Innocent Sibonginkosi Ncube<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BULAWAYO \u2013 Matabeleland North is facing a dual crisis, emerging as a national hotspot for outbound migration while its rural communities live in fear of devastating human-wildlife conflict, according to a new government report and on-the-ground testimonies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 2024\u20132025 Zimbabwe Livelihoods Assessment Committee (ZimLAC) report reveals that Matabeleland North has some of the highest migration rates in the country, with 12.6% of households moving to urban areas and 7.8% leaving Zimbabwe entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The exodus is driven by a desperate search for work and education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI had to send my son to Bulawayo because there was simply no work here,\u201d said Thabani Ncube, a smallholder farmer in Lupane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEven piece jobs have dried up. At least in town, he can hustle and maybe support the family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Experts warn this trend threatens to hollow out rural communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is a double-edged sword,\u201d explained Dr. Nomalanga Sibanda, a livelihoods researcher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFamilies may benefit from remittances, but local economies lose critical labour and skills.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018We Hear Hunger Coming\u2019: The Plight of Hwange\u2019s Farmers<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For those who remain, a different battle rages. In Hwange West, farmers face relentless attacks from predators spilling out from nearby forest areas and the vast Hwange National Park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Farmer Members Ndlovu has meticulously recorded his losses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI have lost six cows over the years. Two bulls, four females,\u201d he said, pointing to the reinforced thorn branches on his kraal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey come and attack in the kraals, mainly targeting goats and donkeys. Sometimes they wipe out 11 or 12 goats in a single night.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The trauma extends beyond livestock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have abandoned our fields because elephants devour everything within a night,\u201d Ndlovu added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf nothing changes, in ten years there will be no livestock left here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The emotional and economic toll is immense. Esline Ncube, a grandmother raising orphans in Masuwe village, lives in constant fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI am looking after orphans, how do I explain to them that the goats they depended on for milk are gone?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe next victims will be us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Call for Action and Compensation<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Official statistics from the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) paint a stark national picture: between 2019 and July 2025, over 10,000 conflict incidents were reported, resulting in 370 human deaths and the loss of 3,086 livestock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Local leaders are demanding urgent government intervention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur call, which has gone beyond a plea, is for the government to compensate people who have lost their livestock,\u201d said Councillor Given Moyo of Kachechete Ward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe economic loss is huge. Some people spent pensions buying cattle, young people invested in goats, all gone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While a new Parks and Wildlife Amendment Bill promises solutions, villagers are weary of waiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey promise they will come, but it ends there,\u201d said Ndlovu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe want ZimParks rangers living with us in the villages, trained and armed to kill or scare away these lions. Otherwise, we are finished.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Cllr Moyo poignantly summarized,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAt night, when lions roar, we don\u2019t hear the sound of conservation; we hear hunger coming.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Zim GBC News <\/strong>| Global News From An African Perspective\u00a92025<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Innocent Sibonginkosi Ncube BULAWAYO \u2013 Matabeleland North is facing a dual crisis, emerging as a national hotspot for outbound migration while its rural communities live in fear of devastating human-wildlife… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9750,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9749"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9749\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9751,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9749\/revisions\/9751"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}