MoU to assist in fight against poaching

Thursday, 17 April will see South Africa sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Mozambique, which will assist in the curbing of rhino poaching.

Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs Ms Edna Molewa will meet with the Mozambican Minister of Tourism, Carvalho Muária, at the Skukuza camp of the Kruger National Park (KNP) to sign the MoU in the field of Biodiversity, Conservation and Management.

Such an agreement is crucial, said the minister in a press release last Wednesday, if the scourge of rhino poaching within the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park (GLTP) is taken into consideration. "Escalating incidences of poaching have become a major challenge within the GLTP,” said minister Molewa. 

SANParks welcomed the signing of the agreement, which will allow KNP rangers to pursue poachers even if they cross the border. “The agreement will [also] ensure that measures which we are putting on this side of the fence in South Africa are also put in Mozambique,” said SANParks spokesperson Rey Thakhuli.

In addition, the agreement will also assist in addressing other wildlife crimes. This will include illegal hunters who cross the border to hunt for meat or protected animals that they harvest for muti purposes.

As of 9 April, on the day minister Molewa announced the upcoming signing of the MoU, the total number of rhino poached since the beginning of the year reached 277. Of this total, 166 rhinos were killed within the KNP and 34 across the Limpopo province.

Date:16 April 2014

By: Isabel Venter

Isabel joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in 2009 as a reporter. She holds a BA Degree in Communication Sciences from the University of South Africa. Her beat is mainly crime and court reporting.

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