The Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs appreciates the measures that have been put in place by the South African National Parks (SANParks) to stop the killing and poaching of the rhino species at the Kruger National Park.
Mr Jackson Mthembu, Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs, said: “We have every confidence in our government and our law enforcement authorities that in the long term, they working together with all of us, will be able to stop this scourge of rhino poaching.”
On Thursday and Friday (25 and 26 September 2014) the committee went on an oversight visit to the Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga to conduct an in loco inspection on the work that is being done by Kruger National Park to stop the scourge of rhino poaching and killing.
During the two-day visit, the Committee was flown over the park and conducted a field trip to the Intensive Protection Zone of the Kruger National Park, an area that accommodates 60% of the Kruger National Park’s rhino population. “As Committee members were flying over the Kruger National Park, we saw many herds of elephants, zebras, buffaloes and other animals. It is this rare sighting by the Committee, of the entire heritage we have in the park, that has reinforced our commitment to work with our government, SANParks, communities and all our institutions to safeguard this heritage for our present and future generations,” said Mr Mthembu.
Committee members were reduced to tears as they visited a crime scene where they saw a rhino with its upper front portion of the head, which included the nose, the horn nose and face, hacked off. The Committee met with SANParks field rangers, South African Police Service (SAPS) and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) based in Kruger National Park, and congratulated them for the work that they were doing in safeguarding and protecting the country’s heritage.
The field trip and fly-over gave members of the Committee first-hand experience of what the people who are responsible for protecting and safeguarding the rhino and all the animals and species in the Kruger National Park are faced with on a daily basis. Many of the field rangers risk their lives fighting poachers every day and night, in either rainy or sunny conditions, protecting the rhino and other animals in the Kruger National Park.
The committee is also impressed with the work done by the Southern African Wildlife College based in Kruger National Park. The skills and education the College imparts to its learners assists in the challenges that are faced in conserving our wildlife heritage not only in South Africa but also in the continent.
The Committee is equally excited with the newly established national Joint Operation Centre based in Sikukuza that accommodates anti-poaching measures from SANParks, SAPS, SANDF and our intelligence community. Initiatives like this, which include advanced technological gathering of information around the park and outside of the park, including real time monitoring of activities in the park, will go a long way in curbing the killing and poaching our rhino species.
“The Committee is of the view, a view shared by SANParks that the conservation of our various species in the Kruger National Park rests equally on the involvement and awareness of communities that reside in the proximity of the park. The effort that SANParks is putting in involving and empowering the communities in this regard, including through economic and infrastructural means is appreciated, but indeed there is still a long way to go,” said Mr Mthembu.
He added: “We want to thank the Department of Environment Affairs and the Kruger National Park management team for affording the committee an opportunity to fly over and the hospitality extended to the Committee to see for itself not only the vastness of the area but also the consequent difficulties that Kruger National Park is faced with on a day to day basis in safeguarding this important jewel of our people. It is through this well organised visit and schedule by SANParks that we were afforded an opportunity to see many animals including many live rhinos.
“In keeping with our conservation ethos, the committee will leave no stone unturned in ensuring the live rhinos that we saw, including other animals will also be seen by generations still to come. In this regard we will work with our government, the Kruger National Park, and all other parks as well as our communities inside and outside of South Africa, NGOs and other concerned parties, to ensure that we all stop the continuing killing and poaching of our rhino species. This is a clear challenge that faces not only the Kruger National Park and other parks but a security risk to our tourism industry as well as our conservation efforts.
“We went to the Kruger National Park precisely to be part of the solution in stopping the poaching and killing of our rhino species but more importantly to acquaint ourselves with measures that have been put in place by the institution and our government to stop this. While there is still a lot that we all need to do in this regard, we are none the less satisfied that there is a political will and commitment in the part of our government and SANParks to deal with this scourge decisively.”
For media enquiries or interviews with the Chairpersons, please contact:
Faith Kwaza
Tel: 021 403 8062
Cell: 072 122 0371
E-mail: fkwaza@parliament.gov.za
