Three SADC states go to battle against CITES

Botswana's elephants have been making news worldwide PIC: THALEFANG CHARLES
Botswana's elephants have been making news worldwide PIC: THALEFANG CHARLES

JOHANNESBURG: Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe are going to submit protest documents that will allow them to legally trade in their elephants, rhino and giraffes.

The three countries are declaring themselves independent of the controls exercised by the Geneva-based UN Convention on International Trade In Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

They are joined in their protest by another five unnamed Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries whose proposals to trade in live wildlife and wildlife products were also rejected at the tri-annual CITES meeting in August.

Editor's Comment
Human rights are sacred

It highlights the need to protect rights such as access to clean water, education, healthcare and freedom of expression.President Duma Boko, rightly honours past interventions from securing a dignified burial for Gaoberekwe Pitseng in the CKGR to promoting linguistic inclusion. Yet, they also expose a critical truth, that a nation cannot sustainably protect its people through ad hoc acts of compassion alone.It is time for both government and the...

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