Phalaborwa | Thursday
THE relocation of a herd of elephants from South Africa to Mozambique will symbolise the regional peace that now reigns, Mozambican Tourism Minister Fernando Sumbana said Wednesday.
On Thursday morning, South African environmental officials will release the first herd of a group of 1 000 elephants to be relocated to the Mozambican side of what will become the Gaza-Kruger-Gonarezhou Transfrontier Park, which will also extend into Zimbabwe.
Border fences between the three countries are coming down to allow elephants and other herds to follow ancestral migration routes.
The park, due to be officially opened in 2003, will be bigger than the Netherlands or Taiwan at 38 600 square kilometres and will be the biggest reserve in the world.
“To me, release of the elephants, and the park symbolise that peace that exists in Southern Africa,” said Sumbana.
“It’s the sign of a new movement in the region where we are putting our resources together for everybody to benefit,” he said on arriving at the Kruger National Park in South Africa.
Mozambique stands especially to benefit from tourism, as the industry suffered badly from the effects of a 1979-1992 civil war.
In recent years, severe flooding has also destroyed large parts of the country’s infrastructure.
“The establishment of this park will also show that there is stability here, and create the confidence for investment,” said Sumbana.
“We see this as one single park, a peace park, belonging to three different countries,” said Zimbabwean Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Francis Nhema.
The two ministers will oversee the release of the elephants on Thursday along with South African Tourism and Environmental Affairs Minister Valli Moosa. – AFP