In line with the announcement made on Sunday the 15th March 2020 by President Cyril Ramaphosa on measures to be implemented to contain the spread of Covid-19, Department of Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (DESTEA) has also taken drastic measures to contain the spread of Covid-19, specifically on travel restrictions on foreigners from countries that might have a significant impact on the planned activities for the 2020/21 game season.
Recently, the DESTEA held the annual Game Auction on the 13th to 14th March 2020 at Willem Pretorius Nature Resort near Ventersburg. Live game lots, hunting packages trophy hunt and biltong hunting as well as carcass packages were sold at the auction as part of effective management plan to manage game population in the 14 state owned reserve and resorts.
To this end, the department would like to assure valued customers of stringent steps taken to ensure that the situation is under control while capturing of live game and culling will go ahead according to schedule, these will be reviewed and reassessed should existing measures and restrictions change. This also goes for biltong hunting packages for South African hunters where strict sanitation protocol have been put in place.
Hunting for all foreign hunters is suspended until restriction on foreigner entering South Africa are lifted. Once the restrictions have been lifted, these trophy packages can be booked and hunted over a period of 12 months following the date that restrictions are formally lifted.
Furthermore DESTEA has intensified its effort to regulate the sale of alcohol to control the spread of coronavirus. In terms of the Disaster Management Act (2002), the South African Government has passed new rules to limit the trading hours of restaurants, bars, taverns, shebeens and liquor stores in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The regulations restrict the number of patrons to less than 50 and confine trading hours for alcohol to until 09:00 AM – 18:00 PM on weekdays and 09:00 AM – 13:00 PM on weekends.
Similarly the department would like to minimise non-essential visits to its offices. To this end, members of the public are advised to use the SMME Mobile App to find information they might need from the department. The information includes, but is not limited to different Funding Models, Business Registration, SMME Support and Opportunities, SMME Training and Seminars, SMME related Events including other support programmes.
To access this information members of the public are urged to download the ‘Let’s Talk’ mobile App available both on Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Members of the public can also contact these offices for more information.
DESTEA/Communication Unit: 072 341 8080
FDC: 051 400 0800
FSGLTA: 051 404 0300
Lejweleputswa Service Centre:
Cell: 057 357 5871 / 063 3168 165
Thabo Mofutsanya Service Centre:
Cell: 058 7131 965 / 072 7175 626
Fezile Dabi Service Centre:
Cell :082 443 5513
