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Stray elephants destroy crops, fencing
Friday, 09 September 2011 02:00

Beitbridge Bureau

A herd of stray elephants suspected to be from Botswana has descended on the 50-hectare Shashe irrigation scheme 120km west of Beitbridge town and destroyed crops and fencing material.
Farmers in the area said the jumbos were now a threat to their winter wheat crop.

The farmers had since notified the Beitbridge Rural District Council and the National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority.
Government sponsors Shashe irrigation scheme.
They are also looking for help to connect electricity to the 11km fence that was donated by the Peace Parks Foundation to protect the irrigation scheme.

"Elephants have become a perennial problem to us here as they continue to destroy our crops and irrigation every farming season. If this is not addressed as a matter of urgency all the wheat belonging to 60 plot holders here will go to waste," said Mr Isaac Tlou the vice chairperson of Shashe irrigation scheme.

No one had been attacked so far. He said they had also notified the local Member of Parliament, Mrs Metrine Mdau to approach relevant authorities for help.
With the aid of the Global Fund they had started reviving the irrigation scheme which had collapsed.