Will CITES fail Africa for the 44th year?

Elephants from Chobe National Park PIC. KEOAGILE BONANG
Elephants from Chobe National Park PIC. KEOAGILE BONANG

JOHANNESBURG: Divisions amongst Africans countries were signed and sealed at the Berlin Conference in 1884-1885 that partitioned Africa into colonies under different Western European Governments control. The Berlin Conference regulated European colonisation and trade in Africa. Even in cases where Africans try to unite Western powers always want to divide them, in order to exploit them.

Today, Africa has never recovered from such divisions even in the area of wildlife conservation and trade in its wildlife products such as ivory and rhino horns.

African countries are made to oppose one another for no good reason. Therefore, it is unsurprising that Western animal rights groups and some Western countries continue to successfully influence West, North and East African countries to oppose Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries’ bid to trade in ivory and rhino horn – even to hunt elephants and rhinos.

Editor's Comment
When power scorns accountability

While every citizen, including the Head of State, has the right to voice opinions, the tone and context of the President’s comments were regrettably dismissive and risk chilling free expression in our country. The remarks are not isolated. They form part of a disturbing pattern of public attacks on independent institutions pillars essential to the healthy functioning of our democracy. The Judiciary, the Legislature, and now the media have all...

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