Speech by Mr Narend Singh, MP, Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, during the iSimangaliso Wetland Park commercialisation launch at iSimangaliso Wetland Park, KZN
Programme Director;
Ms Memory Sosibo, Chairperson of the Board;
Ms Nomfundo Tshabalala, Director General of the DFFE in absentia;
Mr Bukhosini, CEO of iSimangaliso Wetland Park;
Amakhosi and traditional leaders,;
Representatives of land claimant communities and community trusts;
Representatives of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority;
Representatives of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and other government departments;
Our partners from the United Nations Development Programme, the Global Environment; Facility and the Peace Parks Foundation;
Members of the fishing cooperatives, farmers and community-based organisations;
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen;
Sanibonani. Good morning.
It gives me great pleasure to join you here at Charters Creek. We have come together to open a new chapter for this beautiful part of iSimangaliso, and I am particularly pleased to welcome the investors and operators who want to be part of its future. Before I speak about those opportunities, however, I would like to reflect on yesterday, because the conversations we had, give real meaning to what we are doing here today.
My engagement with the farmers was deeply moving. When people speak about the difficulties they face on the land, and the uncertainty that flooding brings to their livelihoods, we have a responsibility to listen carefully.
These are matters that affect families and their hopes for the future. I was very pleased that we could have such fruitful discussions with the farmers and Amakhosi, and I thank them for speaking openly with us. We must carry that spirit of engagement into the work that follows.
That is why our visit to Sugarloaf was so significant. The launch of the uMsunduzi River and Beach Channel restoration project, and the equipment we saw there, marked an important step towards work that people have waited for. For the farmers and surrounding communities, what matters now is that this progress leads to practical improvements in their lives.
The purpose of this work is to improve the movement of water by clearing vegetation that is causing obstructions and, where necessary, removing accumulated sediment. The environmental authorisation and Water Use Licence are in place. The work will need to proceed in stages, guided by monitoring, so that we can help address back-flooding while caring for this sensitive wetland.
We have reached an important milestone, but we know that the relief people are hoping for will depend on the work ahead. Our engagement on livelihoods and appropriate land use must continue alongside it.
Yesterday also gave us the opportunity to hand over a boat to the Nyakazamazambane Primary Fishing Cooperative through GEF-8 support under the UNDP Small Grants Programme. For the members of that cooperative, including the women participating in it, this is practical support for their livelihoods. We want them to make good use of it, safely and within their allocated fishing rights. I also thank the partners involved in the GEF-7 equipment handover, supported through Peace Parks Foundation, which will assist those working to protect the Park.
I was especially pleased that we could open the research laboratory. There is so much we still need to understand about this landscape and the pressures upon it. Good science helps us make better decisions, whether we are restoring water flow or considering a tourism development. My hope is that this laboratory will also bring researchers, universities and communities into closer contact, and give young people opportunities to learn.
The knowledge held by people who live here has an important place in that work.
As I reflected on the day, I was reminded of our discussions in May. We spoke then about protecting iSimangaliso’s heritage, improving its financial sustainability and making sure that surrounding communities could participate meaningfully in its future. Those responsibilities belong together. The farmer concerned about water, the fishing cooperative seeking a secure livelihood and the investor considering a tourism business all have a stake in how well we care for this place.
Today, we have an opportunity to build on that understanding. The commercialisation programme can bring the investment and operating experience needed to improve our tourism facilities, attract visitors and support local enterprise. Government has an important role to play, but we need partners who know how to build and run successful businesses, and who are willing to invest for the long term. To the private sector represented here, I say: we want to work with you. There is an opportunity here worth pursuing together.
Let me warmly acknowledge Black Mussel Cracker and Radisson Hotel as we mark a multi-year concession at Charters Creek. Thank you for the confidence you are showing in iSimangaliso and in partnership with government. It gives this partnership a long view, and it carries a responsibility to look after what is built here and to develop a lasting relationship with the people of this area.
You are trailblazers in this next phase of the Park’s development. Others will watch what happens here as they consider making investments of their own. I hope they will see a business that is well run, visitors who are well looked after, and local people finding opportunities to grow. I ask you to set that example with us. Your success, achieved with care for this environment and its communities, can encourage many others to follow.
I also welcome the contribution of our interim operators at the various resorts. Each of you will help shape how visitors experience iSimangaliso. The agreements scheduled for signing today, including the public-private partnership, off-take and interim operators’ agreements, are important steps in giving practical effect to these relationships.
Of course, welcoming an investor is the beginning of a relationship. The Board and management must give these partnerships proper attention throughout their life. Operators need clarity about their responsibilities, including maintenance, security and environmental care. They also need public institutions that work together on access roads and essential services. I ask our colleagues in government and the relevant municipalities to work with the Park Authority and its partners in that spirit. We should understand what each project will contribute after its costs and obligations, so that the Park’s finances become stronger over time.
We must also help bring visitors here. During our discussions in May, I emphasised the importance of marketing, and that remains essential. Working with tourism authorities and operators, we should tell the story of this destination in a way that does justice to its wetlands, wildlife and coast, and to the culture and knowledge of its people. Local guides and enterprises should have a place in that visitor experience. When people leave with good memories, they have every reason to return and to encourage others to come.
Ladies and gentlemen, the attraction that brings us together also places a duty on us. People come to iSimangaliso because of what it is. If development damages the natural systems that make it special, we weaken the very basis of the investment. Sustainable development means thinking carefully about how we use water, where we build, how we manage waste and what we leave for those who come after us. We can pursue opportunity while respecting the limits of this environment, provided we make informed choices from the outset.
This brings me to a question that often arises: why do we need environmental impact assessments? Before a development goes ahead, we need to understand what it could mean for the land, the water and the people around it. Would a different location or design avoid harm? How will potential impacts be managed? What do the people who may be affected have to say? The assessment helps answer those questions and informs whether a project should proceed, and under what conditions.
For an investor, identifying these issues early can help avoid costly problems later. For a community, participation provides an opportunity to bring local knowledge and concerns into the decision. Government must do its part by making requirements clear and administering the process consistently and efficiently. We should be able to give investors confidence in the quality of our decisions while honouring our responsibility to this World Heritage Site.
There is another part of that confidence which matters greatly to me: whether people living around the Park can see a future for themselves in its success. Earlier this year, we discussed participation that goes beyond employment. I want to return to that today by asking concessionaires and funders to give serious consideration to equity partnerships with local communities and emerging entrepreneurs, where these can be made commercially viable.
An ownership opportunity needs to be properly understood. People should know what they are investing in, what risks and obligations they are taking on, how they will have a voice and how returns will be shared. Community arrangements must be transparent, so that benefits reach those they are intended to serve. This is where our financial institutions and development funders can make a valuable contribution, through suitable finance, sound advice and business support that help credible local partners participate.
There are also opportunities that operators can begin developing through their everyday business. Think of a farmer who could supply produce, a local enterprise that could provide a service, or a young person who could train and progress into management. Work with them on the standards you require and give them a fair opportunity to meet those standards. I would like the conversations we had yesterday to find expression in relationships of this kind, where people can see how conservation and tourism can contribute to their livelihoods.
As you enter the panel discussions today, I encourage you to speak openly about the opportunities you see and what it would take to turn them into viable projects. Let us identify the partners, the finance and the practical next steps. There is much that government, business and communities can achieve together when each understands and fulfils its responsibilities.
To those already committing to this journey, thank you. To those still considering an investment, I invite you to join us. The progress we marked yesterday and the partnerships we are taking forward today give us good reason for confidence. Let us build on that progress with the care and determination it deserves.
When we cut the ribbon at Charters Creek, I hope we will all look ahead to the years of work and opportunity that should follow. I want us to be able to return here and see thriving enterprises, local people sharing in their success, and a natural heritage that we have cared for well.
That is a future worth investing in, and I look forward to building it with you.
I thank you.
Ngiyabonga.
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