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THE Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority has launched a multi-million-dollar kapenta fish project at Tugwi-Mukosi Dam in Chivi as efforts continue to ensure that the country starts accruing socio-economic benefits from Zimbabwe’s largest inland water body.
About 100 000 fingerlings have since been stocked in the nearly $300 million reservoir for breeding purposes under the kapenta fish project.
The project is being rolled out under Government’s Command Fisheries programme.
In his address during a ceremony to mark the official stocking of kapenta at Tugwi-Mukosi last week, Masvingo Minister of State for Provincial Affairs Senator Josaya Hungwe hailed the Command Fisheries programme for its role in accelerating socio-economic development in the country.
Senator Hungwe said Command Fisheries was being intensified countrywide at a time Zimbabwe was celebrating the successful implementation of the Command Agriculture programme which saw farmers delivering at least two million tonnes of maize to the Grain Marketing Board in the 2016-17 farming season.
“Following the successful launch of the Command Agriculture programme, Government has embarked on other programmes to complement it. The Command Livestock, Command Fisheries and Wildlife Management and other programmes such as Command Water Harvesting have been initiated countrywide,” said Sen Hungwe.
He said Command Agriculture and Fisheries were welcome in the province which is home to many underutilised water bodies.
“The Command Fisheries programme today has brought the much admired kapenta fish to Masvingo. This is not only historical, but it is a great milestone for the province.”
Senator Hungwe said for a long time, Lake Kariba was the only source of kapenta fish in Zimbabwe.
The fisheries industry has been producing approximately 9 000 tonnes of fresh kapenta equating to 3 000 tonnes of dry weight per annum.
The industry has also been contributing about $15 million to the national economy annually.
“All these economic benefits are now coming to Masvingo province with Tugwi-Mukosi Dam set to be the second largest water body after Kariba Dam to be stocked with kapenta fish.”
The introduction of kapenta at Tugwi-Mukosi is expected to boost the ecology at Zimbabwe’s largest inland dam which was officially commissioned in May last year.
Most of the fish of economic significance and presence in the lake do not generally occupy the open pelagic water and is therefore vacant.
A number of dams across the country have also benefited from the Command Fisheries project and in Masvingo a cumulative 225 000 fingerlings have already been stocked in four different dams in the province.
Siya Dam in Bikita received 1 000 fingerlings, while Mabvute and Nyatare in Zaka received 2 000 and 2 500 fingerlings respectively.
Ntandoyenkosi Ndlovu (36), from Kasibi village, Matetsi in Hwange was arrested for illegally possessing and dealing a live pangolin for one thousand dollars at Matetsi River Bridge on the 19th of March 2018.
The arrest was confirmed by the police on Sunday.
“Information was received from a usual informant about a man who had a live pangolin, selling it to any willing buyer for one thousand dollars.”
The information was confirmed by the dealer himself when he was contacted undercover, and a deal was struck.
On the 19th of March at 8pm, three of National Parks’ Investigations Officers, together with one officer from Mineral and Border Control Unit went to Matetsi River Bridge where the supposed buyers were to meet with the accused to complete the deal.
With the advantage of the element of surprise they were able to apprehend the accused, along with the pangolin alive in a brown sack which the accused was carrying it in.
Accused Ndlovu was charged of breaking section 128 (1) (b) of the Parks and Wildlife Act Chapter 20; 14 “Illegal possession/ dealing of live pangolin.’
The apprehended pangolin was used as an exhibit at Hwange Magistrate court on the 20th of March 2018, and was later released back to the wild.
The accused pleaded guilty at his court appearance and his he will be sentenced on the third of April 2018, with the allowance for him to present any special circumstances that may have been at par.
Apprehended live pangolin.
Pangolins are specially protected animals under the Parks and Wildlife Act 20; 14, therefore the expected sentence could go as far as 12 years in prison.
The unnamed informant is to be rewarded for his courage and timeliness to report the information which saved the pangolin.
Insert by - Munkuli Godfrey | Bulawayo Regional Office | Western Region
Inset from Zimpapers.
THE Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority last week shot dead a hippopotamus that was damaging winter wheat in Nyanyadzi. The hippo, which had a calf, is believed to have escaped from Save Conservancy. ZPWMA ordered the shooting of the hippos after traditional leaders in the area reported that it was damaging crops and endangering lives. ZPWMA officer, Mr John Danfa, said they were still hunting for the calf which is believed to have found habitat along Save River. “Usually hippos move up and down rivers during the rainy season. We believe the two escaped from Save Valley Conservancy. They were both females and they do not usually click if there is no male.
“They are believed to have separated. We received reports from traditional leaders in Hot Springs and Nyanyadzi that these hippos were feeding on wheat and crops in their fields.” “People’s lives were endangered so the authorities ordered its killing. The first time we attempted to kill it, it was in the company of so many cattle and could not do anything.
Our officer teamed up with villagers to track it until last week when it was shot down in Nyanyadzi”. The officer is said to have fired 12 shots before the hippo died. The meat was shared by villagers. One of the villagers in Dirikwe village, Mr Tapiwa Munyati, said: “This hippo was becoming a threat to human lives in the area. It was being spotted near homes at night.
“There are vegetable gardens along one of Save River’s tributaries where it was being spotted.“We were told that hippos do not like light and the danger was that lives would have been lost.” “A villager survived death by a whisker recently when the hippo strayed into his homestead.“He went out of his house to investigate when his dogs were barking. He had a torch and the hippo advanced towards him. “Fortunately he managed to escape the attack and notified other villagers and the village head. We are appealing to the responsible authorities to make sure that the remaining one is also killed,” said Mr Munyati.