First Lady receives 17.5 tonnes mealie-meal for Matetsi communities

Wildlife Ambassador First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa yesterday received 6 000 kilogrammes of mealie-meal as the first batch of three phases of 17 500 kg from the United Arab Emirates, for communities living adjacent to the national park in Matetsi, Victoria Falls.

The donation will significantly alleviate some of the hardships encountered by communities, including food destruction by wildlife.

As wildlife ambassador, the First Lady promotes conservation and raises awareness about wildlife and their habitats, often through educational outreach and engaging with the public to foster respect and understanding of nature.

She also encourages responsible interactions with wildlife.

The support initiative was undertaken by the United Arab Emirates government on its mission to save all humanity through effective assistance programmes.

The donation will cover 600 households drawn from nine villages in Matetsi area.

Presenting the gift, UAE Ambassador to Zimbabwe Dr Jassim Mohammed Al Qasimi said the initiative reflected his home country’s commitment to supporting Zimbabwean communities in need.

The goal, he said, was to reach drought-affected communities and the assistance was evidence of the strong partnership between Zimbabwe and his home country and their shared commitment to promoting sustainable development in assisting local and rural communities.

“This is within the framework of the brotherly and friendly relations to serve the friendly people of Zimbabwe. The goal is to reach drought-affected communities, assisting both urban and rural communities,” he said.

He commended the First Lady for her charity work and her role as Wildlife Ambassador.

He expressed his willingness to work with her.

“We have a lot of projects we want to undertake in different sectors, such as agriculture, health, and education. We will coordinate with you,” he said.

In her acceptance speech, the First Lady expressed gratitude for the donation.

“The donation will definitely play a vital role in addressing the food challenges faced by our affected communities, and we are really appreciative of this gesture. There is so much human and wildlife conflict in that area and our people are found walking up and about to get food. They even go to areas that they are not allowed to go, hence disasters like being trampled upon by elephants, being killed by lions. The donation has come at a time when we needed it most, so that we can save our people’s lives,” she said.

The mother of the nation said she extended her heartfelt appreciation to the Government of United Arab Emirates for its unwavering support following the devastating El Nino-induced drought of 2023-2024 season.

This drought, she said, marked one of the most challenging periods in the country’s history, necessitating the need for robust drought mitigation programmes and the continued support from long-standing partners like the United Arab Emirates.

“This donation will significantly alleviate some of the hardships encountered by our communities, including food destruction by wildlife.

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Government and people of United Arab Emirates, particularly the Ambassador, His Excellency Dr Jassim Mohammed Al-Qassim, for your instrumental role in facilitating this generous contribution. Supporting community levels is essential for achieving long-term conservation success.

“When local communities are invested in conservation efforts, we foster collaboration and partnerships among communities, development partners, the Government and the private sector.

“Distinguished guests, allow me to also extend my sincerest appreciation to the various Ministries for their instrumental role in building a very strong relationship between the United Arab Emirates in all their conservation and community support. Your tireless efforts and commitment to supporting vulnerable communities have not gone unnoticed,” she said.

The intervention by the UAE, she said, clearly resonates well with the call by President Mnangagwa to promote engagement and re-engagement at various levels.

“This re-engagement programme has seen us be able to communicate with other countries. We are now getting all this help to develop our country. This community support programme aligns seamlessly with our Government’s commitment to achieving an upper-middle-income economy by 2030, whilst ensuring that no one and no place is left behind. As we receive this donation today, let us remember that it is more than a handout. It symbolises our shared humanity.

“Together we can build stronger, more resilient communities that thrive in harmony with our environment. I strongly believe that this contribution will significantly impact the lives of individuals and families living near protected areas, who often bear the brunt of human wildlife conflict,” she said.

Dr Mnangagwa pointed out that Matabeleland North Province was a dry province, and the food assistance would alleviate hunger and help people in that province.

Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority director-general Professor Edson Gandiwa said as part of the engagement and re-engagement thrust, they had engaged colleagues based in the National Arab Emirates who were leasing an area in the Matetsi Safari Area, which is in the north-west of Zimbabwe.

“We are leasing Matetsi Unit 1, to an institution from the Arab Emirates by the name Umlando Hunters. So this area basically manages the wildlife, but they also draw conservative tourism, which is more of hunting. And following that agreement, which was signed last year, we then, as part of the engagement, also seeing areas of support, the embassy and Umlando secured the donation targeting communities that are living next to protected areas.

“Your Excellency, the issues of human-wildlife conflict are challenging. And also that last season, the Government declared a drought due to El Niño-induced conditions, so we are grateful that the embassy saw it fit to support our communities. The target basically is the underprivileged and disadvantaged communities, whom we know you always have passion to try and uplift Amai. The target is approximately 600 households that will benefit,” he said.

Prof Gandiwa said the first distribution will be conducted as from next week and indicated the challenges they were facing linked to human-wildlife conflict.

“Just to indicate that communities that live adjacent to National Parks and as we also highlighted during the World Wildlife Day commemorations, they encounter a number of challenges. The first being related to climate change. This affected cropping particularly and also livestock production, which made our communities become more vulnerable.

“Just to pick your Amai, from the period 2023 to date, we have lost 17 people that have been killed by wild animals. And many livestock have also been killed,” he said.

Prof Gandiwa said he looked forward to working with the First Lady in community awareness programmes.

In her remarks, Environment, Climate and Wildlife Minister Dr Sithembiso Nyoni said: “Our natural heritage, a cornerstone of our economic prosperity and national identity, demands a proactive and multifaceted approach to ensure its long-term sustainability. Specifically, I wish to champion the strategic utilisation of both foreign partnership initiatives and robust corporate social responsibility programmes.

“By supporting sustainable livelihood projects, promoting environmental education and partnering with local organisations, business can contribute to a thriving and resilient ecosystem where both people and wildlife can flourish,” she said.

Dr Nyoni said she understood the profound challenges faced by communities living in close proximity to wildlife.

“The realities of human-wildlife-conflict, including livestock predation, crop destruction, limited access to vital resources and the escalating pressures of climate change and infrastructure development are significant hurdles to sustainable livelihoods,” she said.

The minister also expressed gratitude to the embassy of the UAE for the maize meal donation. – Herald