adminrecently, council chief executive officer, Mr Joram Misheck Moyo, said last year the local authority realised US$90 000 from hunting against a US$500 000 target.
This, he said, had reduced council’s capacity to deliver service to most rural communities whose roads, schools and clinics previously relied on the programme for funding.
“Our clients don’t prefer hunting in areas infested with snares, where they can come across people armed with spears and packs of dogs barking around. In all fairness no animal will be found in such areas where music from a home blares from one corner and the noise from busy panners drifts from the nearby valley.
“Such inconvenience has forced most of our clients to resort to National Parks areas for hunts rather than our Campfire buffer zones. This is costing us thousands of dollars in revenue. Our Campfire programme is slowly dying due to this problem.
“We had several raids last October but Campfire principles do not encourage such costs on the part of council as the programme should derive its existence and well being from collective effort from members of the community,” he said.
Ward 26 councillor Alderman Nesto Chakamuka cited Nyaodza as the worst hit Campfire area where villagers had encroached into the buffer zones forcing most animals deeper into the National Parks area.
“Poaching in the Nyaodza area is not perpetrated by international poachers, but by members of the very community.
“Tourists want big trophy animals. All the big animals are now gone. You even can rarely come across the small ones.
“The encroachment has been caused mostly by wayward village heads who lack regard for the programme.
“A lot of schools were built through the programme. For example, Nyamakate Makwiye, Mrewa, Mupuse and Chikova.
“We also bought several tractors and graders for maintenance of all roads in the Campfire areas, let alone several clinics that emerged as a result of this noble programme.
“But now all is water under the bridge as we can no longer maintain the equipment nor replace it including providing service to clinics and schools,” he said.
Ald Chakamuka also sits in the planning committee of the Campfire Association of Zimbabwe.
Hurungwe District has three Campfire zones straddling seven wards; Chiwore-Mkwichi (wards 7, 8 and 9), Nyaodza (ward 26) and Sanyati-Rengwe (wards 13, 15 and 24).
Online Reporter