State of Palmiet reserve irks committee

ALIEN invasive plants, a saturated boma roof, vandalised noticeboards and lack of maintenance have contributed to the desperate restoration needed at the Palmiet Nature Reserve.

According to Jean Senogles, chairman of the Palmiet Nature Reserve management committee, several pleas to the Parks Department have fallen on deaf ears, despite an allocated budget in the kitty.

“Sibusiso Mkhwanazi of the Parks Department said we have a budget, but it has never been forthcoming. We are battling weeds, alien invasive plants, lack of maintenance of the boma and the hall – basically all facilities at the reserve,” said Senogles.

She said community members lobbied for the reserve in 1972. The local council (Westville Town Council) then gave 58 hectares of land to the Palmiet Nature Reserve committee to manage on their behalf, along with two game guards to care for the animals on site.

The committee then applied to Ezemvelo Wildlife to grant them nature reserve status, which they received because the function management committee had a well-worked out management plan, done by Mike Cottrell. The reserve has been managed by the committee ever since.

Senogles said the committee contacted the Parks Department in 2007 and requested that they do something to restore the worn-down boma roof. The structure was saturating.

“What would have cost us R3 000 will now cost us R60 000 to repair the roof, due to the severity of the damage due to it not being maintained. It’s a neglect of the ratepayers’ assets and facilities,” said Senogles.

The notice board in the boma has also been vandalised – the glass was removed and the notices all damaged.

“The government at national, provincial and local levels don’t seem to comprehend that the cost of maintenance increases exponentially with time,” added Senogles.

She also pleaded for the reserve to be cleaned of all alien invasive plants, but was told that the department does not have money for herbicides. The team that was sent in to clear the reserve are not qualified, and do more damage in the reserve. “We are losing the battle against alien invasive plants,” said Sengoles.

She said she also requested that the Frank Farrer Hall be upgraded in 2007 so that it can host more community events every week, like it used to in the past. However, due to a water leak in the building, broken tiles on the floor and the lack of maintenance, the hall has been non-operational for several months now.

A list of questions sent to Kenneth Mabila, head of Natural Resources, three weeks ago has not had any response. Several messages for him to return calls have also not been answered, leaving one to wonder if the Palmiet Nature Reserve will ever be restored to its former glory.