Future stewards and custodians of wildlife 

Most SOFA club members register for the university’s elective Wildlife Law module, which is made possible through IFAW support. The module was rolled out initially at Great Zimbabwe (GZU) in 2021, is now offered at UZ, and is expected to become available at other universities with SOFA chapters, including Midlands State (MSU) and Chinhoyi. 

SOFA meetings provide a safe space for members to personally improve their relationship with animals. Two members of the group who grew up Masvingo and Mashonaland East provinces of the countries admitted to taking part in community hunting, where a large group of boys and men of up to twenty, equipped with dogs, bows, arrows, and machetes, spend days out in the wilderness hunting animals like antelopes, rabbits, and kudu, to feed their families.  

“We realised as we began to understand that the way we were hunting was cruel to the animals and so we encourage one another to drop practices we now realise are harmful to animals. We also take the message home to friends and family,” said one member. 

Another SOFA member explained that through the organisation’s efforts, “We believe that a bright and safe future for our animals is possible.” 

Effective starting February 2024, the University of Zimbabwe, Commercial Law Institute will be introducing a postgraduate Wildlife Law and Policy diploma. This program will allow ecologists, environmentalists, lawyers, and any graduate related to this field to study wildlife law. This comes after five years of lobbying and consultation and preparations. This diploma targets officials who are practicing and working with fauna and flora in various governmental and nonprofit organisations, with the aim of influencing proper decision making and policies that are in the best interests of wildlife in Zimbabwe.