Africa-Press – Namibia. THE Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has been accused of prioritising animals over people. This follows numerous injuries and fatalities in the two Kavango regions, as crocodile attacks on human beings continue to threaten the lives of residents.
Independent candidate and National Council member of parliament (MP) Paulus Mbangu called on the government to get its priorities right.
He said the line ministry enforces laws that predominantly focus on the preservation of wildlife, while falling short on the protection of human life.
“The government is focusing on the protection of the plants and animals, but is doing very little to protect the people in these areas. The state is treating matters as if people go for picnics around the river and get attacked, but these people depend on this river for every facet of their existence,” Mbangu said. “A case in point is a girl from the Mashare constituency who was attacked by a crocodile and subsequently went missing. To date, the parents are yet to be compensated for their loss, because the ministry is claiming that there is no evidence.”
The demand for evidence, while ensuring checks and balances in terms of the monetary disbursements, is impractical, he said. “How will you find the one (crocodile) that attacked your child? Worse, how will you retrieve a body that has been in a crocodile-infested river for days, weeks or months?”
LIFEBLOOD
Ombudsman Basilius Dyakugha blasted the line ministry for concentrating on “theory conservation” and prioritising tourism ahead of local people’s lives. “Back in the day, people used to kill the crocodiles to minimise their numbers, but now that we have a ministry armed with all the necessary laws and equipment, nothing is happening,” Dyakugha said.
He recommended the fencing off of prominent water collection, fishing or recreational areas along the river to keep the crocodiles at bay. “This river is the lifeblood of the people in these areas.”
ELEPHANTS AT OMATJETE
Meanwhile, residents of Otjohorongo, in the Erongo region, are calling on the government to take action against the elephant population in the communal area, which they claim is threatening their lives and livelihoods.
Chairwoman of the Erongo Rural Women’s Assembly (Erwa) Agnes Tengovandu Tjindjo, said despite promises from the government to remove the elephants through a capturing and selling tender, no action has been taken due to pressure from anti-hunting groups. As a result, Tjindjo said elephants and humans are competing for grazing and scarce water resources. “The elephants have also started targeting home gardens, as they are not protected and are an easy source of food,” said Tjindjo.
Erwa is calling for a dialogue with the line ministry to find a sustainable solution, as well as an urgent review of the human wildlife conflict policy, which currently allows compensation for large portions of land destroyed by elephants, but not home-based gardens that feed families on a daily basis. “Enough is enough. We will not stand by and watch as our people are driven into deep poverty at the expense of wildlife. We are calling for immediate action to address the issues and protect the community.”
PARADIGM SHIFT
Spokesperson for the environment ministry Romeo Muyunda confirmed that the issue of human-wildlife conflict is one of the ministry’s biggest challenges.
“The management of the numbers (of animals) and the increase thereof leads to conflicts that are unavoidable since our wildlife and humans live together,” Muyunda said, adding that the ministry strives to reduce conflicts to mitigate the impact on people.
The ministry developed a human-wildlife conflict management policy in 2009 (revised in 2018)through which the government is looking into different interventions to reduce the conflicts, Muyunda said. However, he maintained that there is a need for a paradigm shift among the masses. “They say ‘this is how we live by the river and in the forests’, without considering the safety aspects of their lives.”
He confirmed that the ministry is aware of the elephant situation at Omatjete. “Elephants are consistently looking for water, leading to the unpleasant interaction with people where a number of gardens are invaded, which includes damages to infrastructure and property.” He said the ministry is assisting victims who suffer damages and have previously installed separate water points for people, livestock and elephants. It has come to light that at some settlements the water points are being tampered with, affecting the supply of water to elephants, he said. The ministry has made an attempt to reduce the elephants in hotspot areas by way of a public auction, and has to date auctioned 57 elephants, 16 from areas around Omatjete, Muyunda said.
“We are continuously engaged on this matter as we seek a lasting solution. We will also come up with engagement platforms with communities to, among other things, sensitise them on mitigation measures but also to understand their sentiments,” he said.
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