Durban — King Misuzulu kaZwelithini has pledged his continued support for Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife’s conservation efforts at Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP).
During a two-day visit, on Tuesday and Wednesday, the king reaffirmed his commitment to supporting Ezemvelo’s conservation initiatives to ensure HiP remains one of the premier game reserves globally.
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife spokesperson Musa Mntambo said the visit gave the entity an opportunity to highlight latest advancements in anti-poaching technology and conservation efforts.
Mntambo said that the Ezemvelo team updated the king on new tools deployed to combat rhino poaching. These tools include over 200 surveillance cameras that trigger immediate responses from ground teams, the use of K9 units to track poachers, and strategically placed smart fencing to monitor specific areas of HiP.
Mntambo said King Misuzulu also participated in a rhino dehorning session, an initiative Ezemvelo launched in April 2024 to reduce rhino poaching.
“Since the program began, more than 1 000 rhinos have been dehorned, contributing to a more than 70% decrease in poaching since the dehorning program started. Despite these successes, October saw an unfortunate spike, with 20 dehorned rhinos lost to poaching,” Mntambo said.
He added that Ezemvelo hopes it has dismantled the syndicate following the death of two foreign poachers who were shot during a gunfight with Ezemvelo’s anti-poaching unit.
Ezemvelo CEO Sihle Mkhize expressed appreciation for the king’s visit and noted that the visit underlines the ongoing collaboration and dedication needed to preserve HiP’s legacy as a sanctuary for future generations.
“King Misuzulu’s support is an invaluable asset to our conservation efforts,” Mkhize said.
After being part of the rhino dehorning, King Misuzulu stated: “We need to support programs where we protect our natural resources, e.g our animals looking at everything that affects our animals negatively.
“We need to give great support especially to those communities that are close to these game reserves and we look to their leadership to work closely with the nature conservationists.”
Queen Nomzamo Masesi Myeni and several royal household members accompanied King Misuzulu. Also in attendance were several prominent local amakhosi, including Inkosi Mkhwanazi of Mpukunyoni Traditional Authority and Inkosi Hlabisa of Matshamnyama Traditional Authority. Ezemvelo was represented by Inkosi Xolo, Tallman Sibiya (members of the KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Board), and Mkhize.
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