Dear All

My header is one of the rhinos in the park. The rhinos are not in the main section of the park but on either side of

the main Kazungula Road and around Toka Leya Camp. To see them you need to go to the far end of the park, by the

rapids in the river. There, the scouts will escort you around Toka Leya Camp to find them. (No charge). As we know

the rhinos are guarded 24 hours a day, so the rhino guards are used to showing visitors around and keeping you and

them safe.

I was amazed when we arrived at a parking spot.

We had to wait, along with two other vehicles, for

our chance to walk and see them. After about 10

minutes a group of about 8 people returned from

their rhino visit and then it was our turn. Walking in

single file with the people from Sussi & Chuma we

headed off – all 20 of us!

We did see two rhinos fairly close up and the visitors

from Sussi & Chuma had their photos taken standing

in front (but not too close) to one rhino – the

dominant male. The other male approached, much

to the disgruntlement of the dominant male who

headed towards him. The lumbering giants had a

short disagreement and the lower-down-the-dominance-ladder rhino went off.

Away off in the bushes we could see another group of rhinos, but these were mothers with their offspring and it was

not considered safe to go too close.

From a ZAWA Press Statement earlier this year:

In addition, I would also like you to Join ZAWA in celebrating another new birth of a rhino calf in Mosi-oa-Tunya

National Park. The newly born calf brings the number of white rhinos to 10. The calf was born on February 20, 2014,

two months after the birth of the Christmas baby rhino born on December 25th last year.

Total number of rhinos in Zambia now stands at 41. We are happy because we are successfully building up numbers of

the animal that is widely threatened and was once declared extinct in Zambia.

Dog Licence

Livingstone City Council has started a programme to register/licence all dogs in Livingstone. Great news. The

licensing costs K50. You need to take copies of the inoculation certificates to Room 18. There you will fill in a form

about your dog and be given a dog lead and a dog tag.

This is a good initiative but ...

Firstly we really don’t need dog leads we need dog collars. Secondly the tags are not strong. I put one on my puppy

and she immediately started to chew it. I could see that it wouldn’t last long so I took it off. The tags for all my dogs

are now hanging on a hook in the kitchen.

What we need is a tag which has a ring on it so that it can be

attached to the collar. I don’t think Council needs to supply

either a collar or a lead because they are readily available in the

shops.

Lastly, I was

talking to one of

the vets in town

and it would

appear that it is

only the middle-classes who are registering their dogs. If Council

wants to make a difference in the town it is essential that there is a

follow-up to ensure that all dogs are licensed – only this will make our

town safe.

Livingstone City Council News

From Voice of Livingstone

Elections for Mayor

The election for the new mayor and deputy mayor will take place on 3

April.

Earth Moving Equipment, JOE SEKELETI NANDA

In an effort to continue with the improved service delivery in

Livingstone, The Livingstone City Council is in the process of procuring

earth moving equipment under the Constituency Development Fund

for 2013. The City Council had received a total of K1, 300, 000.00 for

the Constituency Development projects for 2013. In order to fast track

the utilization of the funds given, the Council had decided to acquire a

Back hoe tractor Loader and a Tipper truck that will be used for the

vast number of construction projects that are applied for under CDF. Of

the, K1, 300, 000 released for 2013, K 621, 000 was approved for the

purchase of a tractor and K495, 000 for the purchase of a tipper truck.

The procurement of this equipment will enhance service delivery for

units such as engineering and solid waste as the mentioned units will

also make use of the equipment for solid waste management and

routine road maintenance as and when they are not being used for CDF

projects.

Livingstone Wins Award, Carolyn Simumba

On Friday 21st March 2014, the Livingstone City Council confirmed its position as a model of superiority among

Councils in the Country by winning the Best Urban Council Centre of Excellence for Gender mainstreaming.

The award presentation ceremony took place at Wasawange lodge and was under the auspices of Gender Links

Zambia. Livingstone scooped 78 points to beat Lusaka City Council which got 62 points while Kabwe Municipal Council

obtained 60 points and Mazabuka, a paltry 55 points. The Rural Council Category was won by Kafue District Council

with 83 points whilst Chilanga and Chongwe District Councils tied on 67 points each. ...

A Visit to Safari Par Excellence Elephants

I had a visitor so we went to say hello to the

elephants at Zambezi Elephant Trails, a Saf Par

company. As we arrived the elephants were just on

their way out for a walk with some tourists so we

sat for a while watching the river until they

returned.

Zambezi Elephant Trails is based at Thorntree Lodge

within the National Park. The company started off

with 5 orphaned elephants but now have 10

elephants. The latest addition is called Muyuni who

was born in January this year. Clover, the manager,

told us that his mother, Mashumbi, was supposed

to be on maternity leave but she got distressed

when she saw the other elephants going out for the

walks. It was decided that Mashumbi could go back

to work and that Muyuni could walk alongside. Muyuni, being the first

male to be born at Zambezi Elephant Trails, is a bit of a terror and

needed the exercise to drain some of his energy too.

When the riders had dismounted from the elephants there is a short

period when the elephants are given some treats. And then it is time for

them to go back to their paddock for some R&R. The tourists trundle off

to watch the video.

Events

7 April World Health Day

15 April Full Moon

18-21 April Music Festival Siavonga

19 April Fun Walk with David Lemon Siavonga

2-3 May Fun Enduro Vic Falls Town

11-15 June Mountain Bike Challenge Vic Falls Town

26-28 June Put Foot Rally Livingstone

9-13 July Nyaminyami Festival Kariba Town

Conference Facility at David Livingstone Safari Lodge

A new conference facility is being

constructed in the grounds of the David

Livingstone Safari Lodge. The main

construction will be completed within a

month. I expect it will take a while before

the final touches are done. Director, Steve

McCormick, says that the facility is much-

needed for the Destination Management

Company, Twiice.

UNWTO

Livingstone held the UNWTO Conference in July 2013. The flags and banners are still

hanging from the lamp posts ... 8 months later !!! Surely we can do a bit of a tidy up ???

Livingstone Adventures Starts Fishing

Livingstone Adventures was always asked if the

clients on Victoria River Safaris could do a spot of

fishing on the Zambezi River. The company has

finally succumbed to the pressure. Now, if you book

a river safari, you can request for fishing.

Victoria Falls River Safaris runs small boats between

Sun International and the top end of the National

Park. The boats can manoeuvre in between the

islands for the best bird and animal viewing.

Guests for fishing are picked up at Sun International

or David Livingstone Safari Lodge around 7.30-

8.00am and taken to Kalai Island, returning for lunch

at 12 noon.

Anglican Church

The Anglican Church looked so pretty this week with the

oleander in flower ... it deserved a photo ...

ZAMBIA New Minister of Tourism

From the Zambia Weekly

President Sata has appointed Deputy Minister of Community Development, Mother and Child Health Jean Kapata as

new Tourism and Arts Minister to replace Sylvia Masebo who was fired last week. ...

President Sata has been presented with the report of the findings of the tribunal appointed to probe former Tourism

and Arts Minister Sylvia Masebo for interfering in the operations of the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) by

cancelling a tender for 21 hunting blocks and for dismissing ZAWA’s board and senior management. The report was

duly obtained and leaked by the Zambian Watchdog: The tribunal found that Masebo had cancelled the tender,

supported by government, which contravened the Public Procurement Act and regulations, but as she or others did

not obtain any pecuniary advantages, she had not breached the Parliamentary and Ministerial Code of Conduct.

The tribunal also found that Masebo was wrong when she relieved five senior ZAWA officers of their duties, but as

she or others did not obtain any pecuniary advantages, she had not breached the Parliamentary and Ministerial Code

of Conduct.

SIs 33 and 55 revoked

From the Zambia Weekly

The Bank of Zambia has revoked Statutory Instruments (SIs) 33 and 55 in an attempt to halt the free fall of the

Kwacha, which last week traded at its lowest level ever of K6.45 per US dollar.

“These regulations were passed principally to support the implementation of monetary policy. However, challenges

have arisen in the implementation of these instruments. To allow for further consultations, government has decided

to revoke these statutory instruments with immediate effect. I would like to assure our citizens that government, in

consultation with other stakeholders, will look at other veritable options to protect and safeguard public interests.

We need to intensify efforts aimed at enhancing Zambians’ participation in the economy,” Finance Minister lexander

Chikwanda stated.

He further explained that government last week had “an interaction” with the business community, which made

“very strong statements” about SIs 33 and 55: “We cannot totally ignore the feelings and sentiments of the people. I

have consulted my principals, and we have agreed that the best thing at the moment is to revoke these statutory

instruments,” Chikwanda added – presumably explaining that he had the blessing of President Sata.

SI 33 of 18 May 2012 made it illegal to use US dollars: “A person shall not quote, pay or demand to be paid or receive

foreign currency as legal tender for goods, services or any other domestic transaction”.

Back then the Bank of Zambia said the new regulations would help stabilise the sliding Kwacha.

Affected stakeholders, especially in tourism and other foreign currency-dependent industries, complained that they

had not been consulted. The SI later had to re-issued due to a typo.

SI 55 of 25 June 2013 (originally SI 32 of 29 April 2013) allowed the Bank of Zambia (BoZ) to regulate and monitor

import and exports as well as financial in- and outflows.

BoZ explained that the SI would curb tax avoidance and protect the Kwacha. Again the SI took the private sector by

surprise.

Critics pointed out that the word ‘regulate’ smelled of former eras of foreign exchange control (Alexander Chikwanda

served as UNIP Finance Minister in the 1970s). Eventually government had to issue SI 55 as a softer version of SI 32.

...

NHCC Not Backward in Coming Forward

The entrance fees for Victoria Falls have changed. They are now US$20. Obviously the revoking of SI 33 earned a

quick response from National Heritage. If only other decisions could be made as fast ...

The Cowbell Walk

If you remember David Lemon walked the Zambezi from the source to Siavonga last year (with a bit of a gap through

Angola). When he reached Siavonga, he decided to have a break and recoup his strength and then continue this year.

He will be back in Zambia during April. On 19-20 April he will be joined by others for a ‘Fun Walk’ of 36 km starting

from Siavonga.

Railways being rehabilitated

The government is not only working on the roads, but it is also

looking at the railways. Our railways in Zambia are in a shocking

state and it is often the case that the train derails on any journey

...

Now, though, we are seeing some massive repair works being

done. Even in Livingstone work is apace.

According to a report in the press, government has given Zambia

Railways US$120million for the rehabilitation of the line between

Livingstone and Chililabombwe. The hope is that trains, once the

repairs are completed, can travel at 80km/h. (One assumes,

without coming off the rails ...)

Link Zambia 8000

I have been trying to get a copy of this map for ages. This, sadly, is not the best, but you may be able to see the

planned roads.

I am assured that the roads through Lower Zambezi and South Luangwa will not be tarred. The roads up to the

border of the parks will be tarred and from then on, they will be gravel. I hope this information is correct. We really

don’t want or need tarred roads in the parks.

The other news is that the Livingstone-Sesheke Road is being worked on. At the moment it is taking 3-4 hours to

drive the 200km stretch. The work will be completed by July (I somehow doubt that ...).

A Reader Comment on the Kololo

Last week I wrote about the name of Mosi-oa-Tunya which Zimbabwe is thinking of using for Victoria Falls Town.

There was a complaint (?) because I stated that the Kololo people were an ‘offshoot’ of the Zulu kingdom.

Lawrence Flint, a researcher into Lozi history, sent me a section of his work: Historical Constructions of Postcolonial

Citizenship and Subjectivity: the Case of the Lozi Peoples of Southern Central Africa. Here is a bit about the Kololo

people:

The story of the Makololo, a composite horde brought together by the assimilation of groups conquered by the astute

and charismatic Sibituane began around 1820 among the Bafokeng, a section of a Sotho group called the Patsa.

Sibituane and his people migrated in stages from an area close to modern-day Lesotho as part of the dispersals

referred to as the ‘Difaqane’ in south-eastern Africa, across the High Veldt, then west and north through present-day

Botswana.

Lawrence sent me a whole chapter of his work about the Lozi and David Livingstone. It was fascinating reading and I

devoured it straight away. The book is available on Amazon, so if you are an avid reader of Zambian history, it is a

must for your library.

Shangombo Canal

Shangombo is on the western edge of Zambia and the border with Angola; the town of Rivungo being on the other

side of the Kwando/Cuando River. Looking at Google Earth I can see two runways in Rivungo; photographs show

military buildings ...

In the government’s plan of road construction/rehabilitation the plan is to upgrade the road from Sitoti to

Shangombo.

Now we hear that a canal is going to be

dug across the Kwando to facilitate

movement of boats. The Kwando forms a

floodplain (similar to the Zambezi in

Barotse). When the rains arrive the area

floods, channels disappear and new ones

form. In the old days (and in the

Okavango now), hippos used to form

channels which people (in boats) could

follow. Without this, man has to

intervene and dig a channel.

This is not a new idea. Around 100 years

ago, the Litunga did the same in the

Barotse floodplains to allow movement of

his Nalikwanda and other large boats.

There is a border post there but because of access and logistics of crossing the Kwando, there is very little traffic, just

small boats including makoras. Maybe if the canal is dug and the road repaired it will provide access for us in Zambia

to visit the parks in Angola. We will need a pontoon, though, for our vehicles. I wonder if this is in the plan? (see the

story about Namibia dredging the Zambezi and the boat which is used to ferry vehicles and people).

ZAMBIA WILDLIFE AUTHORITY (ZAWA)

PRESS RELEASE March 24, 2014

THE Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) has received information of a fatal shooting incident in which some Zambian

Nationals who are alleged to have gone poaching in a National Park in Zimbabwe have been shot dead and others

injured.

ZAWA Investigations Unit (IIU) has since contacted Zim Parks to establish circumstances in which the suspects were

shot.

According to information reaching ZAWA, a group of 14 Zambians were found poaching in Hwange National Park by

Zim Parks and after being confronted, a shoot-out ensued resulting in the death of three of the suspects and the

wounding of others. Officers from Zim Parks are reported to have recovered one pair of ivory and 14 rounds of .375

ammunitions in connection to the incident which happened on March 5, 2014. ...

Residents especially along border areas are requested to be alert to report to the nearest police station or ZAWA

offices any unusual movements of people bearing arms or dealing in illegal wildlife trophy without proper

authorisation.

Problems at Kariba Dam Wall

There have been a lot of reports about Kariba Dam wall in the past two

weeks. Most of them are sensationalising the problem by stating that

the dam is about to collapse.

I don’t think that this is the case but there is a pressing need to do some

repair work. We reported the problem in this newsletter some months

ago and it is arising from the plunge pool at the base of the dam. The

water, when released from the dam, has gouged out a massive hole at

the base. If left untreated the hole could undermine the dam wall.

According to reports, money is being made available to do some repair work. World Bank, African Development Bank

and European Union have all agreed to help. The cost, according to a report in Bernama, is estimated at

US$250million!

Kazungula Bridge

Work on the Kazungula Bridge is set to start in July this year. The expected completion date is 2018. Above is an

artist’s impression.

From Japan International Cooperation Agency: This project will construct a bridge (with railway tracks) roughly 930

meters across the Zambezi River, along with access roads and border control facilities at Kazungula, located at the

border between Botswana and Zambia.

ZIMBABWE

ZIMBABWE CONSERVATION TASK FORCE

BABY ELEPHANTS BEING SOLD TO CHINA

We have received a very disturbing report that an Australian man in collaboration with a

Zimbabwean is currently searching for baby elephants in order to sell them to Chinese zoos.

We are withholding their names pending further investigations.

VIOLENT INVASION OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION FARM

Denlynian, a conservation farm in the Beit Bridge district of Zimbabwe has been the target of illegal invasions for

several years now.

In October last year, the invaders violently evicted all the company staff as well as a group of Polish Safari clients.

They took occupation of the staff quarters and went on a looting spree, asset stripping the property and slaughtering

the wildlife. The Messenger of the Court in Beit Bridge approached the Officer in Charge of Beit Bridge rural to seek a

police escort to effect the Warrant of Ejection issued by the High Court in 771/2010. The eviction of the invaders was

carried out satisfactorily on the 4th February 2014.

The farm owner's daughter in law was on her way out of the property on the 8th February 2014 when her car got

stuck in the mud. While she was waiting for assistance a large group of people approached her in 3 vehicles. The

leader of the group claimed to be the Lands Officer and said that the farm owner's family had no right to be on the

property and that the daughter in law was trespassing. He was extremely rude, aggressive and intimidatory and said

that he was soon going to settle 75 people on the property.

The court order issued in October 2010 stated "Ministry of Lands are interdicted from taking any steps to cause any

person to occupy the farm or to hinder or disturb the Applicant in his occupation thereof." It further stated " the

companies are entitled to remain on the properties in peaceful and undisturbed

possession of the properties and further entitled to continue their safari and hunting operations on the property."

In a meeting with their lawyer, the Lands Officer, who had previously been served with the court order didn't have

the vaguest understanding of the provisions of the court order. He admitted that he had issued new offer letters and

had authorised the invasion of the properties. He further admitted that he had organised the re-invasion group who

had harrassed the owner's daughter in law.

A man who owns the mortuaries in Beit Bridge and Gwanda is now building a resort on the property and it is

rumoured that he is also building a golf course. It is alleged that this is a joint venture with Kembo Mahade, the

Minister of Home Affairs.

PROBLEMS AT KANONDO

A woman who calls herself either Elisabeth Pasalk or Elisabeth Freeman has claimed Kanondo in Hwange, which is

the home range of the Presidential Elephant Herd. She has advertised on her Kanondo Lodge internet site, 7 day trips

to Africa. According to a reliable source, nobody ever spends 7 days at an expensive photographic safari lodge. The

most they would stay is about 2 or 3 days and our source strongly suspects that this is a hunting lodge, not a

photographic lodge. She is also preventing photographic safari vehicles from driving in the area.

Her internet link states the following:

Best Big 5 hunting opportunity in Africa

August 27, 2013 in Bargain Hunts by Hunting Legends

If you’re still looking for that once in a life time hunting opportunity in a NO FENCE area, then look no further!

Hunting Legends is proud to announce that we have secured unique hunting opportunities in the well known Matetsi

One Conservancy area in Zimbabwe. With the help and assistance of our friends and concession operators Rodger

Madangure, his wife Gaynor and sister Elisabeth Freeman (USA based), we now can offer you access to certainly one

of the most prestigious hunting concessions in all Africa.

Matetsi Unit 1 provides top quality hunts for dangerous game and plains game in an unfenced free-range

environment. The safari area spans in excess of 99000 acres situated in north-western Zimbabwe close to the famous

Victoria Falls. It is one of the best-known and most established safari hunting areas in all of Zimbabwe with the

Hwange National Park to the south and the Zambezi River to the north.

The main concern is the safety of the Presidential Herd.

COAL MINING IN THE GWAYI VALLEY

We are very concerned about the article below. If the projects mentioned go ahead, this could pose a far greater

threat to the Zimbabwean ecosystems, wildlife and tourim industry than anything so far.

The potential environmental and socio-economic effects of constructing the infrastructure; doing the mining

(opencast and underground); sourcing methane gas (fracking) and operating the three or four power stations are

varied, vast and are likely to affect the whole of the Hwange National Park, Kaza TFCA and all the water sources

leading into the Zambezi from that region. Everyone involved in conservation, tourism and sustainable development

needs to take this very seriously. If the past is anything to go by, the jobs created by these projects will be filled

mainly by Chinese people.

www.newzimbabwe.com 15 March 2014

CHINA Africa Sunlight Energy says it will complete its coal mine and a 300 megawatt power station at its concessions

in Gwayi, Matabeleland North by 2016, creating over 4,500 jobs.

Addressing delegates at a Parliament seminar on Thursday, the company’s deputy general manager Charles Mugari

said as part of the first phase of the project, the company will build a modern residential complex for 2,000 workers,

a coal mine and power plant.

“By 2016 we hope that the mine will be up and running,” he said, adding that the company was converting its special

grant to a special mining right.

He said second phase of the power project will focus on methane gas extraction and another 300MW plant to be

completed in mid-2017. The company intends to establish another 400MW plant powered by methane gas.

China Africa is a 50/50 joint venture between Zimbabwe’s Old Stone Investments and Shandong Taishan Sunlight of

China, plans to spend $2.1 billion in the next five years on power generation, coal mining and methane bed gas

extraction in Matabeleland north.

“We have embarked on a very comprehensive exploration process and by end of this year we will know exactly the

minable reserves of methane gas,” he said.

Mugari said the projects, which would be carried out on 100,000 hectares of land would create 4,500 jobs in the next

two years in a country where over 80 percent of the adult working population is unemployed.

The company is also planning to build hotels and business complexes.

“This is going to be the beginning of the creation of an economic zone which will attract more foreign direct

investment,” he said.

China Africa will also establish a coking plant for coal required in processing of steel.

Mugari said they had entered into a power purchasing agreement with Zimbabwe Electricity Distribution Company

(ZETDC) although tariffs were being finalised.

A transmission arrangement with the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority had also been agreed upon.

“We have also completed our environment impact assessment for the mine and right now we are working on the EIA

for the power generation and the documents are with the Environment Management Agency,” he said.

The company is also working with the water ministry to assist in the construction of the Gwayi-Shangani dam which it

seeks to benefit from.

Mugari urged Parliament to come up with conducive legislation that encourages foreign direct investment and for

government to harmonise its licencing regulations.

On Wednesday another company, Shangani Energy Exploration (SEE), said it has plans for $780 million gas project

and build a 400 megawatt power station in the same area.

NAMIBIA Namibia: Dredging for the Kabajani Ferry

From New Era

The dredging of the Zambezi River is scheduled to start in a matter of days, following the commissioning of the

dredger by the deputy Minister of Works and Transport Kilus Nguvauva last week. The commissioning of the dredger,

that cost government nearly N$8 million, coincides with the displacement of thousands of people in the eastern parts

of the region due to seasonal flooding.

The dredger will clear clogged waterways for the Kapelwa Kabajani river ferry, which has not been operational for

years since its maiden voyage in 2010 due to low water levels and impassable and rocky patches in the river. The

barge is used mainly by residents of the flood prone Kabbe constituency. "The river landing craft was acquired with

the sole purpose of transporting our people and their goods

between Katima Mulilo and Impalila Island and the Kasika area, as

well as assisting during flood emergencies in the area.

It is being utilised to transport passengers and goods, but not to its

full potential as expected. It has been facing major challenges such

as getting stuck on sand and rock outcrops, especially when the

level in the Zambezi becomes low. As a result it had a negative

impact on our service delivery in terms of the transportation of our

people," said Nguvauva during the commissioning of the vessel.

Nguvauva further said the acquisition of the ferry and dredger form

part of the ministry's strategic plan to ensure smooth and reliable

transportation for the many residents, who rely on often unpredictable dug-out canoes as the primary means of

transportation on longer and tiring journeys in the region. "This is the ministry's objective of ensuring a modern and

reliable transport infrastructure and ensuring the provision of quality goods and services," said Nguvauva.

Although he was not specific, the deputy minister conceded that the ministry is aware of possible dredging impacts

on aquatic life and said everything possible is being done to minimise the impact. "The dredger is not a perfect

initiative. I would like to call upon the department of transport and the directorate of maritime affairs to undertake

an environmental assessment that will analyse the direct or indirect impact of using a dredger in our mighty Zambezi

before we destroy what we proudly have at the moment," appealed Nguvauva. Kabbe constituency councillor and

chairperson of the Zambezi regional council Raphael Mbala said negotiations with the ministry of works culminated in

a significant reduction of tariffs, that has previously been a serious bone of contention with villagers who considered

the proposed tariffs to be too high and therefore unaffordable to the majority. "We negotiated with the ministry of

works.

The tariffs were reduced to N$85 from Katima Mulilo to Kasika and Impalila and N$45 from Katima to

Schuckmansburg (now Luhonono). However, this is yet to be finalised. The barge has only assisted flood victims and

has not yet started with its transportation services. We are dredging the river so that the ferry can travel

uninterrupted the whole year," said Mbala. The 360 horse power ferry christened the 'Richard Kapelwa Kabajani'

after the late liberation struggle hero can load up to two vehicles and hundreds of people. According to plans by the

ministry of works the Zambezi River would be dredged from Katima Mulilo up to Impalila Island.

Zambezi Rises

From New Era

With ongoing widespread rains in the SADC region the level of the Zambezi river is heading for the 5.50m mark before

the beginning of April, which would mean more conditions of flooding in Namibia. Between Monday and Tuesday, the

river level stood around 5.05m and 5.1m compared to last year's 5.71m around the same time. According to the

Namibia Hydrological Services (NHS) daily bulletin released on Monday, the perennial rivers continue to rise

significantly countrywide.

"The Zambezi river is maintaining its rapid rise and the river levels in Katima Mulilo have reached the critical range.

The overflow in the Zambezi floodplains has started and easy access is inhibited. The Chobe river's spillage is pushing

westwards into Liambezi lake," the NHS bulletin states.

BOTSWANA Nata Floods from Ngami Times

Nata Lodge

Bridge over the Nata River

Lion Attack

From the Ngami Times

A 68-year old Mababe man is recovering at Letsholathebe II Memorial Hospital, in Maun, after he survived a lion

attack at the village over the weekend.

Kopano Gakena told Gaborone media that the lion attacked him in the bush, at a hunting camp near Mababe. When

it attacked him he decided to fight the cat, and in the process sustained injuries on his legs and hands.

He said it was after he pulled the lion’s tongue that it loosened its grip on him and took a step back, giving him

enough space to retreat and call for help.

Gakena said the lion then gave up and went away. ...

TANZANIA

Tanzania: Chinese 'Poacher' Fails to Pay Sh9 Billion Fine, Jailed 20 Years

By Faustine Kapama, Tanzania Daily News

19 March 2014

A CHINESE national, Yu Bo (45), was jailed for 20 years after failing to pay a 9bn/ fine for possessing government

trophies worth over 978m/- unlawfully.

The verdict has come at a time when the government has vowed to leave no stone unturned in the effort to curb

poaching in the country. Senior Resident Magistrate Devota Kisoka of the Kisutu Resident Magistrates' Court in Dar es

Salaam convicted the Chinese on his own plea of guilty.

She said that she was imposing such severe sentence to serve as a lesson to others who might be tempted to engage

in poaching or act as accomplices to the crime. ...

UGANDA

FRESH TAX ASSAULT ON TOURISM IN THE MAKING

From Wolfgang’s Column

Tourism sources were swift to condemn revived plans to slap the sector with an 18 percent VAT for upcountry

accommodation, saying that ‘together with another planned tax rise on fuel this will make Uganda’s tourism products

a lot more expensive at a time when the country faces global opposition and decampaigning over the recently passed

‘anti gay’ and ‘anti miniskirt’ bills’. Added another regular source: ‘We shall wait for the budget proposal to be read. If

however these proposals go through and the funds allocated to tourism for promotion are not upped considerably at

the same time, we will finally know that this is a government which has and continues to let the tourism sector down

very badly and no amount of words will be able to appease the discontent this will raise. We in tourism have gotten a

raw deal over the years and there is no point in blaming the UTB or the ministry because their hands and feet are tied

by laughable budget allocations. Yet it is common knowledge that tourism could be the answer to so many economic

challenges Uganda has. We as a sector can create jobs, bring investment, earn a lot of foreign exchange, but not this

way, not by constant neglect and always new higher taxes and more fees’.

News emerged yesterday that members of the ruling party had reacted to the withdrawal and withholding of donor

and development partner funds, which left a serious hole in the national budget, by proposing a wide range of new

and increased taxes to fill the gap. ...

ELEPHANTS

The Amazon.com of Japan is the world’s biggest online retailer of elephant ivory and whale meat

By Gwynn Guilford, Quartz

March 18, 2014

Countries around the world are burning ivory stockpiles. It’s a powerful symbol against the illegal trade in elephant

tusks that resulted in as many as 30,000 elephant deaths last year. But those demonstrations can only be so effective

when a legal market for ivory trade exists. And according to a new report from the Environmental Investigation

Agency, an NGO, one of the world’s biggest digital companies is facilitating not only a brisk business in illegal ivory,

but also the sale of meat from endangered whales.

Rakuten Ichiba—the Japanese online marketplace of Rakuten Group, a digital giant that recently bought messaging

app Viber—offers products made from endangered animals that can fetch up to ¥2,640,000 ($28,186) (link in

Japanese), shows EIA’s investigation. This might be morally outrageous, but it’s not—at least on the face of it—illegal;

Japan claims exceptions to international bans on the commercial trade of elephant ivory and whale meat. And it

shows how futile laws protecting threatened animals are as long as they have loopholes.

How did those loopholes get there? As elephant poaching hit catastrophic levels in the 1980s, the Convention on

International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) instituted a global ban on the elephant

ivory trade. That made ivory prices drop sharply and drove poachers out of business.

However, in 1999 CITES allowed Japan (and, in, 2008, China too) to buy stockpiled ivory from African countries. While

the Japanese government is supposed to make sure only this “legal” ivory fuels the domestic trade, it doesn’t enforce

that, so poached ivory floods the domestic market, says EIA.

So at least some of the ivory items for sale on Rakuten are legal. The problem is that it’s extremely hard to tell legal

from illegal. That perpetuates demand for poached ivory. As of Feb. 2014, Rakuten Ichiba featured 28,000 ads for

elephant ivory products, most of which were for hanko (link in Japanese), the seals used in Japan to sign documents.

These ranged from ¥3,800 to ¥320,000 ($36 to $3,126). However, EIA reports that the site also sells ivory from

endangered elephants in Central Africa. It surmises this based on the size of the items for sale, since large tusks

almost certainly come from new sources (pdf, p.61). ...

Some Elephant History

Every day I receive emails about the elephant poaching going on throughout Africa. They are sickening to read but

reporting it on a regular basis in this newsletter does not help the fight to stop it.

I am re-reading a book by Richard Sampson about

George Westbeech who set up a trading store at

Pandamatenga (Botswana) in the 1870s. His store

relied mainly on the trade in elephant ivory.

Throughout Southern Africa, at that time, there

were hunters galore who killed elephants

indiscriminately for their tusks which were taken

to Cape Town and shipped to Europe. The ivory

was used for cutlery handles, billiard balls, piano

keys and jewelry (including buttons).

How did it all end? It ended because the elephant

population had virtually been wiped out and

became more and more difficult to kill. And, the

demand was reduced. With the invention of

plastics there was a ready substitute for ivory.

Our elephant populations in Africa were allowed to recover from this onslaught through the introduction of Wildlife

Parks where the elephant could live and multiply.

Nowadays the demand for ivory comes from Asia where it is used for carvings, chopsticks and hankos (company

stamps).

Is history repeating itself?

THE SMILE

READERS COMMENTS about the revival of the newsletter ...

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Many thanks for the Liv Weekly. We missed it.

The Livingstonian goes to around 1,000 addresses. I know it spreads out even more. In the past week the blog has

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Have a good couple of weeks

Gill