Rain has been a subject of keen discussion recently. After a period of almost three weeks, between the end of January and mid-February, the wet season being over was a very real possibility. We were finally relieved of the taunting daily cloud build up with a drenching downpour and have since had overcast skies. The Main Camp area seems to sit within a particularly stubborn pocket, with the total seasonal rainfall lagging behind surrounding areas by at least 100mm, however the rains are falling all around us. It seems the Sinamatella and Robins areas are awash!
Work has had to be adjusted according to the weather and mowing has been the order of the day – the grass almost seems to grow behind the tractor. During February, FOH mowed the grass from Main Camp all the way through to the new gate, a time-consuming task, but necessary for both road and wildlife safety. There has been steenbok, ground hornbill and impala activity in the mown grass and from observation, we would like to believe less roadkill.
The grass has been prolific this year. Crow’s foot (Dactyloctenium aegyptium) has been abundant through the area surrounding Main Camp while the Panicum maximum towers over its competition. It’s a wonderful sight to see, however there are still areas that are noticeably ungrazed. This is a stark difference from last year where areas were only mown once with no substantial regrowth.
Earlier in the month, we were by chance at Hwange Safari Lodge when a baby buffalo was noticed to have fallen into the moat in front of the hotel. A combined effort ensured that the calf was ushered into the arms of Jason who hoisted it up out of the moat while its bellowing mother came at full tilt across the vlei looking for her stricken young. Thankfully, mum and baby were reunited leaving the rescue agents with highly elevated heart rates!!
A few days later a pride of lion came through Main Camp and killed a wildebeest by the abandoned swimming pool and at the end of Feb, two pairs of bat eared foxes were seen close to the new gate.
Game water has been a mostly trouble free this month – what a pleasure! Forster’s Irrigation together with the FOH team in collaboration with ZimParks have been busy at Tshebe Tshebe and Garakamwe. The old arrays of nine 330W panels have been replaced with twelve 550W panels and a hybridised battery system installed at each pan. With the teams being well versed in the exercise, this 14th and 15th installation went off seamlessly. Our most grateful thanks to Global Humane Conservation Fund of Africa for making this possible, and to Hwange Conservation Society, UK for their ongoing assistance with spares and sundries to complete the job.
Thus far the upgraded systems include Makwa, Sinanga, Boss Longone, Caterpillar, Ngweshla, Kennedy 2, Tshebe Tshebe, Garakamwe, Shapi, 2 x Nyamandhlovu, Guvalala, Dopi, Jambile, and Manga 1.
Water levels in both pumped and natural pans are generally excellent due to the recent rainfall and the lack of elephant pressure although Dom and Livingi could do with a good belt of rain to fill them up! Hopefully the rains are set to continue for a few more weeks.
The weeds and reeds growing in the pan at Makwa are prolific and provide wonderful habitat for a plethora of waterfowl and other biodiversity. Vegetation generally is thick, green and lush.
In February, the road from Makwa to Kennedy 1 was dragged and graded, completing the section that was started in January. This has ironed out the corrugations from Main Camp to the Kennedy 1 Campsite.
Roads are an ongoing labour of love and a single rain shower can undo much good work. This frustration has been mitigated by the beautiful show of teak trees clad in exceptional displays of purple summer blooms.
We have been approached by Panthera to assist in opening the way for a camera trap survey project around the Mtoa area and took a drive to the Ruins to ascertain the state of the roads. Last year they were harrowed as part of the firebreak plan but with the recent rains and resultant impeding foliage, they need to be addressed once again. Usually at this time of the year the cotton soil puddles would have hindered our journey but due to the 3-week rain void, it was almost completely dry.
We hope to receive Some assistance from the 4×4 clubs from Vic Falls and Harare for this project that would be invaluable in opening up the area.
We participated in the national first Friday litter pick up this month. It was encouraging to see how many people and organisations had been rallied up.
Teams from ZimParks, FOH, Painted Dog Conservation, Hwange Safari Lodge, the Airports Company of Zimbabwe, Iganyana and Amalinda all converged at Mabale Cross, while a separate party was dispatched to Dete town. We sincerely hope to see the same good turnout in the months ahead.
For the second time in 4 years, Sinamatella has again been under threat from Chinese coal mining. Sunny Yi Feng, a Chinese mining company, applied to mine deep into the Park claiming that they wished to mine 16,000ha of Parks estate, but on the map it appears more like 22,000ha! This despite the Zimbabwe Government and the Chinese embassy saying after the last effort to mine in the Park that they would not support any future attempts on mining in the National Parks estate.
ZimParks, FOH and many other organisations and individuals submitted furious letters of objection, while multiple social media posts have been shared and reshared – the devastation and damage to the environment, the wildlife and the tourism sector would be catastrophic. In a recent development, we’re delighted to report that the Zimbabwean Government has stood by their statements and kept their integrity intact. Quote: “The Speaker of Parliament in Zimbabwe, Jacob Mudenda, has rejected a proposal to conduct coal mining within Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park, emphasizing the availability of alternative coal-rich areas elsewhere in the country”.
The proposed mining area lies within the straight black lines.
We are delighted to welcome Albert Paradzai into the FOH fold. Albert joined us as of 1 March 2025 to continue with the Boundary Protection work. With decades of field experience, being an ex ZimParks employee, and having worked for many years in HNP, Albert is already familiar with the landscape and with many of the people in the area. He has hit the ground running engaging with relevant stakeholders, sorting out the logistics for his scouts and planning a busy agenda. We very much look forward to working with Albert.
We have also taken on Carmen McGregor to assist with on-the-ground admin, logistics, social media, and back-up. Carmen’s ready smile and efficiency in all that she does is proving to be a real asset. Jason Friend and our work teams are due huge accolade. They keep things on track with much toil and sweat under sometimes extreme conditions and still remain cheerful. We are lucky to have a great set up.
Finally, much appreciation to ZimParks:
- The Director General Professor Edson Gandiwa,
- The Regional Manager Mr Samson Chibaya,
- The Senior Area Manager at Main Camp Mrs Nomusa Moyo
- The staff on the ground in HNP with whom we collaborate and work very closely.
Image credits: Carmen McGregor and Dave Dell
Friends of Hwange is a non-profit organization that relies entirely on donor funds to achieve its goals. Our most grateful thanks to all supporters for any and all much-needed contributions, without which the organisation we would cease to exist.
