Killing in the name of conservation

Conservation efforts can come at the cost of human lives [View this email in your browser]( November 24, 2020 [Mail & Guardian]( [Mail & Guardian]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( Hi there, A diplomatic crisis is brewing between Namibia and Botswana. With four alleged poachers shot dead, questions are being raised about the supposed excessive force of the soldiers asked to protect vulnerable regions. Joel Konopo and the [INK Centre for Investigative Journalism]( have [investigated what is a densely complicated situation](. With the Botswana Defence Force allegedly responsible for the deaths of four alleged poachers from Namibia, claims have emerged that they may have been unarmed fishermen and one may have even been executed after being arrested. Protests have erupted in Windhoek and the Zambezi Region, as Namibians demand justice for the incident. Poaching is undeniably a plague in Africa, but the story has highlighted how our zealous drive to protect our wildlife should itself be constantly kept in check and perspective. Although this case is far from resolved, it is not uncommon for canoe fishermen to stray into foreign waters unawares — committing that mistake should not be punishable by death. Nor indeed should even guilty poachers be executed on the spot. On the converse side of the poaching issue, is how rural communities are treated by owners of luxury game lodges. As a result of [Covid-19 border closures]( and subsequent tentative reopenings, many exclusive tourism businesses that usually cater to foreign visitors are now grappling to come to terms with lean reservation sheets. One of these is Wilton Valley Hunting Safaris, which is described on its website as “the pride of Southern Africa’s hunting establishment. Hunters over the world testify to the high standard of the hunting safaris at Wilton Valley.” Details contained in an application for a protection order against the manager of this Limpopo luxury game farm paint a grim picture of circumstances that have seen farm dweller Isaac Pukuni flee his home, fearing for his life, Lucas Ledwaba reports. “All my items are at home [the farm]. I can’t reach them. I’m afraid my life is at risk. I can’t even change my clothes; my ID — everything is there. He don’t treat me like a human being,” Pukuni wrote in the statement. The Lephalale magistrate’s court dismissed his application for a protection order against Johan de Jager of Wilton Valley Hunting Safaris on 22 September because the “action [as reported by Pukuni] do [sic] not constitute harassment.” In his application, Pukuni wrote that De Jager, accompanied by another person, threatened him with a firearm, ordering him to leave the property where he was born 35 years ago and where his grandmother and other extended family members still live. He says the alleged harassment has been ongoing since 2013. De Jager, who was sent detailed questions about Pukuni’s allegations, has not responded to the Mail & Guardian. Pukuni’s story reflects the daily challenges farm dwellers face. Earlier this month, Sarah Smit reported how 26 years into democracy, many farm dwellers living on privately owned land [still struggle to access water and other basic services](. A survey of more than 800 households living on commercial farms in the uMgungundlovu district in KwaZulu-Natal shows that only 447 got their water from a tap and almost half of them did not have a toilet. These households consist of between three and 20 people. To help us to continue reporting on underreported communities and issues, give the gift of the [Mail & Guardian’s journalism for only R33]( a month this Black November. Until tomorrow, Kiri Rupiah & Luke Feltham Copyright © 2020 Mail & Guardian Media LTD, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in to receive communications from the Mail & Guardian either at our website or by taking out a print subscription. Our mailing address is: Mail & Guardian Media LTD 25 Owl St BraamfonteinJohannesburg, Gauteng 2001 South Africa [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](.