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Mozambique: Guebuza Visits Boane District

Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo)
15 May 2007

Boane

At least 17 wild animals that posed a threat to human life, mostly lions, but also crocodiles, elephants and hippopotamus, were killed in Maputo province from 2006 up to the first quarter of this year.

The Maputo provincial governor Telmina Pereira gave this information to Mozambican President Armando Guebuza in Boane district, on the second day of the President's tour of the province.

She said the districts of Magude, Moamba, and Matutuine, are the parts of the province most affected by the encroachment of animals into populated areas.

The Maputo Elephant Reserve is in Matutuine district, and Magude and Moamba border on South Africa's Kruger National Park.

It is thus hardly surprising that wild animals sometimes come into fatal contact with people in these areas.

Pereira explained that to try and minimise this problem the areas where it is at its sharpest have been demarcated, and brigades to defend people and property have been set up in all districts of the province.

She also said that hunting guns have been distributed to some of the districts, to be used to safeguard human lives in the event of danger.

18 awareness campaigns were conducted among local communities in Magude and Moamba about this problem.

Alongside these actions, the Provincial Agriculture Directorate gave credentials to some veterans of the independence war and to one commercial farmer to intervene to control crocodiles in the Umbeluzi river, and in the lake behind the Pequenos Libombos dam.

Pereira also stressed that the rains have failed in Maputo province this year. Intense heat has affected all districts, and the province has lost about 90,000 of the 141,000 hectares of assorted crops planted.

The governor said the drought affects 93,355 households, and 17,067 of them may need emergency food assistance.

During his visit to Boane, Guebuza met with the district government in an extraordinary session, after which he headed for Saldanha village, where he visited a local dam, and addressed a rally with the local residents.

In this meeting, Guebuza explained to the participants the importance of the government's decision last year to allocate money to every district, saying that the funds are to help the districts overcome the problems that hamper development. In 2006, this fund was seven million meticais (about 280,000 US dollars) for each district.

This explanation came as a response to the problems presented by the local people, who complained of poor access roads and transport, particularly for marketing their produce.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200705150912.html

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