Zimparks trains Doma rangers
THE Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority (Zimparks) has trained rangers from the Doma community in Kanyemba, as part of integrating marginalised communities into the country’s national development agenda.
The recruitment of the Doma people as rangers followed the First Lady Amai Auxillia Mnangagwa’s visit to the area last year.
The rangers underwent three months’ training that exposed them to weaponry, foot and arms drill, tracking, battle tactics, map reading, legislation, radio communication and anti-poaching operations, among others.
Officiating at the graduation ceremony of 23 rangers including 10 from the Doma community at Zimparks headquarters, Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Prisca Mupfumira said the recruitment of the Doma people was meant to accord them a participatory approach in the conservation of natural resources found in their area of habitation and the nation at large.
“The trained rangers are expected to deliver conservation duties honestly which include anti-poaching patrols, monitoring of hunts and problem animal control, among others,” she said.
“The Doma lifestyle can be described as semi-nomadic, depending mainly on subsistence wildlife hunting, fishing, harvesting of honey from natural hives and gathering of wild fruits and roots.
“Today’s graduation marks the beginning of Government’s intensified initiative to integrate the less privileged minority tribes into the bigger society.
“The occasion could not have come at a better time than now when Government is making all the necessary efforts to bring development into Mbire District by granting town status to Kanyemba which would transform the lives and livelihoods of the communities there.”
Minister Mupfumira said Government was working on uplifting the lives of marginalised communities in Zimbabwe.
Government negotiations to finalise a Memorandum of Agreement to implement the Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia Transfrontier Conservation Area (ZIMOZA TFCA) have been resuscitated to bring collaboration and socio-economic development in tourism, biodiversity conservation and political cooperation in Kanyemba and beyond.
Minister Mupfumira said Zimparks was looking at ways of improving the lives and livelihoods of the Doma people and urged the community to embrace change and become pivotal agencies of conservation in Kanyemba and areas adjacent to Chewore and Dande safari areas and in Mbire CAMPFIRE area.
Zimparks director-general Mr Fulton Mangwanya said the recruitment of the Doma people was meant to address the historical imbalance between the tribe and the general populace.
“The recruitment is also in response to our set 100 days’ work plan aimed at moving positive steps towards the improvements of the livelihoods of the less privileged tribe,” he said.
“We have just rolled out our fiveyear corporate strategic plan 20192023. We have created a mini game park as part of initiatives to increase our revenue streams in line with Government policy of creating an upper middle economy in 11 years.”