On August 31st, nine elephants from the Mawana herd were slaughtered on Mr Sithole’s Vreesniet farm in Northern KwaZulu-Natal. This action raises significant legal and ethical concerns as no formal approval was granted, contrary to South African regulations governing wildlife culling.

A community meeting held on August 24th, 2024, at the Stedham hall in Edubekeni district aimed to address issues of elephants entering communal lands. 

Thomas Mbedzi from the Dept of Environmental Affairs, National Government, clarified that only national authorities can approve a cull, which would take about a month to review. Mr Mbedzi emphasized that lethal measures are only permissible if human life is directly threatened and must be reported and justified.