Hurungwe – Councilor’s and different stakeholders have raised a purple flag over the appointment of a Rural District Council (RDC) chairperson to the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) board.

The newly-appointed board members embody Retired General Sibangumuzi Khumalo, Lesley Ncube, Mary Mliswa-Chikoka though within the discover by Zimparks she is cited as Mary Moses as if to hide her actual identification and one other member is Cecilia Dubiwa.

Mary Mliswa-Chikoka’s appointment got here to mild after she shared the appointment on the get together’s social media platforms and a newspaper article on her appointment.

Recently Minister of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, Dr Sithembiso Nyoni, introduced the addition of 4 new board members to the Zimparks board that embody Mliswa-Chikoka, a Hurungwe Rural District Councilor and the native authority’s Chairperson, although their designations within the board weren’t talked about. The board is chaired by Agrippa Sora.

Councilor’s and different wildlife stakeholders in Hurungwe stated the appointment of Mliswa-Chikoka who additionally doubles as Mashonaland West Province ZANU PF Provincial chairperson doesn’t meet the dictates of company governance.

Wildlife representatives in Hurungwe stated Mliswa-Chikoka’s position can be conflicted as she chairs the native authority the place numerous conservancy’s are working in and previously she had been accused of corrupt dealings in a number of the conservancy’s utilizing her place as native authority chairperson.

“I don’t know if the Minister did background checks on the individuals appointed to the Zimparks board as a few of them are conflicted.

“We have been having points with Mliswa-Chikoka who abused her place as council chairperson to direct us to do issues which she could be corruptly benefiting and the way is she going to be steadiness the pursuits of the native authority which she chairs and the pursuits of the board she is now a member.

“We are going to raise the issue with the minister as this appointment defeats the whole purpose of corporate governance as Mliswa-Chikoka will be both a ref and official,” an official with a wildlife conservancy in Hurungwe district who requested for anonymity stated.

A councilor within the Hurungwe Rural District Council echoed the identical sentiments and stated the appointment of a sitting council chairperson who has direct pursuits in wildlife enterprises to the Zimparks board is misplaced.

“We are not happy as councillors how would the same person handle the issues of wildlife and game parks affecting our local authority when we would be supposed to approach a board which she is also a member of how would our interests be protected?” the feminine councillor stated.

Hurungwe district is endowed with wealthy wildlife and is residence to a number of the nation’s finest wildlife conservancies.

“This can only mean more woes for us as operators in the sector as Mary (Mliswa-Chikoka) has been abusing her position as a councilor and local authority chairperson as she has been coming to parks allegedly demanding kickbacks and threatening us and now she is a board member of the place which we are supposed to seek protection against her, this country is sick ” one other wildlife group operator advised Nehanda Radio.

Efforts to get a response from the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife was fruitless by the point of publication.

Some councillors from Hurungwe Rural District Council stated they are going to have interaction the Ministry of Local Authority to make sure that Mliswa-Chikoka vacate her place as council chairperson if she nonetheless needs to be a board member within the Zimparks board.

ZimParks is in control of 13 p.c of the land house in Zimbabwe and 28 p.c total of land below conservation.