George Maponga in Masvingo
The US$15 million project financed by the EU to rehabilitate the perimeter fence around Save Valley Conservancy in the south east Lowveld has been temporarily shelved over delays in completing a feasibility study for the venture.

The project seeks to stem rampant humans/wildlife conflict after landless villagers occupied some parts of the conservancy and built homes over two decades ago.

Poaching also spiked within the conservancy after the perimeter fence was vandalised prompting the EU to offer to pay for the restoration of the double fence that separated wildlife from humans.

The financial package also included development of irrigation projects for communities settled within the conservancy’s immediate precincts to reduce their appetite for poaching.

Roll-out of the project has since been moved to next year to allow all the concerned parties to agree on outstanding sticking issues around relocation of some communities and development of sustainable economic projects for them.

Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu confirmed the project was off the table for now though he could not shed more light.

According to the Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs Ezra Chadzamira the project was only temporarily stopped this year but will be rolled out next year.

“The EU Save Valley project has not yet been cancelled but was only suspended for now and moved to a later date. In-fact we are now preparing to start implementation next year when some of the outstanding issues would have been cleared. There is an issue of a feasibility study on the path of the new planned perimeter fence to end humans/wildlife conflict. The feasibility study is still outstanding.”

“There is also another unresolved issue of where the families who will be displaced by the new fence will settle. Land has to be identified to resettle them and that has not yet been completed. The settlers also want to know what will be done for them in return to sustain their lives after their relocation and these are sticking issues that are still being worked on otherwise the deal is still on the table,” said Minister Chadzamira.

Rehabilitation of the Save Valley perimeter fence is expected to gobble US$4 million with expectations high the development will restore the wildlife-rich conservancy its yester-year glory.

Communities around the park, which borders Chipinge, Zaka, Bikita and Chiredzi districts have been losing property and crops worth tens of thousands of dollars to wild animals that roam freely because of the absence of a perimeter fence.

In some cases some of the animals especially predators such as lions have caused loss of human life or limb and while also attacking and killing livestock.

There are high hopes that Save Valley will reclaim its status as a major tourist attraction which rakes in hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in foreign currency receipts.

The conservancy is also part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, which brings together wildlife habitats in Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa to create a single and expansive wildlife corridor where animals move freely.