Mhlumeni-goba trail officially launched, the first in the Lubombo TFCA
TOURING the Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA) will never be the same!
This is as the Mhlumeni-goba trail was launched in March 2024 by officials and community members from both Eswatini and Mozambique.
The trail is approximately 16 kilometres long and it starts from Mhlumeni Bush Camp in Eswatini and ends at Goba Hiking Camp in Mozambique.
The trail is an initiative by COSPE Eswatini, an Italian non-governmental organisation (NGO) that strives to empower women in communities.
Funded by GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit), the transfrontier conservation project has been ongoing for over five years and was officially launched by the Mhlumeni and Goba community members at Goba in Mozambique. The main aim of the trail is to promote tourism in the Lubombo TFCA, where the two aforementioned countries, and South Africa, are under.
Boundless Southern Africa facilitated a ‘tester’ hike on the trail, which led to the official launch of it.
COSPE Eswatini Country Director Lisa Zahherini said she was grateful to see the project reaching the phase that it was in, stating that the communities of Mhlumeni and Goba made the project a success- by working hard with hardly any incentive.
Sandra Marei Filipe Tinga, an official from the Government of Mozambique, thanked COSPE Eswatini, and the community of Goba for making the project the success that it was.
“We would love to receive more support from development partners to make the campsite a renowned international tourist attraction. This would mainly benefit the whole community and create livelihoods,” said Tinga.
Lubombo TFCA Coordinator for Eswatini, Mandla Makhanya, said this was the first successful TFCA cross-border tourism product.
“Today is history in the making as we are launching the first trail in the Lubombo TFCA that connects two countries. Tourists will be able to experience Eswatini and Mozambique in one trail. The initiative will also mitigate socioeconomic challenges in the communities along it,” said Makhanya.
Lubombo TFCA encompasses a complex system of conservation areas between Mozambique, South Africa and Eswatini, covering a total area of 10,029 km². On June 20, 2000, the three governments signed the tri-lateral protocols to establish the Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area containing four distinct TFCAS: Lubombo Conservancy-goba TFCA (Mozambique, Eswatini), Ponta do Ouro-kosi Bay TFCA (Mozambique, South Africa), NsubanePongola TFCA (South Africa, Eswatini) and Usuthu-tembe-futi TFCA (Mozambique, South Africa).
The inclusion of a fifth component, the
Songimvelo-malolotja TFCA (South Africa,
Eswatini) and the incorporation of Eswatini into the Usuthu-tembe-futi TFCA were formally approved at a trilateral Ministerial meeting in 2004. In March 2014, the
Lubombo
Commission
decided
to
merge the Lubombo Conservancy-goba TFCA with the Usuthu-tembe-futi TFCA, linking the Lebombo Mountain Ecosystem with the coastal plains.