Allexer Namundjembo
The Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism is struggling to find markets for crocodile by-products due to the absence of a well-established value chain.
This was confirmed by the ministry’s spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda in an interview with the Windhoek Observer last week.
“What do you do with them?” he asked.
Several communities, particularly along the Okavango River, have on several occasions requested quotas for crocodile consumption.
Muyunda explained that the ministry is only interested in working with those who intend to farm crocodiles, not those seeking to consume them.
Regarding crocodile population management, he said that continuous monitoring is in place.
“The conservancies along the rivers have utilisation quotas to hunt trophy crocodiles for them to generate money. Through this, we are managing the population of crocodiles to acceptable levels,” he said.
Depopulation efforts have been prompted by increased cases of human-wildlife conflict involving crocodiles, particularly in the Kavango East region.
“Part of the resolutions that came from the human-wildlife conflict conference is to reduce the number of wildlife species in affected areas,” said Muyunda.
On Monday The Namibia newspaper reported that a man escaped the jaws of a crocodile while bathing in the Okavango River at Kafuma village in the Kavango West region last Wednesday.
Damian Haikera (22) said he went to the river to fetch water and bathe.
It is estimated that the Okavango River is home to more than 11 000 crocodiles.
As part of this initiative, the ministry auctioned 40 crocodiles in 2023.
However, the crocodiles sold in the auction have yet to be released to the buyer and remain in the river.
In the same year, the ministry spent over N$2.3 million to compensate people who lost family members to crocodile attacks since 2019.
Although only three bids were received, only one bidder met the conditions required for the release of the animals.
Muyunda stated that the ministry will only release the crocodiles once the buyer has established proper facilities to house them.
“The buyer is a local and there are conditions he needs to meet before the contract can be signed and the crocodiles can be released to him,” said Muyunda.
The exact number of crocodiles sold will only be disclosed once the contract is signed.
One of the requirements is for the buyer to build a pond and an enclosure where the animals will be kept.
Environmental advocate, Vernet Mukoya expressed concern over the increasing human-wildlife conflict, describing the situation as “alarming,” with people frequently asking what benefits they receive from wildlife.
“The question society always asks is, what do we benefit from the animals around us? When elephants are killed in the bush, the community receives small portions of meat, akin to chicken pieces. Much of the conflict happens by the river, where people rely on water for survival,” he said.
Mukoya also pointed out the challenges faced by local communities regarding crocodile sales.
“When crocodiles are sold, the communities from which they are taken see no benefits, despite enduring the terror these animals cause,” he said.
As a solution, Mukoya suggested that revenue from crocodile sales should directly benefit local communities, particularly by funding access to clean water.
“This would help mitigate the dangers of people dying at the river and provide running water in homes, addressing a pressing need in these communities,” he said.
Rundu Rural constituency councillor Paulus Mbangu echoed these concerns, calling on the government to ensure that crocodile sales benefit local communities.
“The idea of the ministry selling crocodiles to minimize attacks in the region is good. But the question is: How is the community in Kavango East and West benefiting from the sale? If the ministry is selling crocodiles to direct the proceeds straight into government coffers, then that is counterproductive because the community has been suffering from those attacks,” he said.
Mbangu also urged the ministry to support the establishment of a crocodile farm.
“Let them support the initiative so they can move crocodiles from the river into the farm, so the community can sell them to other countries that use crocodile products, such as Italy. The ministry should support the crocodile farm,” Mbangu added.
Mbangu stressed that hunting crocodiles for human consumption is culturally unacceptable.
“In Kavango culture, we do not eat crocodiles because of the attacks that have killed people. It is taboo and unethical for us. What we can do is have a crocodile farm and sell them to countries that manufacture products from their skins, while we set up our factories,” Mbangu said.
Mukwe Constituency Councillor Damian Maghambayi also raised concerns about how funds from crocodile and wildlife sales are being used.
He argued that since crocodile attacks primarily affect local communities, the revenue should be reinvested in those areas.
“Crocodiles are the most dangerous animals that attack people. If you analyze it well, most people are attacked while fetching water or doing laundry at the river. So, if the money generated from crocodile sales is used to provide water to the people, then the attacks will stop. The ministry should bring the funds back to the communities,” he said.
The government has a pending crocodile farm project near the Kwando River at Kongola in the Zambezi region.
Initially valued at N$100 million, the project was initiated in 2011 by the Ministry of Trade and Industrialization and managed by the Namibia Industrial Development Agency (NIDA).
It was expected to create jobs and boost the local economy.
However, work on the project stalled in 2015 due to funding issues and a contractor dispute, leaving the site abandoned.
Despite these setbacks, NIDA’s acting CEO, Richwell Lukonga said that efforts are underway to restart the project, with the National Youth Service set to facilitate the next phases.
