Beit Bridge baboons are making monkeys out of the nature conservation officials sent to prevent them stealing from people at the Limpopo border post, says Independent Democrats MP Joe McGluwa.

“I heard that the baboons recently broke in and stole from the tents of the nature conservation staff that had been deployed there to deal with them,” he said on Thursday.

McGluwa said a troop of about 200 baboons was responsible for “stealing from and terrorising pedestrians, motorists, truckers and customs officials” at the post, the main South Africa-Zimbabwe border crossing point.

“These baboons have now become experts at opening people’s bags and stealing food from visitors,” he said.

No effective action was being taken to stop the troop’s behaviour, despite repeated calls for action, and the baboons’ raid on the nature officials’ tents was “a clear sign of the absolute incompetence that has been shown by the government in dealing with this matter”.

In a parliamentary question earlier this year, McGluwa called on Environmental Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica to say what steps her department would take to “remove and rehabilitate the baboons before the 2010 Soccer World Cup tournament”.

In a later reply, the minister said the matter had been referred to the Limpopo department of economic development, environment and tourism.

- SAPA