Future of Zini zebras still unclear

MTUNZINI may be on the verge of losing its zebras if a response from the uMlalazi Muncipality is not received immediately.

This comes after Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife gave World Heritage Organisation of Zululand(WHO’Z) founder, Brendan Bristow, a lawyer’s letter in which the organisation has been given one week to finalise its permit to keep the zebra, otherwise the animals will be removed.

After being asked by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife to formally adopt these three zebra, earlier this year, a formal application for a permit was applied for.

In order to obtain this permit, a letter of permission from uMlalazi Municipality regarding the zebra staying on the land, is required. The land in question has already been zoned for grazing.

After months of planning which included numerous telephone calls, emails and trips to the municipality, all that is needed, is the municipality to grant formal permission for the zebra to graze on the land rented by Bristow.

This was applied for in April and a letter was received from uMlalazi Municipal Manager, Thembinkosi Simon Mashabane, which stated, ‘I hereby acknowledge receipt of your letter on 7 April with regard to the property rental in Mtunzini. Please note that the following council officials who deal with the matters relating to Municipality property rental are attending to your request and you will be informed according in due course.’ Yet no response has been received and now time is running out.

For the past seven years, Bristow has had the zebra grazing on this grassland. He has granted access to the zebras to the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA) with Twinstreams Environmental Project.

‘The project uses the zebra to educate under-privileged children about their heritage, wild life and its relationship to the grasslands. The zebra are extremely tame and can be hand-fed and stroked. The children love them and come from all over KZN to see them up close,’ said Bristow.

The zebra have been fully insured against Public Liability and the property on which Bristow wants to keep the zebra has been fully fenced, all at his own cost.

‘Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife is hoping to deal with my permit as a matter of urgency so as to finalise the zebras’ adoption, but unfortunately, making contact with the uMlalazi Municipality is like trying to get water from a rock.’

After a number of phone calls and messages from the Zululand Observer, the uMlalazi municipality have not responded or commented leaving the future of the ‘Zini Zebras’ hanging.