By Beatific Gumbwanda
CHIREDZI-The joint Tourism Development plan along the Sengwe-Tshipise corridor by Beitbridge and Chiredzi Rural District Councils is set roll out following the availability of funding by SAT-Wild and Zimparks.
The technical planning committee was set in place towards the review of the Sengwe-Tshipise Local Development Plan, TellZim News can reveal.
Speaking during a full council meeting recently, Chiredzi Rural District Council (CRDC) Chief Executive Officer, Ailes Baloyi said they had already secured funding from their development partners towards the review of the development plan.
“Council secured funding through its development partners thus SAT-Wild and ZimParks to review the Sengwe-Tshipise Local Development Plan. Following the setting up of the technical planning committee a number of meetings have been lined up to gather and collect enough data for the review of the local plan.
“An inception meeting involving traditional leaders and other key stakeholders was held in Chiredzi in order to sensitize stakeholders on the need to review the plan,” said Baloyi.
The Sengwe-Tshipise Wilderness corridor, which is the mainstay of the Great Limpopo Trans frontier Park, (GLTP) facilitates free wildlife movement between the National Parks of Zimbabwe (Gonarezhou National Park), South Africa’s Kruger National Park and Mozambique’s Limpopo National Park, is set to benefit Chiredzi and Beitbridge Rural District Councils tourism industries through investment opportunities.
Sustainable Agricultural Technology Wild (SAT-Wild) and Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife have successfully funded the two local authorities to review the Sengwe-Tshipise corridor Local Development Plan, with the technical planning committee having been put in place.
With political borders rarely respecting ecological systems, the three Southern African countries (Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa) signed an international treaty in 2002 Xai Xai, Mozambique that gave birth to the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, which aims to straddle the three countries political borders while joining some of the established wildlife areas into a huge conservation area of around 35 000km2 which is managed as an integrated unit across the three countries.
The Sengwe-Tshipise Corridor has since been benefitting animals since the formation of the GLTCA in 2002 and the two local authorities were moving in exploring ways which the communities can benefit from the place of ‘pain and gain’, which is the Sengwe-Tshipise wildlife corridor.
