Malolotja Reserve under siege from poachers

By LUCKY TSABEDZE on September 02,2011

MALOLOTJA – It has been revealed that a total of 82 poachers have been arrested at the Malolotja National Park in three years.

This was revealed by the senior warden at the game reserve, James Kunene, who said the figure could easily triple if the perpetrators had all been caught. Some poachers successfully flee while other poaching is done successfully under the radar of the rangers.

Kunene said poaching at the game reserve comes in many forms, as some poach animals while others poach trees. He said most arrests are made after the game rangers follow traces of blood that leads the search team to the homesteads where the killed game is stored pending its sale.

Kunene said: "The figure could easily triple because the 82 people we were successful in arresting are just the tip of the iceberg. You could find that most poachers managed to evade arrest, or some sneaked in and out of the game reserve without being noticed. So, that is why I cannot say the 82 represents an exact number of poachers that we have had, the figures could easily go up."

Wisdom Dlamini, the Director of Nature Conservation and National Parks at the Swaziland National Trust Commission (SNTC) said the number of people arrested for poaching at the game reserve is a very high number. Dlamini said: "Without a doubt this is a very big number, which represents about 40 per cent of the actual number of poaching incidents at the park.

"Poachers do not only kill animals. They have also cut through the fence, damaging a critical feature which increases the nature reserve’s costs when we erect the fence again."

Kunene further added that parts of the game park do not have animals because a lot of poaching has occurred.

"Malolotja north does not have game because that is one of the areas where we have experienced a lot of poaching activity," said Kunene.

Recently Parliament also instituted a probe into the poaching in the country.

Border jumpers also poaching - senior warden

MALOLOTJA – Border jumpers are also poaching in the Malolotja National Park as cases of cross border criminal incidents along the borderline between South Africa and Swaziland increase.

Malolotja game reserve is being used as a passage to South Africa by smugglers, who kill the animals on their way back to SA.

It was revealed during a visit to the game park that South Africans who walk through the game reserve to sell their stolen goods in Swaziland poach animals on their way back.

James Kunene, the senior warden at the Malolotja game reserve, said dagga dealers and petty criminals take advantage of the fact that the game park shares its boundaries with the South African border. He said some criminals cross into Swaziland to quickly sell stolen goods like clothes and other items, while others cross to Swaziland to buy dagga.

"The game park shares its boundary with SA, so they jump the border to come to Swaziland for various reasons. Some come here to get rid of stolen items, while others come here looking for dagga. It is on their way back that they kill animals and even steal ornamental plants," said Kunene.

Rangers drilled by Royal Swaziland Police

MALOLOTJA – Authorities at the Malolotja National Park have said their rangers are trained by the Royal Swaziland Police to do their job correctly.

James Kunene said the perception that game rangers recklessly kill poachers is unfounded because the rangers are trained to use minimal force to arrest poachers. He said the belief that rangers unnecessarily shoot to kill is far from the truth.

He said, beside the drills conducted by the Royal Swaziland Police, they further their training in South African colleges.

"The intention is never to kill, but to arrest. We want to bring a poacher to book, which is our number one goal. So in doing that we need to ensure that we have a team of rangers that knows how to arrest a suspect using minimal force, which is why we let the RSP train them. The belief that rangers are trigger-happy individuals is wrong. Take for instance one of our rangers we have here, Musa Masimula, who I even jokingly refer to as an ‘overtrained ranger’," said Dlamini. Game rangers have come under criticism, especially from Parliament, where they have been accused of being brutal in their methods of arrest.

Game life ‘feeds’ my family - Sculptor

MALOLOTJA – The country’s unique game life should be preserved because it is a serious contributor to the country’s economy, noted a man who has worked as an art vendor for 13 years.

David Ngidi has supported his family by selling art to tourists who visit the Malolotja National Park. Ngidi said, over the years, he has seen fellow Nkhaba residents joining the trade because the tourists buy their wares.

Ngidi said the drawcard for the game reserve is the animals and if they are poached then tourists will not visit, which will hurt their businesses.

"I have worked here for 13 years and I know and have seen how the animals draw tourists to the game park. If poachers finish the game I am afraid we will also be finished in terms of making a living," said Ngidi standing outside his stall.

"There was once this particular rhino that was at the park. It liked to hang around near the fence just behind our stalls. People would stop their cars along this public road to admire this likeable rhino. It was like it had a charming effect that so many people would park to watch the rhino graze right behind our stalls. These people would then ask us about the animal and some would enquire about our art in the process and even buy. Do you understand what I mean when I talk about these animals being a drawcard not only for the game reserve but for us vendors as well?" asked Ngidi as he dusted his arms, caked from working on art.

He said, however, he has noted a decline in visitors but mentioned that sales peak during long weekends, the festive season and Easter holidays.

The Swaziland National Trust Commission’s Wisdom Dlamini, the Director of Nature Conservation and National Parks, said the tourism industry pumps half a billion Emalangeni into the economy each year.

"That is a lot of revenue that a country makes from an industry whose cornerstone is under serious threat. Because, let us face it, the tourism industry’s cornerstone is the country’s game parks with the animals and plants which present a fascinating package to tourists throughout the year. So why do we allow it to be threatened by poachers?" asked Dlamini.