Masoka Dube

Kruger National Park authorities believe that plans to re-erect the border fence between Mozambique and South Africa will prevent rhino poachers from entering the park.

“The fence will make it difficult for Mozambican poachers to enter the park,” said the park’s spokesperson, William Mabasa. “We always have poachers from both countries, but (re-erecting) the fence will play a major role in stopping them.”

He referred further questions to the Department of Environmental Affairs. “The idea of the fence came from the Minister (of Environmental Affairs Edna Molewa),” Mabasa said.

“Therefore, I cannot comment further about it. What I can tell you is that we as the Kruger National Park welcome the minister’s idea of (erecting) the fence again.”

The apartheid government erected the security fence in 1975 to keep the revolution in Mozambique from spilling into the park. It was removed in 2005 for biodiversity reasons.

Mabasa said all South Africans should contribute to the fight against rhino poaching. “The people who are poaching our rhinos also come from (our) cities and villages.

“Someone knows something about this issue. We are urging them to expose these criminals.”

SA National Parks CEO David Mabunda said the fence, if approved, would cost about R250m. Earlier in the month he told a media briefing that most of those caught poaching were Mozambicans, with some South Africans involved.

Mozambicans living just across the border from the park were extremely poor and the rewards of organised crime easily enticed them., he said.

Minister Molewa recently said the fence would be re-erected and an additional 150 rangers deployed to the Kruger National Park. – AENS