Wetlands Wire Page 11

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Usuku lonogada besiqiwu sase-Mkuze

(uDirk Rezelman esohambweni nonogada abavikele isiqiwu sase-Mkhuze.)
UMnu. Herbert Mthembu osesebenze lomsebenzi iminyaka engaphezulu kwamashumi amabili nesihlanu, wathi uma ufuna ukwazi ngomsebenzi wonogada kumele uzohlala izinsukwana enkambini yaseMkhuze ukuze ubone kahle ukuthi uyini lomsebenzi.
Ngangilubheke ngamehlo abomvu usuku lokuhambela isiqiwi mhlazane. uMnu. Herbert Mthembu engilanda.
“Ziningi izinkambi eMkhuze njenge: Gwambane, uDiza, uNsumu, (lapho okukhona ichweba eselize lasha ngenxa yesomiso). iDakela, iMahlane, iMshophi, iMhlanze, Sinkwene, iShobeni, iYengweni, kanye neMantuna”, kulandisa uMnu. Mthembu ngesikhathi sedlula imihlambi yeziMpala eyabe ibonakala isesesimweni esigculisayo yize indawo ihlaselwe isomiso esibi.
“Ngokwesikhundla nesikhathi umuntu asesichithe enza lomsebenzi, umsebenzi ngamunye ubaneqhaza elithize alibambile lapho sisebenza ngokuhlanganyela. Okungukuthi onogada abangamashumi amane nesishiyagalolunye babhekela indawo ebalelwa kwizinkulungwane ezingamashumi amane nantathu wamaheke (43 000 hectares)”.
“Mningi umsebenzi obhekeleke konogada ukuba bawenze, ikakhulukazi ekubalweni kwezilwane okwenzeka kanye ngenyanga, ukunakekelwa kobhejane, ukusiza imiphakathi eyakhele i-Paki ngokuyinikeza uqeqesho olunzulu nemigomo nokusebenza kwePaki”, kuqhuba yena uMnu. Herbert Mthembu.
Unogada ngokomsebenzi wakhe kulindeleke ukuba ahambe ibanga elilinganiselwa ku 20km ngosuku, kepha ibanga elejwayelekile kuba ngu 15km, kusukela ekuseni kuze kube ntambama. Bathola izinsuku ezingu 7 zokuphumula njalo ngenyanga.
Sikulolohambo, sahlangana no Mnu. Sizwe Sibiya ongumphathi wengxenye yalezinkambi, uMnu. Sipho Mhlanga ongomunye weziphathimandla zesiqiwu kanye no.Gerald Nkosi okwakuyibona baqaphi bethu bosuku.Ababili babo babephethe izibhamu ezingenazinhlamvu, kanye nezinto zokubhala okuyi-peni kanye nebhukwana, kodwa bengaphethe lutho oluya ethunjini.
Emfuleni owomileyo sabona amagobolondo obhabhuli asebafa ngenxa yesomiso. Ngokwejwayelekile, obhabhuli bayabaleka bazifihle odakeni uma lomisile besekuthi makufika izimvula baphume futhi sebondile.
Ekuhambeni kosuku, saqhubeka sathola onoxhaka abacushwe yilabo abazingela ngokungemthetho ePaki, sabuye saya nalapho okutholakala noma okuhlala khona obhejane.

Kusuka ngakwesokunxele kuya kwesokudla, uMnu Sipho Mhlanga, Sizwe Sibiya kanye no-Gerald Nkosi.

 

After 10 years of talking, the challenge of fencing the Mkhuze river boundary has been met by the Authority and EZKNW, supported by a good professional team and community participation.

Mkhuze threatened

Herbert Mthembu
OIC, Mkhuze

uMkhuze finds itself today in the unenviable situation of being the most threatened protected area in South Africa due to extremely high poaching levels. This is not a
new as poaching has been a factor since proclamation in 1912.
uMkhuze and the surrounding area is not conducive to crop growing without large-scale artificial watering systems, so communities have historically relied on
game meat. Thus, over generations, they have mastered the art
of snaring, a very effective but also a very cruel technique. These days, the majority of snares target wildebeest and nyala, and are set along game paths and around watering points. Snaring is indiscriminate and due to the size of the
actual noose, rhino and even elephants are occasionally snared. Rhino are strong enough to break the 5-10mm cable (obtained from the various industries) and end up dying an agonising death if not found and treated. Wildebeest and other antelope
can’t break the cable and if they don’t strangle themselves are stabbed to death by the poachers.
Poachers over the years have developed techniques to avoid anti-poaching patrols and as fast as we develop our own plans and methods they catch on and change theirs. It can be a heart-breaking struggle witnessing the pain inflicted by
their snares.
Unfortunately poaching will in all probability always be a part of uMkhuze but it has increased significantly due to semi-commercialisation through the illegal bush meat trade and is no longer subsistence poaching. Field staff have made good progress over the last 10 months with a total of 125 poachers being arrested since January. The number of snares seized and found in the bush is very high: over 2000.


Vol 2 No. 1 March 2004
 

 

 

 

Fencing the Mkhuze river boundary

Freek Serton of SNA
Wetlands Authority Engineer

When the Mkhuze game reserve was established, the Mkhuze river formed a convenient and logical boundary down the middle of the river bed, allowing access for both neighbours.
This worked well for many years, but with increasing cultivation of the northern bank, interference of animals with agriculture has become problematic, especially during drought.
The river boundary has also become a severe handicap as, being unfenced, it prevents dropping of fences and adding up to 40 000 ha of neighbouring private game farms which have lion and buffalo. Some of these neighbours also cannot take part in the WWF Black Rhino expansion project as individually they do not meet the minimum required 20 000ha.
The Authority, with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and neighbouring communities, have therefore embarked on a venture previously considered impossible – the fencing of the Mkuze river boundary. A project team including expert consultants was assembled to tackle this.
Although fencing on the community side was obviously ideal solution from a game reserve perspective, this is not currently not possible due to the socio-economic impact. Fencing on high ground inside the park in order to ensure a fence safe from periodic flooding will severely compromise carrying capacity of the Park and exclude unacceptably large areas of floodplain.
The proposed fence line is therefore a “concession alignment”. Over time as greater benefits from the Park flow to communities it is aimed to negotiate the inclusion of key ecological areas on the west side of the river creating buffer zones and opportunities for community-based lodges.
The tender has been awarded and the contract started on October 1 last year; completion date is March 31. Local communities will benefit from substantial employment opportunities, during construction and ongoing maintenance.