ceremony of the Wildlife Expo 2006 at Matablane, Waterberg district
10 August 2006
Programme director,
Executive Mayor of Waterberg District Municipality,
Honourable MEC for Economic Development, Environment and Tourism,
Chief Executive Officer of Limpopo Tourism and Parks Board,
Tour operators,
Leaders in tourism and wildlife industry,
Visiting women from other Provinces and SADC (Southern African Development
Community) countries,
Honoured guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is a pleasure to take part in this auspicious event that provides a rare
opportunity for showcasing the best of wildlife resources our province has to
offer. As a province known for being home to a diverse range of wildlife
species, including âthe famous Big Fiveâ, our take is that hosting this event
adds significant impetus to our goal and status of being the preferred
eco-tourism destination in the country and the entire SADC region.
It is our hope that this event will not come to a close without
interrogating intimately, the particular challenges that face conservation and
wildlife resources management in our country and the entire region.
Prominent on the list of some of the known challenges in the industry
include the obvious questions of representation and participation of
historically disadvantaged people in the management and ownership of game
parks, including the questions of skills development and skills transfer. Of
particular significance are both the legislative and policy imperatives guiding
Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE), and specifically the
requirements of the Tourism BBBEE charter that we hope all of us are familiar
with by now. We believe that addressing these challenges head-on, has become
necessary and urgent for all players in the tourism industry.
On the other hand, the imperatives of beneficiation and community
development for people in areas surrounding the parks cannot go unmentioned in
the transformation of the sector. There is no doubt that, as a growing sector
and a labour intensive industry, tourism has the capacity to fight poverty and
create the many jobs which our country needs.
Obviously, the fact that the province is strategically located next to the
Kruger National Park, and our close proximity to neighbouring countries of
Botswana, Mozambique and Zimbabwe should serve as a boon for harnessing
wildlife resources and eco-tourism in general. We have often said that the
envisaged product offerings should be able to give effect to the development
and marketing of the Trans-Limpopo development corridor, which straddles the
countries of Botswana, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. This means that we should
develop an all-inclusive package that offers the potential tourist a range of
icons and tourism attractions from Makhado up to Victoria Falls and Maputo.
In this regard, we recently participated in the signing of the
Limpopo/Shashe Transfrontierpark Conservation Area (LTFCA) involving the
countries of South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe, as part of endeavours aimed
at giving effect to this ideal. This Transfrontierpark Conservation Area
agreement, in our view, will offer the province possibilities for strengthening
regional integration by facilitating regional peace, economic growth and
development amongst participating countries of the region.
In doing these, we will be helping to ensure that conservation does play a
role in the overall preservation of a sustainable ecosystem in the province and
the region in the long term. Not least important in this conservation effort
must be the protection of historic cultural icons and heritage sites that are a
feature in many of our designated game parks and wildlife sanctuaries. Our take
is that these features are important and deserve to be preserved for the
benefit of human history and eco-tourism in general.
We trust that this expo, which is the second to be held in our province,
will rise up to the economic challenges confronting the province and the
industry as it battles with complex questions of transformation.
Programme director,
We however cannot, conclude this ceremony without acknowledging the visit
into our province by prominent women from SADC countries and from other
provinces of our country, who are here as honoured guests of the province and
our Tourism Board. Their visit coincides with an important month in the
calendar of our country and we are excited to see them in our midst as part of
celebrating and commemorating womenâs month.
Once again, let us leave here more inspired and consider ourselves fortunate
that we call this province home; and equally lucky that we have been called
upon by history to make a contribution to her well being in various capacities
in which we serve. For, it is this work, which we do, which will continue to
strengthen and galvanise the momentum, which we are building for the coming
generations to come.
I thank you
Issued by: Limpopo Provincial Government
10 August 2006
