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Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
VICTORIA Falls residents have accused the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) of failing to control wild animals after two people were killed by elephants within a week.

They want ZimParks to erect a perimeter fence on the boundary of game parks and residential areas to keep off animals.

This comes as ZimParks has also reported that 35 people have been killed by animals since the beginning of the year.

Israel Ndaba (36) of Mkhosana was killed by an elephant on Friday near Shalom School, six days after Obert Sigola had been trampled to death by a jumbo in the Zionist Church of Christ yard.

Ndaba’s brother Mr Thokozani Mpofu said the family was devastated by the incident. “It’s something we are still trying to come to terms with as a family as he left behind a wife and two minor children. We are preparing for burial in Ntabazinduna,” he said.

Stakeholders who include Victoria Falls City Council officials, Hwange West legislator Mr Godfrey Dube, residents and other individuals in the tourism sector met at the bereaved family’s house and resolved to implore the wildlife authority to urgently find solutions to the escalating human-wildlife conflict.

Mr Dube said members of the community also want ZimParks to conduct patrols.

“As a community we are grieving the loss of our two members within a week due to elephant attacks. What is disheartening is that this has been happening every year between May and July.

ZimParks as the responsible authority must come up with ways of stopping this conflict as we can’t continue losing lives,” said Mr Dube.

“We have proposed that ZimParks, working hand-in-hand with Victoria Falls City Council must erect a perimeter fence and create game corridors. ZimParks should also conduct daily patrols working with other stakeholders and local companies must also work on modalities for transport for their employees especially those on late night duty.”

Mr Dube said council should apply to Government for rights to have control over wildlife that strays into its jurisdiction to protect residents.

Residents have been appealing to councillors to help drive away the animals and were told to approach ZimParks.

Victoria Falls City Town Clerk Mr Ronnie Dube said engagements with ZimParks are underway.

While residents want animals driven away, Mr Dube said that will be economically suicidal.

“It is sad that elephants are killing people in the city. As such council and ZimParks are engaging to find a lasting solution particularly to seek harmony on the human-wildlife conflict issue. Council cannot chase away animals as they are the backbone of the local economy but there is need to empower our people to be safe,” he said.

Victoria Falls Combined Residents Association chair Mr Kelvin Moyo said residents have engaged ZimParks on numerous occasions before to no avail.

“While we appreciate that we are in a national park and that residents can avoid moving around at night or using torch lights, ear phones or use bushy paths, ZimParks should do more in terms of safeguarding people’s lives.

“It seems there is no clear guideline in terms of who is responsible for animals in the residential areas and we want ZimParks to be swift in reacting to distress calls and do patrols. If people were being attacked outside residential areas, we would say they were poaching but this is happening within houses,” said Mr Moyo.

ZimParks spokesperson Mr Tinashe Farawo said the wildlife authority is carrying out continuous awareness campaigns to encourage people to co-exist with animals and avoid moving around at night.

“It’s unfortunate that people continue to lose their lives and another life has been lost. We are doing a lot of engagements with stakeholders and awareness campaigns in communities and we are discouraging community members from moving at night because most of these animals move at night. We are also saying to our community, do not provoke these animals, let’s give them space to move freely and do not interfere with their activities,” said Mr Farawo.

He said the long-term solution is to move some of the animals from overpopulated to less populated areas. – @ncubeleon.