Multiple tragedy

Comment

Another Swazi was killed poaching yesterday; he and his three companions were shot in a shoot-out with the rangers at Mkhaya Game Reserve, one of the most protected reserves in this country.

Nevertheless, tourists who were there to see the natural beauty of the country were forced to alert game rangers of a poaching incident, and a man lost his life. It is never a good thing when human life is lost, even if it was his fault for being there in the first place. But whenever a life is lost to law enforcers, it is always a good practice to re-examine the reasons why those law enforcers are there in the first place.

One of Swaziland’s greatest treasures is the wildlife we have; in terms of tourism, and tourist dollars, the nation has no greater attraction. Not only does well-protected wildlife draw more tourists, but it draws wealthier tourists. Many Swazis cannot afford to even visit these reserves which preserve our natural heritage, but then many Swazis cannot afford to do a lot of things in Swaziland.

Yet with all the poverty, it must be emphasised that these poachers are not out hunting meat for their family. Even if they were, they would still be stealing from the nation. But these poachers, such as the man recently caught with seven impala, don’t kill because they are starving; they take weapons into the reserves to kill in order to make a profit – almost all of the meat from poaching is sold, as anyone living near a game reserve can attest to. 

This national resource, therefore, is under threat from short-sighted criminals who, quite literally, are eating the nation’s wealth.
In the larger context, Swaziland is about to face another poaching war, and Mkhaya is likely to be in the middle of the storm. Poachers in South Africa and Mozambique have almost cleared out their animals The last rhino in Mozambique was killed just a few months ago and SA lost over 100 last year alone. Corrupt rangers and the SA army are shooting it out in the Kruger National Park. Our rangers are aware they are about to come under serious pressure and need to prepare for this coming war.

Our wildlife does not ‘belong’ to the game parks; in a wider sense they belong to all of us who wish our children to see these animals in real life rather than a museum, or who want to perpetuate traditional practices that require animal parts. It is up to all of us, as the nation, to protect our wildlife. No one wins from poaching; least of all the poacher’s family.

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