The Sunday News
Richard Muponde, Plumtree Correspondent
MORE than 200 elephants have been terrorising villagers in Bulilima where they are destroying crops and putting lives of villagers at risk as they turn violent on being driven away from the fields.
The situation is reportedly so dire that villagers have been left with nothing in their fields as the jumbos target water melons and cereal crops, leaving the fields bare. Affected wards are Dupute, Sihoma, Nswazi and Makhulela in Bulilima West constituency. Villagers were expecting meaningful harvests, but their harvest is now threatened by the animals.
Four herds of the marauding elephants which are said to comprise about over 50 members each reportedly came from the direction of Mabhongwane Conservancy near the border with Botswana and Hwange National Park. The jumbos have been causing pandemonium in these wards for a week, prompting Makhulela councillor, Nduna Moyo to send an SOS to Bulilima Rural District Council to send professional hunters to drive them away.
In an interview from his rural base yesterday, Clr Moyo confirmed the dilemma they were faced with due to the rogue jumbos.
“It’s really a big problem for us because these elephants are targeting everything in our fields leaving them resembling soccer fields. They clean everything. The other problem is that they are stubborn and become violent if we try to drive them away. We also fear they might injure or kill people,” said Clr Moyo.
He said the problem is now a perennial one, as every season the jumbos invade their fields, leaving them with nothing to show for their toil.
“Cropping here is just to spend time because we get nothing. These jumbos come every season and the Campfire here has tried its best but to kill them as they would have a Problem Animal Permit (PAC). As I speak the elephants left in the morning and will be back in the evening. This has been the situation for the past week,” he said.
Clr Moyo said he has summoned the RDC to deploy personnel to save the situation.
“They had said they will come last night but they did not manage. I hope they are on their way. These jumbos are suspected to be from Hwange National Park or Mabhongwane Conservancy at the border with Botswana,” said Clr Moyo.
Bulilima RDC chief executive officer Mr John Brown Ncube yesterday confirmed receiving the report and said council had sent professional hunters to drive them away.
“We received the report. One hunter is already on the ground to drive them away. We sent the PAC permit yesterday (Tuesday).
“The other hunter Arthur Curtis is coming tomorrow (Thursday) morning to deal with elephants at Nswazi. Gareth Brown and Charles (surname not verified) are at Makhulela. We have taken corrective action,” said Mr Ncube.
In Matabeleland South villagers living along the borders with Botswana and South Africa face perennial problems with marauding jumbos. In March last year, a herd of close to 400 elephants wreaked havoc in the Mtetengwe, Mazunga and Malala villages of Beitbridge, destroying crops. —@richardmuponde
