Locals collude with foreigners as poaching thrives on porous borderlands

Calvin Manika

BINGA- In the shallow waters of the Zambezi River which divide Zimbabwe and Zambia, boats transport vendors between the two countries. The boats also serve as ambulances for pregnant and ill villagers seeking medication in Zambia. Poachers are using the same routes to smuggle ivory across the countries.

Poaching in Zimbabwe is increasing in areas which lie along borders with neighbouring countries  especially Zambia and Botswana.  The poachers have allegedly teamed up with villagers who have been on the receiving end of human/wildlife conflict. 

International poachers are targeting the rhino for its horn and elephants’ for their tusks which have a ready market in South Africa and Asia. The demand for these products has seen wildlife crime growing.

Zimbabwe National Parks spokesperson, Tinashe Farawo was not picking his phone nor did he answer messages left for him. 

In a bid to curb poaching, the Zimbabwe National Parks in 2015 courted the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) in an operation dubbed ‘Nhaka yedu –Ilifa lethu’ where armed police officers and national park rangers were jointly deployed on anti-poaching patrols. 

Matabeleland North Police Spokesperson, Inspector Glory Banda said poaching was on the increase and promised to provide consollidated statistics at a later date.

Villagers in Binga said it was difficult to identify poachers. “Some of the Zambians cross the river by taking advantage of the many porous points which are not regulated. It is very difficult for law enforcement to deal with them as they move between Zambia and Zimbabwe,” said Mike Ndlovu, a villager.

In 2014, the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) received information of a fatal shooting incident in which some Zambian nationals alleged to have gone poaching in a Hwange National Park had been shot dead while others were injured.

“ZAWA Investigations Unit (IIU) has since contacted Zim Parks to establish circumstances under which the suspects were shot. According to information reaching ZAWA, a group of 14 Zambians were found poaching in the Hwange National Park by ZimParks and after being confronted, a shoot-out ensued resulting in the death of three of the suspects and the wounding of others. Officers from Zim Parks are reported to have recovered one pair of ivory and 14 rounds of .375 ammunition connected to the incident which happened on March 5, 2014,” ZAWA said in a statement.

In 2016, as Zimbabwe intensified its anti-poaching campaign, 443 Zimbabweans, 31 Zambians, seven Mozambicans and one South African were arrested for wildlife- related offences and 57 people were sentenced to at least nine years in jail each, a development which wildlife conservationists applauded.

Zimbabwe National Parks in collaboration with Zambia National Parks regularly conduct awareness campaigns against poaching in villages along border areas. 

On 27 April 2022, joint operations involving ZimParks and ZRP Hwange Mineral and Flora and Fauna Unit arrested six accused persons in Dete when two pairs of Ivory were discovered on them.The poachers contravened section 82 of S.I of 362/1990 as read with section 128(b) parks and wildlife act chapter 20:14 of 1994 and c/s 4 (1) of the Fire arms acts of chapter 10:01.

According to court papers, two of the poachers were Zambians whose services were enlisted by Patrick Mudenda who was part of a group of villagers whose fields had been devastated by elephants.The six poachers managed to kill five elephants as they hunted down the elephants for three consecutive days.

Two years ago, Zimbabwean authorities retrieved bodies of two rangers who had arrested four poachers but were then thrown into Lake Kariba by the suspects. In a statement, the Zimbabwe National Parks said, the two rangers had arrested four Zambian men for poaching and were transporting them by boat to Kariba town to be charged and prosecuted. But the four suspects overpowered the rangers and threw them into Lake Kariba.

Although the parks agency has recorded “a significant decrease” in poaching, cases of armed contact between poachers and rangers are on the rise in area, where Zimbabwe borders Zambia to the north. The two countries share the lake Kariba as well as the magnificent Victoria Falls along the Zambezi River.