Durban — Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife has said the R41 million allocated from the government for fixing the fence of the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park (HIP) would not be enough.
On Tuesday, MEC for the Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (Edtea), Siboniso Duma, announced that the National Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) would fund the park to fix its fence.
Last year, there were incidents where the communities surrounding the park complained about animals getting out to eat their cattle.
The community of Okhukho, northern KwaZulu-Natal, took matters into their own hands during that time and roasted the culled lions.
Ezemvelo spokesperson Musa Mtambo said they accepted the funding from the DFFE and added that they would seek additional funding. He said the type of fence they would use is Bonnox.
Mtambo added that they had fence liners who walked around to check if the fence had any holes.
“It is quite difficult to stop the residents from stealing the fence. When it comes to poaching, we are using various methods to curb that. There are field rangers, and we use technology. We also work with the SAPS,” he said.
Msizi Myaka, a community activist, said they accepted the money, but it was not going to be enough to solve all the problems at the park.
“The animals are able to leave the park through a river crossing. Putting a fence in there is impossible. I must say that we are not happy because this R41m would only be able to cover a small portion of the park,” he said.
Myaka added that there were people who are now disabled, and some were injured when the lions got out of the park near the river crossing.
He added that if the government did not have money, it should come up with a plan to try to preserve nature.
“We still wish to have these animals in the next couple of years, and we are also willing to work together with the government,” said Myaka.
The DA’s spokesperson on Edtea, Heinz de Boer, said they eagerly await construction time frames, along with a raft of other conservation legislation that has yet to be tabled.
De Boer said the national department was forced to step in because of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife’s inability to fix its own fencing.
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