Some learners in the Kanyemba area, located in Mashonaland Central Province, are no longer going to school for fear they will be attacked by wild animals.
The area is located in the Mbire District on the south bank of the Zambezi River at the meeting point of the Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Zambia borders.
Farirai Majaya, a parent from the Chapoto area in Kanyemba told <a href="https://thestandard.newsday.co.zw/news/article/200009973/dangerous-animals-force-children-out-of-schools">The Standard</a> that they would rather keep their children at home than put them in harm’s way by sending them to school. He said:
<blockquote>
When they go to school, we are not guaranteed that they will arrive safely or they will be able to come back alive.
There is always that risk that they will encounter wild animals along the way and we can’t risk losing our children.
We know they deserve a better future, but the risk of sending them to school is just something we can’t afford.
It has become a common phenomenon that most children to abscond school and one of the major reasons is the fear of being attacked by wild animals along the way, especially during the rainy and harvesting seasons.
</blockquote>
At Mariga Primary School which has an enrolment of over 300 pupils, more than half of the students are not attending school regularly.
Village head Clever Kaputi said the most affected areas are Mariga and Chiramba villages in Kanyemba’s Ward 1 area.
Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) secretary-general Robson Chere said:
<blockquote>
We have had several cases of learners not being able to attend school due to human-wildlife conflict and this also applies to areas such as Kanyemba.
These cases also extend to areas such as Kariba, Siakobvu, Binga and Hwange.
Two years ago, there were cases of hyena attacks were recorded in Buhera, Manicaland Province and some of the victims were school children.
</blockquote>
Tinashe Chisaira, director of Adovactes4Earth, a nonprofit environmental law, climate and wildlife justice organisation, said human-wildlife conflict can negatively affect school attendance, but in “rare circumstances”. He added:
<blockquote>
The situation is obviously different in cases of certain problem animals such as the occasional man-eater, and the lion.
There is a need to come up with policies and actions that respect traditional wildlife habitats and migration zones and pathways.
Human settlements must not continue to encroach into wildlife areas.
</blockquote>
The Parks and Wildlife Act classifies lions, elephants, hippos, leopards, buffaloes and rhinoceros as dangerous animals.
Statistics from the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) indicate that in 2022, the human-wildlife conflict resulted in the death of 66 people compared to 68 in 2021.
More: <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Pindula News

Wild Animals Force Children Out Of Schools In Mbire

A senior government official has projected that Kanyemba, a border town in Mashonaland Central province, could grow and be Africa’s own version of Dubai due to its strategic location and potential for growth. 

This was said by Mashonaland Central Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Monica Mavhunga this Friday.
In her welcome message to delegates at the 19th Zanu PF National People’s Conference in Bindura, Minister Mavhunga said the town’s unique position of bordering three countries at once – Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Zambia – makes it a special asset to the province. She said:
<blockquote>
As a tourist town, Kanyemba has the potential to be the Dubai of Africa. It unites three countries as one, and this creates a dream of constructing a wide and extensive bridge.
</blockquote>
Minister Mavhunga expressed gratitude to President Mnangagwa’s administration for the devolution programme, which she said has brought development to all the eight districts in the province. 
She also attributed the reopening of mines such as the Eureka and Shamva gold mines to devolution. 
<a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2021/08/13/zimbabwe-plans-to-build-new-town-in-kanyemba/">The government announced in August its plans to build new tourism and trade-based town in far-flung Kanyemba</a>, right at the confluence of the Zambezi and Luangwa rivers that spill into Mozambique’s Cabora Bassa.
Information Secretary, Nick Mangwana, back then said over 2 000 hectares had been cleared for agricultural purposes by the Ministry of Agriculture. 
He also said that a ministerial task force has been routinely visiting and assessing progress but he could not share the monetary value of the project. 
<h2>More: <a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw">Pindula News</a></h2>

Kanyemba Has Potential To Be The Dubai Of Africa - Minister

The government is planning to build a new tourism and trade-based town in far-flung Kanyemba, right at the confluence of the Zambezi and Luangwa rivers that spill into Mozambique’s Cabora Bassa.
The Secretary for Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Nick Mangwana said over 2 000 hectares have been cleared for agricultural purposes by the Ministry of Agriculture.
Mangwana added that a ministerial task force has been routinely visiting and assessing progress but he could not share the monetary value of the project. He said:
<blockquote>
During election campaigns, there was a team which toured Kanyemba including VP Chiwenga and it was realised the area was too underdeveloped.
The presidency then spearheaded development of the area as the Doma people there still survived on hunting and gathering without any schools, clinics, roads or roads. There is now a new town being built there. As soon as President Emmerson Mnangagwa was sworn in, a ministerial task force was set to regularly ascertain development needed and assess progress.
When we initially visited the area the only way to get there was the use of helicopters. The roads headed there are now being tarred and it takes just less than six hours to get there now. When finally complete, the city will reduce the distance to the east coast (Tanzania, Kenya) by some 600km. There is a lot to benefit from the town as it is in proximity to two of our neighbours (Mozambique and Zambia).
</blockquote>
The area has about 18 000 inhabitants, the Doma, who are extremely traditional and remain situated by both geography and human plot far from modernity.
Their language is also not constitutionally recognised.
Reports indicate land there is now being sold at as little as US$1.60 per square metre.
Mangwana added that a border point has been set up in the area while the education ministry recently opened two new schools there.
The government has also built signal carriers to ensure reception of local transmission while an option of importing electricity for the new town from Zambia is being considered.
Separate reports indicate there are considerations the town could be made solar-based.
More: <a href="https://www.newzimbabwe.com/gvt-reveals-plans-to-build-new-town-in-remote-kanyemba/">NewZimbabwe</a>

Mbire Latest News

Latest Jobs