SKUKUZA – The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs concluded a three-day fact-finding visit to the Kruger National Park (KNP) on Friday.
During this visit, hosted by SANParks, the committee inter alia visited the scene of a recent rhino-poaching incident in the south of the park, and was also able to interact with members of the ranger corps who are in the forefront of the fight against this scourge.
According to Mr Jackson Mthembu, chairman of the portfolio committee, “This visit has given us a first-hand experience of the sterling work that is being done by SANParks, in conjunction with the South African National Defence Force, the SAPS and other partners in holding the line in the fight against rhino poaching. This animal is not only a part of our natural and cultural heritage, but is also a key component of the Big 5 tourism product which underpins the tourism economy in the Lowveld of Mpumalanga and Limpopo.
“Kruger plays an important role in supporting sustainable livelihoods of thousands of people in the vicinity of the park, and we need to protect and expand this component now and into the future.”
Part of the field trip undertaken by the committee was to the intensive-protection zone of the KNP, utilising for the first time a new helicopter purchased from a grant provided by the Howard G Buffett Foundation. The helicopter puts certain advanced navigation systems at SANParks’ disposal for the first time, enhancing operational capability in this regard.
Chairman of the SANParks board, Mr Kuseni Dlamini, welcomed the visit. “We are greatly encouraged by this visit of the portfolio committee, and believe that our interactions with it will deepen its understanding of the challenges that we face in the battle against rhino poaching in the KNP. We appreciate the ongoing support we receive from the committee and recognise that interactions such as these play a major role in boosting the morale of the men and women who are engaged in the fight against rhino poaching on a daily basis.”
