Durban - Concerned residents of the Lower Mpushini Conservancy have made a desperate plea to Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and the government to ensure that hunting and culling at the conservancy stop immediately, and for a full investigation to be lodged into the issuing of permits.
The residents said they also supported the DA’s call to the Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs Department for a provincial multidisciplinary anti-poaching unit, following many incidents of illegal culling at the conservancy.
Last week hunters are alleged to have killed an impala, a zebra and a blue wildebeest. The hunters, from Kokstad, upon being confronted, produced documents, one of which was a 2018 permit.
According to a reliable source, hunters were seen with the carcasses in the back of their vehicle earlier this year.
Ezemvelo spokesperson Musa Mntambo said this incident was a criminal issue which should have been reported to the police.
“Ezemvelo never gave anybody permits to cull at Mpushini Conservancy. The culling permit is issued for a year to an applicant who has land. Landowners who want culling assistance will look for someone with a hunting permit and they enter into their own agreement, which does not involve Ezemvelo,” he said.
Mntambo said the landowner requesting culling assistance should already have a hunting permit, and a hunting permit application should include the number of animals and species to be culled.
“The people culling had not been requested by the landowners to help them with culling. The allegation that Ezemvelo was in any way responsible for issuing a permit to thieves who legally hunted at Mpushini Conservancy is far from the truth and it’s regrettable that it was even made,” he said.
Lower Mpushini Conservancy Ashburton chairperson Pandora Long said they had continually engaged with Ezemvelo to better manage the issuing and control of permits.
She said there should be a full investigation into the permit system and its potential to be abused.
“This investigation should be accompanied by oversight by the relevant bodies, including residents,” she said.
Long urged the government to look at the legislation governing wildlife populations as it was “seriously” outdated.
The DA KZN spokesperson for environmental affairs, Heinz de Boer, said the urgent appeal for the unit formed part of a written parliamentary question to MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube.
Department spokesperson Nathi Olifant said the MEC would respond to the question in the legislature within the stipulated 14 days.
“We have been made aware of this matter and the MEC views it in a serious light. We are looking at all possible solutions working with our entity, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife,” he said.