Windhoek
There is a high-pitched uproar at Impalila Island in Zambezi Region among conservancy members who are convinced the unusual theft of some elephant tusks from the conservancy office has all the hallmarks of an inside job, possibly involving a greedy rogue conservation officer/s who apparently stole the ivory obviously for self-enrichment.
What makes the community’s suspicions plausible is the fact the ivory harvested from a problem elephant disappeared from the conservancy office, while those guarding the office professed they never saw any suspect break into the locked office that is guarded around the clock and where there were no signs of forced entry, which serve to strengthen the community’s suspicions.
“When the conservancy manager (John Musole) opened the safe after the Ministry of Environment and Tourism officials started to inquire about the tusks, so that they could take them for safekeeping, he discovered the tusks were gone despite the fact there was no break-in or any sign of forced entry,” said a conservancy member that requested anonymity for fear of a possible backlash.
“The case was reported to the police but they seem to be dragging their feet, despite the fact there are some solid leads that could result in the suspect at the conservancy being arrested and prosecuted for the theft of the tusks,” said the conservancy member.
The theft uncovered in July has also been brought to the attention of both the headwoman of Impalila, Imelda Matengu, and John Likando of Swapo, who is the councillor for Kabbe South covering Impalila and Kasika, among several other habitats in the flood belt.
Likando said he had heard about the ivory theft but expressed concern about the lack of accountability and lack of transparency at several conservancies in the Zambezi, a rot he says affects the entire region.
He added that he had consolidated a report, which he has dispatched to the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, calling on it to take possible remedial action on a lack of transparency and accountability at many conservancies inZambezi, where many accountability reports do not reconcile.
Matengu, the Impalila headwoman, confirmed the case has been referred to the police where a criminal docket was opened, and she also said the case has attracted the interest of the traditional sub-khuta at Impalila following complaints about the theft.
James Maiba, the head of Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation (IRDNC) at Impalila, said the tusks, worth an unspecified amount, were stolen under the watch of game guards at Impalila.
“The community is very concerned that since the docket was opened no follow-ups were done and even the Ministry of Environment and Tourism did not follow up the matter.”
He said the stolen tusks were supposed to have been sent to the Game Products Trust Fund, which oversees the safety of some of the ivory trophies belonging to the state.
“The Impalila khuta also wants the culprit to be traced and brought to book as such acts adversely affect the operations of our conservancy,” said the IRDNC official.
The Impalila station commander, Chief Inspector Beld Skoene, confirmed that a case of ivory theft was registered on August 26 under CR05/08/2016 and that he had referred the case to a specialised police unit at Katima Mulilo that investigates cases of poaching.
Musole, the manager of the conservancy, said the tusks disappeared from an unlocked cupboard and not from the safe, as alleged by conservancy members, because the safe is for guns and is also used for the storage of hard cash and a receipt book for the conservancy.
Musole explained that he keeps one set of keys for the conservancy office while another set of keys apparently rotates among his subordinates, and he insinuated the tusks were possibly stolen during floods. He says he last saw the tusks in March.
Namibia has in recent years experienced an upsurge in elephant poaching and there is concern that the current level of slaughter could see these magnificent species become extinct, when considering that poaching cases outweigh by far the number of elephant births.
Chrispin InambaoIllegal trade in wildlife products, including elephant ivory, is worth a staggering N$300 billion annually. Concerned conservationists estimated in 2015 that 20 000 elephants were slaughtered for their ivory by poachers, some armed with military-grade weapons.