EX-RANGER SPEAKS ON VICIOUS MOB ATTACK

MBABANE – Four days later, no person from the mob which assaulted a retired game ranger and also set two houses alight, has been arrested.

The senior citizen was assaulted and forced to ingest petrol by a mob which carried an assortment of weapons as they retaliated to the assault of one of seven poachers who wanted to steal and kill game inside Inyoni Yami Swaziland Irrigation Scheme (IYSIS) Farm, a private property at Tshaneni, in the Lubombo Region. Acting Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Mazwi Ndzimandze, said the police were still investigating the matter. He said on the day of the assault, two police officers attended to the scene as a response to an emergency that was reported through the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) toll-free number 999.

Ndzimandze said: “The situation on the ground was volatile and only two officers attended to the scene. As such, the person who was being assaulted ran and boarded the police vehicle upon sight.” He said any efforts to apprehend the mob would have been catastrophic; instead, after scaling the situation on the ground, the officers called for reinforcement and rushed the injured senior citizen to the nearest health facility. He said on Monday night, when the reinforcement arrived at the scene, the mob had already scattered and the suspects were said to have fled the scene. Ndzimandze said on Tuesday and yesterday, law enforcers were still investigating the matter as those suspected to have been ‘ringleaders’ had reportedly fled from their known places of abode.

Meanwhile, the retired ranger, who was attacked by the mob after an alleged poacher, who was set to kill and steal game inside the IYSIS Farm was killed, is recuperating well in hospital.
Thulani Mahlobo (60) also thanked the REPS for their swift response during the day of his attack, saying it was uncommon for the police to attend to cases at such speed. “The police responded in less than two hours of our call,” said Mahlobo. When this reporter visited the former conservationist in hospital, he was with a male relative, who had come to check on him after he read his story in the Times of Eswatini yesterday.

Swelling

He was narrating to him how the ordeal penned out and how he was feeling since being admitted to the hospital. He, however, mentioned that the swelling, especially on his face, had not subsided. “I think the bandage is making matters worse on my head as the swelling has not gone down,” he commented. When asked about the situation back home, he mentioned that his wife is holding the fort and making sure that their children and animals are taken care of. “She was here to check on me and went back home to see to it that everything is in order,” further commented Mahlobo.

He also mentioned that they agreed with his wife to let their livestock loose, especially the cattle and not keep them inside their kraal as they might be targetted by his attackers.
“We do not know their intentions, or if they will come back to finish their business so by letting the animals loose, we wanted to let them free and give them the opportunity to escape if the need arises,” Mahlobo said. He also mentioned that yesterday, the doctor came to check on him and was taken to an X-ray where he was given a compact disk containing images of the scan. “I will be receiving a diagnosis tomorrow, where the doctor will tell me what is wrong and if I need further treatment,” he added.

Worth mentioning, is that the former ranger was attacked by the mob at his homestead that tried to force him to drink petrol and further burn his former collegue’s house. This happened after a man from Manzana was shot dead allegedly for poaching inside IYSIS. Sources close to the matter mentioned that about 100 people, including relatives of the deceased, attacked Mahlobo in the presence of his family. The mob was allegedly heavily armed. These increasing incidents of poaching and the violent confrontations have seen Minister for Tourism and Environmental Affairs Jane Simelane, urging communities to refrain from poaching and respecting private property. Simelane said the law has to be upheld towards respect of private property and further urged communities not to confuse hunting with poaching. She said hunting cannot be done outside the guiding parameters and by utilising illegal arms.

Confrontations

The minister issued a call for peace and harmony, following a surge in violent confrontations between game rangers and poachers. This was after this publication reported that game farmers have been robbed of 327 animals since the beginning of the year, as per statistics issued by the Eswatini Game Rangers Association (EGRA). In essence, this depicts the high number of poaching incidents in the country, which are set to cause the decimation of certain game and send undulating effects to the game tourism sector.

According to EGRA, between January 1, 2024 and September 10, 2024, there were 126 recorded incidents of poaching on private property, with only 22 poachers arrested. These arrests, according to the association, were also accompanied by gunfire exchange between the game rangers and poachers. EGRA reported that there were nine incidents where gunfire was exchanged. The association reported that in the past eight months, 29 dogs were shot inside privately-owned game parks. The dogs are reportedly used by poachers in their act of illegally killing protected game.

In addition to this, the wildlife and game rangers have had to evade snares set to trap the former. EGRA reported that 3 112 snares were collected in the 252 days. On the other hand, the tourism industry generates over E622 million per annum, according to the Travel and Economic Impact 2023 published by the World Travel and Tourism Council.

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