Ndebele-Language Tech Innovation Strengthens Communities Facing Wildlife Conflict

A major step forward in digital conservation has emerged in Zimbabwe with the launch of the Ndebele-language version of Wildlife Info an AI-driven WhatsApp service created by Wild Africa to help communities living in wildlife-prone areas.

The earlier English rollout in 2024 showed how effective technology can be in giving people timely, reliable information, but the new version goes further by making sure that frontline communities receive guidance in the language they speak every day.

For families living near wildlife hotspots such as Hwange, Gonarezhou and the Kavango Zambezi region, encounters with animals are a constant reality. Elephants can destroy crops during dry spells, lions and hyenas often target cattle and goats, and shifting weather patterns have increased competition for water and grazing land. In such environments, having instructions in one’s mother tongue can be the difference between losing a field of crops or saving it, between danger and safety.

Wildlife Info addresses these daily risks by offering direct, expert advice through WhatsApp a platform already well-integrated into rural life in Zimbabwe. Backed by Save the Elephants, Wildlife Conservation Action, ZimParks and the Elephant Crisis Fund, the tool offers guidance on safe behaviour, conflict-prevention techniques, reporting channels and visual educational material. It even includes a quiz that rewards users with mobile data, helping to promote regular engagement.

The Ndebele launch is not merely a translation exercise; it fundamentally changes who can fully benefit from the platform. Communities in Matabeleland have long struggled to access conservation information written in English. Now, simply messaging +263 78 727 6366 or scanning a QR code allows users to receive guidance that reflects their own linguistic and cultural context.

Wild Africa CEO Peter Knights OBE said the decision to expand the platform was motivated by the clear success of its initial rollout: “The English version showed us how much difference timely, accurate information can make. Offering it in Ndebele strengthens that impact by ensuring that rural communities are not left out.”

Dr. Lucy King of Save the Elephants emphasised that peaceful coexistence begins with shared understanding. “Elephants can be difficult neighbours, but when information is easy to understand and only a phone message away, people feel more confident and prepared,” she said.

The campaign is being boosted by prominent Ndebele-speaking personalities Sandra Ndebele and Mzoe 7, with English-language support from ambassadors such as Tariro Gezi, Rumbidzai Takawira and Moreangels Mbizah. Other popular figures including Voltz, Samantha “MisRed” Musa, Hilton Mudariki and Butterphly continue to spread awareness through television, radio and online platforms.

Community organisations are already noting the impact. Tikobane Trust Director Ndlelende Ncube said the Ndebele tool mirrors what people living around Hwange National Park experience daily. “Our members now have information they can relate to. With Starlink at our learning hub providing free WiFi, even more people who once struggled with language or connectivity can now access the tool,” he said.

Wild Africa’s Zimbabwe Country Manager, Farai Chapoterera, added that field interactions clearly show the difference language inclusion makes: “When we communicate in people’s home language, trust grows and learning happens faster. The Ndebele version allows us to support more households in a more meaningful way.”

With climate change intensifying pressure on wildlife habitats and reducing natural corridors, tools like Wildlife Info demonstrate how technology combined with linguistic inclusion can play a vital role in protecting communities and the wildlife they live alongside.