BY DAVID KISANGA
30th December 2013
Dubbed “Tokomeza Ujangili’, the operation culminated in the sacking of four cabinet ministers a week ago, well after it had been suspended by the National Assembly in early November this year.
In the debating chamber MPs claimed the operation was operated without abiding by principles of human rights and the country’s mother law, arguments which compelled the National Assembly Speaker, Anne Makinda to form a select committee to probe the operation.
Natural Resources and Tourism deputy minister Lazaro Nyalandu told a press conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday that only two elephants were butchered when the operation was going on.
After it was suspended, which is not more than 50 days, he said, more than 60 elephants have been killed - that is to say at least one elephant was killed a day.
Illegal activities in the restricted areas that include poaching, grazing and cutting down of natural trees have also doubled despite efforts to arrest the situation.
Nyalandu identified areas where massive slaughter of elephants took place to include the Selous, Ruangwa, and Burigi game reserves, Katavi National Park and Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
Minister Nyalandu noted: "Though the operation has been stopped for different reasons, in actual sense it had extensively reduced the killing of elephants and other wild animals."
The deputy minister said the ministry apprehended a truck with carcasses of 20 antelopes and 30 monkeys in Simanjiro District and Burigi Game Reserve respectively.
He said that there has been increasing number of pastoralists entering game reserves and national parks in the western part of the country (Burigi, Biharamulo, Kimisi, Moyowosi, Katavi and Ugalla).
More efforts are needed to address the problem, he said, so as to fend off the illegal activities taking place in those areas for the betterment and protection of the country’s natural resources.
According to Nyalandu, game rangers have been executing their duty tirelessly to ensure that they combat the illegal activities.
The deputy minister came up with the latest update following recent attacks and injuries of game rangers by people believed to be poachers.
He stressed that the government will not back down or leave any stone unturned in fighting against the poachers and protecting wildlife.
He urged officers in the ministry to obey rules and regulations put in place so as to protect the country's resources for the benefit of future generations.
Mid this month President Jakaya Kikwete rescinded appointments of four cabinet ministers on grounds of mishandling the operation.
Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda told the National Assembly that he had earlier consulted with the President about the situation, and agreed that the matter be given the political weight it deserved, and thus agreed to rescind the ministers’ appointments.
The minister who were involved in the operation and thus had their jobs on the cards were Natural Resources and Tourism minister Ambassador Khamis Kagasheki, Livestock Development minister Dr Mathayo David Mathayo, Home Affairs minister Dr Emmanuel Nchimbi and Defence and National Service minister Shamsi Vuai Nahodha.
The report on the operation was tabled by the Standing Committee on Lands, Natural Resources and Environment under the chairmanship of James Lembeli (Kahama, CCM).
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
No comments :
Post a Comment