Akashinga’s Women Rangers Take Zimbabwe to the Wildlife Ranger Challenge

By Edith Mugabe

For Angela Kapoko, becoming an Akashinga Ranger began with watching other women do a job traditionally associated with men.

Seeing women protecting wildlife and ecosystems made her appreciate their work and eventually convinced her that she, too, wanted to be part of the team.

“I saw other women doing this work and I got to have an appreciation of their work. It made me think that I needed to be part of this team,” Kapoko said.

Now, Kapoko is preparing to represent Zimbabwe as part of Akashinga’s participation in the 2026 Wildlife Ranger Challenge, an annual campaign that celebrates wildlife rangers across Africa raises funds for ranger teams and tests their physical and mental endurance.

For Kapoko, being selected to compete is more than simply taking part in a race.

“I’m very happy to be part of the Ranger Challenge. I feel appreciated by the company to be part of those competing in the World Ranger Challenge,” she said.

The 2026 Wildlife Ranger Challenge will culminate on September 19 when four-person Ranger Teams take on a 21-kilometre course carrying the same heavy packs used during their daily patrols.

The challenge is organised by Tusk and the Game Rangers’ Association of Africa and forms part of an annual campaign recognising the work of wildlife Rangers across the continent.

This year, Akashinga will field three teams from Phundundu and Songo in Zimbabwe and Coutada-5 in Mozambique putting women from rural communities on a continental stage alongside Ranger Teams from across Africa.

For Akashinga Country Manager Ranga Huruba, the organisation’s participation is significant because wildlife Rangers are often at the frontline of conservation while remaining largely unseen by the public.

“Rangers are the frontline of conservation but often unseen and under-resourced,” Huruba said.

He said the Wildlife Ranger Challenge provides an opportunity for Akashinga Rangers to stand alongside their peers across Africa while raising recognition and support for the work they do.

The challenge also gives teams an opportunity to benchmark their abilities, build camaraderie and potentially attract funding and partnerships.

For Akashinga, the participation reflects the growth of an organisation that began with a single operation in Phundundu in Zimbabwe’s Zambezi Valley and has expanded to three teams across two countries.

Huruba said the presence of teams from Phundundu, Songo and Coutada-5 demonstrates that Akashinga has developed training systems and professional standards that can be applied across different locations and landscapes.

“It shows trained, fit and competition-ready teams at multiple sites to the same standard,” he said.

“It also shows that the model can travel across different landscapes and even across a border.”

For the Rangers themselves, however, the challenge is creating connections that extend beyond the competition.

The joint preparations will also bring the Zimbabwean teams together with Rangers from Akashinga’s Coutada-5 operation in Mozambique.

The cross-border participation gives the challenge another dimension for Akashinga bringing together women working in different communities and conservation landscapes while creating relationships that could continue beyond the September race.

But before they can reach the finish line, the Rangers must first endure weeks of demanding preparation.

Kapoko said her training has included running, walking, sit-ups, push-ups and carrying heavy loads.

“Running, walking and carrying heavy stuff helps me with the preparation for the challenge,” she said.

The preparation, she added, is not only about physical strength. It is also helping the Rangers develop discipline and support one another in their shared responsibility of protecting the environment.

“It also boosts collaboration amongst us as female Rangers,” Kapoko said.

The Wildlife Ranger Challenge itself is designed to test more than physical fitness. Leading up to race day, participating teams have taken part in a series of mental and physical challenges including a Ranger Quiz, push-up and sit-up challenges and a time trial before the final 21-kilometre challenge.

For Rangers whose everyday work already involves long patrols, difficult terrain and responding to threats facing wildlife, the competition provides an opportunity to demonstrate skills that are normally exercised away from the public eye.

Huruba said Akashinga looks for physical endurance, discipline, teamwork and mental resilience, alongside field skills such as tracking, first aid, navigation and wildlife knowledge.

But character is equally important.

Integrity, humility and the ability to represent one’s community with pride are among the qualities expected from the Rangers taking part.

That community connection is central to Akashinga’s approach to conservation.

The Rangers are recruited from surrounding communities and work to protect the ecosystems they call home.

For Huruba, the competition is therefore not simply about individual achievement.

The success of the teams, he said, can become a source of collective pride for the communities behind them.

For Kapoko, representing Zimbabwe and Akashinga carries a similar sense of responsibility.

“I feel very proud, getting the opportunity to partake in this challenge, representing my country and my company and other Rangers,” she said.

“It gives me great responsibility, showing my discipline levels, endurance levels and promoting teamwork amongst us.”

The significance of the competition, however, goes beyond where the teams finish.

Rangers spend much of their working lives away from the spotlight, protecting wildlife, supporting communities and responding to the risks associated with conservation work.

The Wildlife Ranger Challenge offers an opportunity for that work to be recognised.

Huruba said the event is particularly important for Akashinga because it honours women carrying out demanding conservation work while giving them an opportunity to demonstrate their professional capabilities alongside other Ranger Teams from across Africa.

The competition also provides a measurable benchmark, with teams facing the same distance, weight and physical tests.

Huruba said strong performances can help demonstrate the quality of Akashinga’s training and standards to partners, funders and governments while creating opportunities for networking, training exchanges and future partnerships.

But he said success should not be measured only by medals or rankings.

Safety, confidence, unity, increased awareness, fundraising and the lessons Rangers take back into their daily operations are equally important.

Most importantly, he said, the Rangers should feel seen and valued.

For Kapoko, that recognition is already part of what makes the experience meaningful.

She entered conservation after seeing other women doing the work.

Now, by competing on behalf of Zimbabwe, she is becoming part of the image that another young woman may one day see and decide to follow.

As Rangers from Zimbabwe and Mozambique train together, they are not only preparing for 21 kilometres of competition.

They are building relationships, strengthening teamwork and opening possibilities for collaboration in conservation.

The Wildlife Ranger Challenge may culminate on September 19, but for Akashinga’s women, its significance extends far beyond the finish line.

It is about endurance, discipline and teamwork but also recognition, unity and demonstrating what women from rural communities can achieve when given the opportunity to lead and work in conservation.

For Kapoko, the journey began simply by seeing other women doing the job and deciding she wanted to be part of it.

Now, she and her fellow Akashinga Rangers are preparing to carry that example onto the continental stage.