Izinhlelo ezenziwe yi- UMnyango Wezemvelo, Ezamahlathi Nezokuvakasha eNamibia (MEFT) ukubamba nokuthengisa ngezindlovu zokugcina ezingama-170 ezihamba ngokukhululeka phakathi kwezindawo zokulima zomphakathi ezisenyakatho-ntshonalanga nasenyakatho-mpumalanga yeNamibia kukhombisa ukuphikisana okukhulu futhi okungaba yingozi enkulu embonini yezokuvakasha yasendaweni esivele isadonsa kanzima.
"Izivakashi ezihlala zivela kwamanye amazwe ziyayilandela le ntuthuko kakhulu futhi sezivele zisongela ngokuduba ezokuvakasha zaseNamibia," okuzoba nomthelela omubi ekulondolozweni komhlaba, kusho u-Izak Smit, ohlonishwayo ekulondolozweni kwezingonyama zasogwadule.
I-MEFT ngesonto eledlule ngoLwesithathu ikhangise ngokunikezwa okuvela ezinkampanini ezibhalisile zokubamba umdlalo waseNamibia zokubamba nokususa izindlovu ezine eziningi kuya kwezingama-30 ezindaweni zase-Omatjete, eKamanjab, eTsumkwe naseKavango East.
"Ngenxa yesomiso nokwanda kwenani lezindlovu kuhlangene nezimo zodlame lwe-Human-Elephant, kuye kwatholakala isidingo sokuthi kuncishiswe laba bantu," kusho isikhangiso.
Kodwa-ke, abukho ubufakazi obusekela lesi simangalo obuhlinzekiwe, ngemiphumela yocwaningo lwasemoyeni lwango-Agasti 2019 lwesibalo sezindlovu enyakatho-mpumalanga okusazokhishwa naphezu kwezicelo.
Kubukeka sengathi isicelo samathenda yisinqumo sezepolitiki njengoba abezokulondolozwa kwemvelo bakule ndawo babanjwa yiziphakamiso, kungashiwo ngalokhu kubanjwa nokuthengiswa bukhoma emhlanganweni wakamuva wokudingida ukubuyekezwa koHlelo Lokulawulwa Kwezindlovu eNamibia. Ezinye iziphakamiso zikakhonkolo zokunciphisa ukungqubuzana kwezindlovu zabantu zisanda kuvunyelwana nababambiqhaza, kufaka phakathi ukuhlinzekwa kwezindawo zamanzi zezindlovu ezikude nemizana, uthango lukagesi kanye nemihubhe yezindlovu ezophazamisa noma yisiphi isidingo sokuthuthwa kwabantu.
Izikhulu eziphezulu ze-MEFT nazo bezingazi ngalezi ziphakamiso.
Izinkomba beziyokuthi inani labantu liyancipha, neNamibia ihlushwa isomiso esesinciphise inani lezinyamazane futhi sabangela ukuqubuka okuncane kwe-anthrax osekubangelwe ukuthi kubulawe izindlovu ezinkulu zaseLinyanti-Chobe.
Okhulumela i-MEFT uRomeo Muyanda ukuqinisekisile ngoLwesibili ukuthi izidumbu zezindlovu ezingama-31 zitholakale ngasemfuleni iLinyanti.
“Sisola kakhulu ukuthi kungenzeka ukuthi izindlovu zibulawe i-anthrax uma kubhekwa ukuthi esikhathini esingangesonto ngaphambili izimvubu eziyi-12 zafa ngenxa ye-anthrax. Kuthathwe amasampula ukuthola imbangela ngqo, ”kusho uMuyanda.
Engqungqutheleni yezindlovu esemthethweni ebibanjelwe eWindhoek emasontweni amabili edlule, uPohamba Shifeta we-MEFT naye uphakamise isihloko enkulumweni yakhe yokuvula lapho ephinde waveza khona ukuthi iNamibia inelungelo lokuthengisa inqolobane yamazinyo endlovu alinganiselwa ku-50. Ukuthengiswa kwezinyo lendlovu kodwa okwamanje akuvunyelwe ngaphansi kwemithetho ye-CITES kanye neziphakamiso zakamuva zeNamibia zokuvula ukuhweba ngezinyo lendlovu sehlulwe kakhulu.
Ngokombiko wesimo sezindlovu sase-Afrika se-AfESG sango-2016 kwakukhona izindlovu ezingama-22 754 eNamibia, Inqwaba yalesi sizwe, izindlovu ezilinganiselwa ku-17 265 zisezinkomeni eziwela umngcele ezihamba phakathi kweNamibia, i-Angola, iZambia neBotswana. UMqondisi Wezinsiza Zikazwelonke uColgar Sikopo phambilini wathi lezi zilwane ezidlulayo azifakwanga esilinganisweni saseNamibia.
Kodwa-ke iNamibia yenqaba ukubamba iqhaza kwi-Great Elephant Census ka-2015 futhi yenqabile izicelo zemininingwane yocwaningo lwayo noma izindlela ezisetshenzisiwe. Kunomkhawulo obanzi wokuzethemba kulezi zilinganiso zabantu odlula kakhulu umkhawulo wokuzethemba ongu-10% abahloli bezindiza abajwayele ukuwubheka, ngakho-ke kuyangabazeka uma umklamo wohlolo lwasemoyeni waseNamibia uhlinzeka ngokulinganisela okunembile kwezindlovu ezihamba kakhulu ezihamba phakathi kwamazwe amane .
Izindlovu ezingamashumi ayisishiyagalolunye kwezingu-170 zizobanjwa ezindaweni zomphakathi ezisemngceleni weKhaudom National Park ebiyelwe kanye nezindlovu zayo ezilinganiselwa ku-3 000.
Lezi zindawo kwakuyizindawo zangaphambilini zokhokho bakwaSan, kanti iKavango East iqoshwe emapulazini acishe abe ngu-500 angamahektha angama-2 500 lilinye abelwe abezombusazwe bendawo kusukela ngo-2005. kodwa wasula i-rosewood ekhula kancane yase-AfrikaUGuiberto coleosperma).
Amanye ama-80 azobanjwa ezindaweni zokulima nezentengiselwano eningizimu-ntshonalanga ye-Etosha National Park lapho kwaziwa khona ukuthi imihlambi emibili, encane kunazo zonke kwezingu-30 kwesinye isikhathi iya eningizimu e-Omatjete (300 km enyakatho-mpumalanga ye inhlokodolobha iWindhoek).
Ukuthi ukuthwebula lezi zindlovu kuzoba nokwenzeka kwezomnotho noma ngokomzimba kuyangabazeka kakhulu, ngenxa yokusakazeka kwazo okubanzi endaweni evame ukungafinyeleleki. Imihlambi yasenyakatho-ntshonalanga yayijwayele ukusakazeka kabanzi ngogwadule olukhulu olunamadwala, kuyilapho indawo yaseKavango East-Tsumkwe inkulu kakhulu futhi isendaweni ejulile yeKalahari Sand egcwele isigubhu somuthi osindayo.
Ithenda ye-MEFT, ebekelwe imidwebo yokubamba imidlalo ebhaliswe eNamibia futhi evalwa ngoJanuwari 29, ifuna kususwe ngokuphelele zonke izindlovu, kubandakanya nezinkunzi ezihlala zodwa, kulezi zindawo. Zonke izindleko nobungozi kufanele zithwalwe yinkampani ebamba umdlalo.
Ithenda kungaba ngumzamo wokugcina ivoti lasemakhaya ngemuva kokungakhombisi kahle kwe-SWAPO okhethweni lohulumeni basekhaya lwakamuva lapho isibambiso esinamandla ngemuva kwalolu hlelo kube ngabalimi abasafufusa abancane baseKavango East kanye nabalimi abakhulu bezentengiselwano baseKunene nase-Erongo,
Ithenda ibonakale ihlose imakethe yokuthekelisa, lapho imininingwane ibiza labo abazothumela izinto kwamanye amazwe ukuqinisekisa ukuthi izwe eliya lapho lizovuma ukungenisa kwabo ngokuya ngemithetho ye-CITES.
Kubukeka kungeke kwenzeke ukuthi noma ngubani eNamibia afune izindlovu eziningi, kepha kunemakethe eyodwa enenzuzo enkulu yokuthumela ngaphandle: iDemocratic Republic of the Congo kanye nalowo owayenguMongameli wayo uJoseph Kabila, owakhe isiqiwu esikhulu esizimele ngasempumalanga yeKinshasa. Kusukela ngo-2017, amakhulukhulu wemidlalo yasethafeni - kufaka phakathi idube, i-kudu, i-oryx nezindlulamithi - ithunyelwe e-DRC.
Lokhu kungahle kuhambisane nemithetho ye-CITES evumela ukuthunyelwa bukhoma kwezindlovu "ezindaweni ezifanelekile nezamukelekayo" ezichazwa ngokuthi “izinhlelo zokulondolozwa kwe-in situ noma izindawo ezivikelekile endle ngaphakathi kohlobo lwendalo nolomlando e-Afrika”.
Isikhathi kuphela esizodalula ikusasa lalezi zindlovu uma ukufuduka okunokuphikisana kungenzeki, ngokuzingela ngokungemthetho nokuzingela ngaphansi koMonakalo Obangela Izilwane kuvumela usongo olukhona njalo.
Ngu: John Grobler
LOKHO ONGAKUTHATHE KULESI SIHLOKO:
- Amanye ama-80 azobanjwa ezindaweni zokulima nezentengiselwano eningizimu-ntshonalanga ye-Etosha National Park lapho kwaziwa khona ukuthi imihlambi emibili, encane kunazo zonke kwezingu-30 kwesinye isikhathi iya eningizimu e-Omatjete (300 km enyakatho-mpumalanga ye inhlokodolobha iWindhoek).
- Plans by the Namibian Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) to capture and sell off 170 of the last free-roaming elephants among the communal farming areas of north-western and north-eastern Namibia are proving highly contentious and potentially a big blow to an already struggling local tourism industry.
- At an official elephant workshop held in Windhoek two weeks ago, MEFT’s Pohamba Shifeta also had raised the topic in his opening speech in which he reiterated that Namibia has the right to sell off its estimated 50-ton ivory stockpile.
