Catastrophe looms as war vets plunder wildlife and cattle

Date: 27 November 2000

Source: Sunday Times (SA)

Author: Anon

Invaders of wildlife sanctuaries burn grazing lands, chop down trees and poach buffalo, cheetah, giraffe, kudu and impala.

While government ministers from South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique were signing a deal to set up a huge new transfrontier park, frantic negotiations were underway in Zimbabwe's Lowveld to prevent a looming catastrophe.

Ranch owners from the Chiredzi River and Save Valley conservancies and Malilangwe Trust Reserve held urgent talks with Zimbabwe's Vice-President Joseph Msika, urging him to stem a frenzied assault on their wildlife and cattle.

The transfrontier park could eventually incorporate up to 100,000km2 of land, including the Kruger National Park, Mozambique's Coutada and Zinave national parks and Zimbabwe's Manjinji Pan Sanctuary and Gonarezhou National Park.

Despite Zimbabwe's official policy exempting the game ranches from its controversial land acquisition programme, hundreds of families have flooded the conservancies from neighbouring communal areas.

The invaders have systematically burnt up to half of all grazing, chopped down decades-old trees and poached hundreds of animals, including buffalo, cheetah, giraffe, kudu and impala.

An official report from Zimbabwe's Department of National Parks and Wildlife Management in October estimated that poaching on the Save Valley Conservancy had increased by 80% since the invasions started, causing possible losses of around R125-million.

Msika was dispatched from Harare by Mugabe and the Lowveld ranchers hoped the fact that his mission coincided with the Skukuza signing ceremony indicated that their cry for help would be heard.

But the vice-president accused them of greed and selfishness. "You must develop a culture of sharing with others," declared Msika.

Msika appealed to the "war veterans" to end their destruction of the natural environment - but told them to remain on the land and await further instructions.

The squatters have cut back and burnt the indigenous bush, and are preparing to plant crops ranging from cotton to sorghum.

Ranchers believe the process amounts to nothing more than a death sentence. "If you think you're doing people a favour by giving them land here, and telling them to sow crops, you're mistaken. Within 10 years they'll starve to death."

However, there is some hope in the significant influence wielded by one of the Save Valley's wealthiest residents.

Big-spending German citizen, Willie Pabst, who owns three pieces of land in

the conservancy, is said to have been outraged by the land invasions, and searched frantically for ways to protect his investment.

It is believed he turned to the German government, which has agreed to fund the removal of landmines in sections of Mozambique's contribution to the transfrontier reserve, an area next to Zimbabwe's Gonarezhou National Park.

There's a slim hope that the future viability of the conservancies could come down to a trade-off between the Germans and the Zanu-PF administration: the removal of landmines for the withdrawal of the invaders.