Parks gets speedboats

resources and to collect revenue, a Cabinet Minister has said.
Environment and Natural Resources Management Minister Francis Nhema on Thurs-day said the shortage had also severely affected anti-poaching activities.
He made the remarks after receiving a donation of two speedboats for the National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority from Harare businessman Mr Peter Lobel.
“The critical shortage of boats resulted in reduced law enforcement efforts to protect the authority’s aquatic resources and deter poaching activities in and around these areas. Furthermore the authority’s revenue collection capacity is heavily compromised.
“Parks has for a long time, been facing critical shortage of boats to effectively police and monitor all water bodies under its jurisdiction such as the Zambezi River stretch from Kazungula to Kanyemba and other national water bodies which include Manyame, Chive-ro, Mutirikwi, Cunningham and Manjirenji dams.
“The donated boats will not only be used for anti-poaching activities but will come in handy during the authority’s aquatic research such as fish stock assessment, hippo and crocodile surveys as well as pollution monitoring,” said Minister Nhema.
The two boats were immediately deployed to Lake Kariba and Zambezi National Park.
Mr Lobel said his late father and mother had benefited a lot from Parks activities in Kariba, and that this was his way of paying back.
“I want parks to protect the country’s natural resources and I want parks to deal with poaching decisively to the point of crashing them.
“Everyone in the corporate world should come up and assist parks in which ever way possible.
“This is the way to go if we want to save our natural resources,” he said.