Residents of the kwaMpumpula community in Nongoma were forced to flee from their homes and find alternative accommodation when a herd of 30 elephants escaped from a private game reserve on Tuesday last week. The community stayed on high alert in fear that the elephants may attack. The situation escalated the following night when the herd moved into the Esidakaneni area.
Ezemvelo’s communications manager, Musa Mntambo, said they responded to an urgent call from the residents and they deployed officials into the area to monitor the situation and to ensure residents’ safety while they addressed the issue.
Mntambo added that they prefer safe and non-lethal options to remove elephants from an area, after the recent media outcry about the ‘destruction’ of nine elephants near Mawana Private Game Reserve.
Two days later (Thursday), approximately 10 elephants were seen in Ceza, Mahlabathini area. Community members in the area said they saw the elephants entering the Khumalo premises during the night, only to disappear into a forest the following morning. A member of the CPF in the area said that fortunately the elephants did not attack anyone. It is unclear if these elephants are from the same herd that escaped from the private game reserve. The Vryheid Herald again attempted to get hold of Ezemvelo’s media liaison to determine if the elephants are still at large and whether these are possibly a smaller herd from the initial 30 elephants that escaped earlier in the week. Unfortunately, Mntambo was unavailable at the time of going to print.

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The news provided to you in this link comes to you from the editorial staff of the Vryheid Herald, a sold newspaper distributed in the Vryheid area.