Campfire in game park fencing drive

Pamela Shumba Chronicle Reporter
Tsholotsho Rural District Council (RDC) has intensified its programme to curb human-animal conflict by availing more resources to the monitoring teams and rehabilitating boundary fences in areas that are close to national parks. Wild animals, especially elephants, have on many occasions in the past strayed into villages and fields destroying crops and homes.

Tsholotsho RDC recently bought two brand new vehicles that were deployed to communities as part of its efforts to improve animal control in the district.

The Toyota Hilux vehicles, valued at $38,000 each, were bought using proceeds from the Community Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (Campfire).

The vehicles have since been deployed to Sipepa and Pumula villages, where they will be used by rangers to get rid of wild animals that stray into villages from Hwange National Park.

The RDC also bought furniture worth $54,000 for the council’s boardroom, chairman and chief executive officer’s office under the same programme.

Handing over the vehicles to local chiefs, the Matabeleland North provincial affairs Minister, Cde Cain Mathema, said the Campfire programme was a powerful tool in developing rural communities.

“The Campfire programme supports many clusters of Zim-Asset such as food security and nutrition, poverty eradication, infrastructure development, value addition and beneficiation.

“I would like to commend the Tsholotsho Campfire committees, our council and the entire community for working harmoniously to buy these vehicles,” said Cde Mathema.

Council chairperson, Cde Alois Ndebele said council was committed to ensuring communities benefited from Campfire.

Campfire has funded the construction of 12 classroom blocks, four clinics and two community halls.

Cde Ndebele said council used Campfire money to drill 13 boreholes, buy four grinding mills and install three state-of-the-art solar systems.

“We’ve also supplied furniture to several schools in the district to improve the quality of education,” said Cde Ndebele.

Tsholotsho District is endowed with vast natural resources that include wildlife, timber and minerals.

The CAMPFIRE programme was initiated in the district in 1991 and was funded by USAID until 2000.