Connect with us

Slider

Zimbabwe’s women-only rangers fight poachers and poverty

Published

on

BY FARAI SHAWN MATIASHE

Sharai Tunhira frowns with focus as she runs through drills with her all-female patrol team – each woman armed and ready for the many men they catch poaching wildlife in their corner of northern Zimbabwe.

Advertisement

Despite the risks of the job, she says joining the military-style unit has given her the chance to protect the wildlife she loves while also earning a decent livelihood in a rural area where many poor women   struggle to make ends meet.

“Here I am occupied and empowered. I do not depend on a man to survive,” said Tunhira (25) who joined the team in 2021 after years eking out a living as a cleaner and vegetable seller.

The Akashinga unit – aka ‘The Brave Ones’ in the Shona language – says it aims to change the face of conservation as the country’s first armed, all-women anti-poaching unit.

Advertisement

The unit is a rarity in a sector dominated by men.

One in five African rangers is female, according to a 2016 World Wildlife Fund survey  of 570 rangers, though the continent has a handful of female teams including South Africa’s Black Mambas  and The Lionesses  rangers in Kenya.

Established in 2017 by Damien Mander, an Australian ex-commando, Akashinga has since grown to a total of 200 heavily-armed rangers who patrol eight reserves in the Lower Zambezi Valley under contracts with three district councils.

Advertisement

Wildlife

Zimbabwe is home to some 80,000 elephants, about a fifth of Africa’s total, conservationists estimate.

Numbers have declined sharply in recent years, mostly due to poaching, illegal hunting and drought.

Advertisement

The Zambezi Valley, which spans the border with Zambia, is home to thousands of elephants as well as lions and cheetahs.

Military-style units such as Akashinga are controversial.

Some conservationists have said armed rangers using battle tactics have harmed and intimidated local residents in wildlife areas and fail to tackle the root causes of poaching.

Advertisement

Akashinga is part of the International Anti-Poaching Foundation (IAPF), a non-profit founded in 2009 by Mander.

The IAPF says the unit focuses on protecting wildlife via community engagement, from improving sanitation to creating jobs.

Mander said IAPF did initially focus on defending the area it protected but such criticism is outdated, with a shift to recognising conservation as a social issue that involves educating and empowering the community.

Advertisement

“We used to be an organisation that was extremely law enforcement focused … We had helicopters, drones and military hardware,” he said.

“We do not have that now. This is less antagonistic.”

He defended the Akashinga unit’s continued use of semi-automatic and bolt action rifles as there is a real threat of poachers being armed with automatic weapons and the women should be prepared for the worst.

Advertisement

“For us not to train the rangers, whether men or women, to deal with the threat they will face will be irresponsible. We will be sending them to danger,” he said.

Having women as rangers “generally de-escalates tension”, said Mander, while teams that work in their home communities help foster productive relationships with residents.

The IAPF says since 2017, Akashinga rangers have made more than 300 arrests without firing a shot and helped drive an 80 percent downturn in elephant poaching in the Zambezi Valley, while wildlife sightings are up by almost 400 percent.

Advertisement

Its figures could not be independently verified but Ability Gandawa, lawmaker for Hurungwe North, which includes the Phundundu Wildlife Park, said animal sightings had increased.

“I am impressed by their solid effort to educate the community not to hunt wildlife,” he said.

“The effort has since made it possible to significantly reduce poaching in my area.”

Advertisement

Economic benefits

What is not in doubt is the benefit to the women rangers, who include survivors of domestic abuse, child brides, and girls who dropped out of school.

Rangers earn the equivalent of between US$300 and US$1,500 per month, a good salary in a country where teachers earn an average of US$120 per month.

Advertisement

“I had no idea that I would work in a formal setting as most jobs are for educated people,” said Tunhira, cradling a rifle, describing how her family could not afford for her to finish school.

Margaret Darawanda (24), another ranger and a single mother to a three-year-old daughter, recalled life pre-patrol when she depended on her mother, herself a poor farmer.

“The opportunity of becoming a ranger came when I needed it the most,” she said.

Advertisement

“I am now able to look after my mother, my child and my community,” she said, her sights now set on university.

Mander said 95 Percent of Akashinga’s rangers come from within 20 kilometres from the area they protect, with their salaries spent locally to the benefit of a wider area.

“We want to be a beacon of progression in the conservation industry,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Advertisement

“The idea is for Akashinga to be a stepping stone towards women’s goals and following a career path.”

Domestic abuse

The IAPF aims to grow Akashinga to 1,000 rangers protecting 20 nature reserves by 2026.

Advertisement

Some said the unit gave them a safe haven after fleeing abuse, and a sense of solidarity as they support each other.

Esther Goboza (22), applied to join the rangers to escape an abusive marriage.

Her husband, in a bid to stop her from becoming a ranger, burnt her national identity card, a requirement for the job application.

Advertisement

“They gave me the opportunity. My husband even came to the training camp to take me home but I stood my ground,” said Goboza, who is now divorced.

Tracy Mukuni (32), quit her police job to join the unit as a trainer because she wanted to support other working women.

“It was about my passion to help my fellow women to achieve their goals,” said Mukuni, a sergeant instructor who trains rangers in fitness, bush survival skills and ethics.

Advertisement

“Out there they come face to face with armed poachers who are strong …

“These women need to be brave and skilled to protect wildlife. They also need to look after each other.” – Thomson Reuters Foundation

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Slider

UPDATE: ZimParks rangers injured in elephant attack receiving medical treatment

Published

on

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

National

Zimbabwe on track for 6% growth as economy recovers from drought

Published

on

BY REUTERS

Zimbabwe is on track to achieve a forecasted 6% economic growth in 2025 helped by good agricultural output and strong commodity prices, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said on Thursday.

Advertisement

The Southern African country’s economy has shown signs of recovery in the first half of the year following a severe drought and currency turbulence in 2024 that pushed GDP growth down to 2%.

“Given the positive economic developments during the period January to June, we are confident that the projected economic growth of 6% alluded to in the 2025 National Budget is achievable,” Ncube told parliament in a mid-year budget review.

“All sectors of the economy are expected to record positive growth in 2025, mainly on account of a favourable agriculture season, improved electricity generation, stable exchange rate and inflation rate,” he said.

Advertisement

He did not give an update on the budget deficit, which was seen at 0.4% of gross domestic product in 2025 during the budget forecast last November.

Zimbabwe’s fiscal position remains under strain from grain imports, drought relief spending and the public sector wage bill. While the government has collected more revenue than in the same period last year, analysts say containing the deficit may prove difficult without new fiscal measures.

The local currency, the ZiG, launched in April 2024 to replace the Zimbabwe dollar, has largely remained stable against the U.S. dollar but is still overshadowed by widespread use of the dollar in everyday transactions.

Advertisement

Ncube reiterated the government’s commitment to the gold-backed unit and said the currency had benefited from tight monetary and fiscal policies.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Slider

ZimParks salutes brave rangers on World Ranger Day

Published

on

BY STAFF REPORTER 

Today marks World Rangers Day, a commemoration of the critical work that rangers do in protecting the world’s wildlife and natural resources. The day is significant as it recognizes the bravery, dedication, and sacrifices made by rangers who often put their lives on the line to safeguard the environment and conservation efforts.

Advertisement

In commemoration of World Rangers Day, the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority has issued a statement. Below is the full statement:

Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) joins the rest of the world in recognizing the work of the brave men and women who put their lives on the line in protection of wildlife.
It is also a day to remember those who have lost their lives in line of duty and some who are still missing to date.

This year’s theme, “Rangers,Powering
Transformative Conservation,” speaks to the important role Rangers play, not only as protectors of wildlife but also as leaders who bring change and help shape the future of conservation.

Advertisement

From patrolling wildlife protected areas and stopping poachers to working with local communities and educating the public, Rangers are at the heart of everything we do to look after our wildlife heritage for current and future generations.

Rangers work across vast landscapes and often spend weeks in the bush facing dangerous conditions, tough weather, and limited resources but despite these challenges, they carry on with strength and dedication, knowing that their work makes a difference.

We believe that by investing in our Rangers, we are investing in the future of conservation in Zimbabwe.
As we mark this important day, we say thank you to all our Rangers. Your courage, passion, and commitment inspire us every day, you are the backbone of conservation, and we stand with you.

Advertisement

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2022 VicFallsLive. All rights reserved, powered by Advantage