Well-organised poaching syndicates have descended on the Nottingham Safari area under the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA) outside Beit Bridge, where they are reportedly killing wildlife and livestock from surrounding villages.

The councillor for Ward 7, which covers the safari area, Mrs Flora Muleya, said poachers from Masera village and other areas in Ward 6 were setting up snares that caught wildlife, as well as cattle belonging to local villagers. “We are really concerned about the poaching activities taking place in the Nottingham area and local villagers are losing their cattle as they are also being caught in these snares. We are therefore appealing to the relevant authorities to address the problem as a matter of urgency,” she said.

Muleya said she had since brought the issue before the full council meeting. Poachers are gaining access into the area, following the theft of the fence. Nottingham Safari is a vast wildlife area under the Greater Mapungubwe TFCA, which is jointly shared by South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe. The three governments signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2004 at the confluence of Shashe and Limpopo.

Some of the contents of the MOU include the removal of boundary fences to allow the free movement of wild animals within the safari land. Muleya also called on the local authorities to construct more clinics in the area, saying local villagers, some from as far as Ndambe village, were travelling more than 20km to seek services at Masera Clinic. “We also urge government to refurbish Masera Clinic, which is now in a dilapidated state,” she said.

Masera Clinic, which is situated in Beit Bridge West constituency, has also been dogged by thefts and recently solar panels, which are used in powering communication radios, were stolen — a development that has now affected the health delivery system in the area.

Muleya also expressed concern over this year´s poor winter wheat crop in the ward, a development she attributed to the breakdown of engine pumps at Ndambe Irrigation Scheme.“We are also appealing for assistance, so that we can have our engines repaired since Beit Bridge is a drought-prone district, which largely relies on irrigation farming," she said.