted Sikhanyiso Zulu and Isaac Sibanda due to insufficient evidence.

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Cabangani Zulu and Lucky Zulu were convicted and sentenced to 24 months imprisonment, with 6 months suspended and an additional 18 months suspended on condition that they complete 630 hours of community service.

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