The
issue
came
under
discussion
in
Parliament
on
Wednesday
last
week
when
MP
Elizabeth
Masuku
asked
the
Minister
of
Environment
about
the
government’s
policy
on
the
co-existence
of
people
and
wild
animals,
citing
incidents
in
Hwange
and
Tsholotsho.
“Since
a
lot
of
people
are
being
killed
by
these
animals,”
she
said,
“what
is
the
government
doing
to
protect
communities
living
near
wildlife
areas?”
The
Parks
and
Wildlife
Management
Bill,
Clause
9
Part
IIC
(161)(1),
provides
for
a
Human-Wildlife
Conflict
Relief
Fund
(HWCRF),
intended
to
offer
monetary
relief
to
victims
of
wildlife
encounters
that
result
in
death,
permanent
disability,
or
physical
injury.
However,
Section
161(2)
stipulates
that
no
person
shall
be
entitled
to
such
relief
if
they
are
injured,
maimed,
or
killed
while
illegally
harvesting
or
negligently
interfering
with
wild
animals.
Responding
to
the
concerns,
Minister
of
Justice,
Legal
and
Parliamentary
Affairs,
Ziyambi
Ziyambi,
said
policies
are
in
place
to
manage
coexistence
between
humans
and
wildlife
within
their
respective
territories.
“We
have
a
policy.
However,
once
in
a
while,
you
cannot
control
animals
crossing
into
areas
where
people
live,”
he
said.
“In
those
circumstances,
our
Parks
and
Wildlife
personnel
are
called
in
to
ensure
that
they
either
put
down
the
animals
or
take
them
back.”
He
added:
“We
have
a
policy
where
animals
stay
in
their
game
parks.
If
an
animal
strays
and
becomes
dangerous
to
the
inhabitants
of
that
area,
Parks
officials
will
come
and
put
that
animal
down.
However,
we
must
also
co-exist
with
our
wild
animals,
in
their
space
and
in
ours.”
Contributing
to
the
debate,
MP
Shakespear
Hamauswa
criticised
the
legal
framework
for
what
he
described
as
a
lack
of
fairness,
arguing
that
the
laws
appear
to
protect
animals
more
than
people.
“Why
has
the
government
not
put
in
place
a
law
that
says
when
a
person
kills
or
injures
a
wild
animal,
that
person
is
severely
sentenced,
yet,
on
the
other
hand,
when
a
wild
animal
attacks
a
human
being,
there
is
no
compensation
for
the
humans?”
he
asked.
“I
have
indicated
in
my
earlier
response
that
when
an
animal
strays
and
becomes
dangerous
to
human
beings,
many
times
Parks
and
Wildlife
personnel
put
it
down
rather
than
take
it
back
to
its
original
habitat,”
he
said.
“It
is
not
correct
to
say
that
the
law
favours
animals
over
human
beings.
The
animals
are
being
put
down,
and
human
beings
must
also
act
responsibly
around
wildlife.”