Third wave threatens to push game farmers over the edge

It was a tough day at the office this weekend for Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Barbara Creecy at a game release event in the Groot Marico district of North West Province on the International Day for Biological Diversity.

The smooth release of 14 zebra and five eland on Saturday on Koedoeberg Farm of Aphamo Boerdery followed a previous release of 12 red hartebeest, 10 gemsbok and four giraffe.

Game being released on on Koedoeberg Farm of Aphamo Boerdery in the North West on 22 May 2021. Photo: Amanda Watson

A sustainable wildlife economy has enormous potential in a country well known for its diversity of game.

ALSO READ: Illegal dog hunting syndicates intimidating North Coast farmers

Tourism in terms of nature reserves and hunting are major money spinners for South Africa, and major implications for redistribution of wealth and land.

Section 25 uneasiness

Current section 25 of the Constitution discussions over expropriation without compensation of land are fraught with worry by many, over the idea that the government will own said land and only lease it for 30 odd years before ownership passes to the leaseholder.

A lot can happen in 30 years, and whether or not ownership of land will eventually pass to the people who need it most is still a bone of contention for many.

Nor has the government demonstrated its complete effectiveness in supporting would-be farmers, with some farms being removed from their leasers.

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment’s (DFFE) plan of “pay it forward”, however, may work on a smaller scale.

This was “a celebration of the government’s commitment to developing the wildlife economy as part of the transformative obligations within the sector”, Creecy said.

ALSO READ: Lockdown regulations threaten total collapse of wildlife sector

Unemployment soars, third wave beckons

With a 46% unemployment rate using the expanded definition (available to work but are discouraged or not looking), or 33.3% ordinary, the donation of valuable game animals to emerging game farmers is a long-term investment which will pay off in years to come.

ALSO READ: The life-saving benefits of donating game to emerging farmers

However, when it didn’t happen because of a worldwide pandemic which saw resources diverted to the national health department – not to mention government’s insistence on throwing billions of rands at South African Airways – underlying tensions were bound to surface on the day.

Kgosi Moefie Mabelane of the Baphiring Traditional Authority and Kgosi Godfrey Gasebone of Bakoena ba Morare Traditional Authority both pleaded with Creecy to speed up local infrastructure development, citing the rampant unemployment in the area.

Creecy had little to offer in defence, other than the diversion of funds from most government departments to deal with the Sars-Cov-2 virus, now gathering a full head of steam for a third wave, with 4,236 new cases recorded by Saturday evening.

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases has also “noted an upsurge in cases in the Northern Cape, North West and Free State Provinces”.

– amandaw@citizen.co.za