By Celani Sikhakhane
- The eMadlangeni council banned livestock in Utrecht last month, saying the town must return to its roots as a game reserve where giraffes and zebras roam freely.
- Residents like Thami Dlamini say the ban was imposed without financial support, leaving families to sell their animals or jointly rent a farm to keep them.
Utrecht is the kind of town where you can look up from your yard and see a giraffe. Zebras graze in the local park without flinching. The Balele Game Park encircles the entire town, and the wildlife has always moved through it as if the fences were not there.
The eMadlangeni Local Municipality wants to keep it that way. Last month the council banned residents from keeping livestock, saying Utrecht must return to what it is known for: a town inside a game reserve.
Mayor Nzwakhe Myeni informed communities of the decision. Ward councillor Buthelezi told residents to find farmers who could keep their animals elsewhere.
“This town is in the game reserve and its core is wildlife animals,” Buthelezi said.
“We are the only town where you would find a giraffe roaming the streets in the city centre of Utrecht.”
Not everyone is comfortable with that vision. Thami Dlamini, a community member, said the ban was announced without any plan for people who cannot afford the alternative.
“Some of us do not have money to rent farms to keep our livestock. This decision was taken without looking at issues like finances because most of us are poor without any income,” Dlamini said.
Residents are now making their own plans. Some are selling their animals because they have nowhere to put them. Others are grouping together to rent farm space and share the cost.
Scrolla drove through Utrecht and saw giraffes and zebras moving through the park freely. Residents have also been told not to hunt the wildlife.
Pictured above: Zebras grazing in the park of Utrecht in Madlangeni, near Newcastle.
Image source: Celani Sikhakhane
