Government’s plans to secure the border with Zimbabwe as part of the Covid-19 regulations have not stopped marauding elephants from destroying crops in the South African village of Gumbu
Government’s plans to secure the border with Zimbabwe as part of the Covid-19 regulations have not stopped marauding elephants from destroying crops in a South African village, writes Chester Makana
The village, 5km from the Limpopo River, which forms the international border with Zimbabwe, falls way out of the protection of the controversial R37 million, 40km fence erected recently by government. “This is the first time my farm has become a target [of the elephants]. In the past, we used to hear neighbours complaining about elephants devouring their crops. They are destroying our crops now. As you can see, I am still planting on the other side, but I am not sure if I will harvest and make a profit,” Mudau said.
Like many farmers in the area, she is still traumatised by one incident in which an elephant trampled and killed a man who had gone into the bush to look for his cattle. “Now it is scary. I can’t do that any more. When we go home, the elephants move in and start eating our crops. We are no longer safe,” said Mudau, who employs at least 20 workers.Starting off small, after four years, Mudau was crowned the best Limpopo woman back yard farmer of the year.
“Two years ago, we made fires. The elephants just passed through the fields and ate all our watermelons,” she said. Community leader Mahwasane Mudzweda said that, on hearing about the destructive elephants, he called wildlife officials to have the animals chased back into the wild. “They move in and out [of the area] at will. Even our livestock graze in fear. If you see the cattle running, it’s a signal that their territory has been invaded [by these predators],” said Mudzweda.Although there are no statistics, villagers said a number of people had been killed by the huge beasts.
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