Cattle-killing lions spread fear among farmers, an enraged white rhino charges a woman and a rogue leopard attacks villagers — these are some of the ordeals experienced in recent months by communities on the borders of two major game reserves.
People living on the outskirts of SA’s oldest game reserve, Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park (HiP) in northern KwaZulu-Natal, say broken fencing is allowing wild animals to roam outside the park and put their lives in danger.
Residents of Okukho and Nqulwane say that they know of 18 such incidents between July 4 and August 31.
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife spokesperson Musa Mntambo confirmed 14 of the cases, saying they included escapes by lions, elephants and rhinos. He said at least 10 lions had been put down as a result.
On August 10, Zanele Mbhele, 43, of Nqulwane, came face-to-face with a white rhino that had escaped from the game reserve.
“It was as if the world was rumbling and coming to an abrupt end,” Mbhele told the Sunday Times from her hospital bed on Thursday, before undergoing surgery at Ballito Hospital.
Mbhele had been walking home from her grandchild’s daycare centre when she heard an aunt shouting frantically to alert her that the rhino was coming at her.
“When my aunt shouted for me, things seemed [too] late because when I looked it was edging closer.”
She fell to the ground, cowering, and the rhino attacked.
“All I could remember was telling God that my life was in his hands. While that was happening I could feel heavy breathing.”
The rhino grazed her left leg and thighs and tried to gore her in the back with its horn.
Mbhele said Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife’s fencing was in a poor condition. “Not so long ago, I learnt of a lion prowling an area near the school, not so far from where we live.”
She said the presence of dangerous animals spread alarm among villagers because water scarcity was forcing them to walk long distances through the bush to collect water.
Mntambo confirmed the rhino was later recaptured.
Msizeni Sithole, a 65-year-old livestock owner, has had to deal with lions hunting and killing his calves.
When the Sunday Times visited the area last week, Sithole and wildlife officials were scouring the area to find a lion that had escaped from the reserve that morning. They came across the carcasses of three calves killed by lions.
Sithole said he provided for his family by selling livestock.
He said people who were illegally excavating sand had dug too close to the fence around the HiP, creating potential escape routes for animals.
“There are residents who dig for sand until they are almost on the fence of the reserve — but I blame the management. They should work with the community to identify the perpetrators. The lack of electric fencing or corrugated iron fencing for the large animals — that’s the ignorance I’m talking about from management,” said Sithole.
The spokesperson for the national department of environmental affairs, forestry & fisheries, Albi Modise, said the provincial department of economic development, tourism & environmental affairs had provided R9m to urgently repair the fence in the area.
This after the department’s MEC Siboniso Duma visited the area this week and engaged with communities.
“Minister Barbara Creecy has discussed the matter with MEC Duma and the chair of Ezemvelo Board and it was agreed that Ezemvelo can approach SANParks if they need assistance in this matter,” said Modise.
Serious incidents involving wild animals were recorded in SA between 2010 and 2020, in which nine people were killed by big cats.
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Retired Ezemvelo chief veterinarian Dr Dave Cooper said the issue of fencing around SA’s major parks should have been resolved a decade ago.
“I know those fences and it’s something that should have been corrected 10 years ago. It’s arising due to a lot of corruption which is impacting on budgets.”
Modise and Mntambo did not respond to requests to address this issue.
In July, the village of Matsulu on the outskirts of the Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga was the scene of a leopard attack on four people. One of them was Ndumiso Motha, who said he the animal struck when he was walking to the local school.
He said he heard a roar and then the big cat climbed onto his back.
“I fell and it started scratching my face but I told myself that I need to bring it in front of me so that I could face it eye to eye.
“I’ve heard that it is more powerful when it attacks you from the back, that’s why I had to get it in front of me as quickly as I could,” he said.
Motha’s screams for help were heard by passer-by Vusi Nkosi, who rushed to his aid.
“I had to think very quickly and took a brick and smashed [the leopard] on the head. I was just focused on saving Ndumiso. It was a scary sight and I’m glad I could help him.”
The leopard was killed.
Roelie Kloppers, CEO of nonprofit conservation trust Wildtrust, said human-wildlife conflict is not necessarily inevitable.
“While poor maintenance is often blamed for porous fences, there are many other underlying issues, such as incursions for poaching and theft of fence material by criminal syndicates,” he said.
“It is critically important that wildlife authorities and neighbouring communities work together to address wildlife crime to prevent these types of breakdowns that lead to wildlife moving out of game reserves into communities.”
According to Four Paws, there were 33 serious human-wildlife incidents in SA in the 10 years to2020, including the deaths of nine people in attacks by big cats.
— Additional reporting by Mfundo Mkhize.
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