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Peter Matika,
DESPITE the scorching heat currenty being experienced in most parts of the country, particularly in Matabeleland North, Samuel Nkomo continues his arduous walk to the majestic Victoria Falls to raise awareness on rhinos which face extinction due to poaching. He has so far covered 375km and is due to arrive in Victoria Falls on October 18. He would have covered about 500km on foot.

“This walk is not for my benefit but the benefit of the country and perhaps the world. I will be very honest, this is an emotional endeavour for me because I really love wildlife and can’t stand seeing animals being slaughtered for selfish reasons. I am grateful for the support I am getting from all the communities that I have visited during this walk. There is so much positive energy from the people and they are very interested in learning more about the importance of wildlife,” said Nkomo.

He said the positive response invigorated him and made him feel strong enough to complete the walk on schedule.
“I am walking according to schedule and I am very fit. I will be in Vic Falls on  October 18 and I hope that through this walk people would have learned a lot,” he said.

Addressing children and parents at the Painted Dog Conservancy along Victoria Falls Road at Cross Mabale, Chief Nelukoba Dingani, who is also a Painted Dog Conservation board member, said he was greatly moved by Nkomo’s initiative.

“It is important to conserve our environment and animals, as they are part of life. The air we breathe is provided by our trees, yet we cut them down. The animals we hunt for reasons such as food are part of the ecosystem, which we have caused harm to. It is important for us to conserve the ecosystem for future generations. We run a risk of hunting some of our wildlife into extinction. It is our task to conserve what we have,” he said.

Chief Dingani noted that the majority of poachers were foreigners, urging Zimbabweans not to assist them to destroy the country’s heritage.
“Most of these poachers are foreigners. Not that we also don’t have locals also who harm the ecosystem through poaching. We should not assist them in any way if they approach Zimbabweans for assistance, they should be reported to the police. Our wildlife is our heritage and is a source of income for the country through tourism. The tourists we see coming in and out of the country, travel thousands of miles just to see our wildlife, which was killed off through poaching in their own countries. Let us work together as a country to conserve our wildlife,” said Chief Dingani.

Rhino Awareness Walk chairperson Gail Amyot, who is among people taking part in the walk, said she was impressed with the response, assistance and interest the walk had generated.

“I am pleased with the response from the various communities Sam has managed to pass through, giving talks. He has touched the hearts of children in particular, who are the future custodians of our wildlife. We are very grateful to the people and organisations that have been assisting us during this walk,” she said.

Zimbabwe Tourism Authority Bulawayo regional manager Novuyo Mathonsi said wildlife should not be killed for selfish reasons. “We shouldn’t kill our wildlife for selfish reasons such as having trophies and meat. This walk is to convey the message about the importance of conserving wildlife,” she said.

Each day Nkomo walks between 15 to 20 kilometres. With a backpack containing water and other nutritional and medical supplies, he is determined to spread the word across the country. He came up with the idea last year after the poisoning of more than 100 elephants at Hwange National Park.

Nkomo is a professional guide who grew up herding cattle with his grandfather at their rural home in Filabusi. Subsistence poaching was a normal part of their life and survival. Despite this, his grandfather always told him when they were in the bush the wildlife did not belong to human beings and needed to be conserved for future generations.