Politics could ‘kill’ this World Heritage Site

The landowners, whose properties comprise 74% of the heritage site, have rejected the appointment of the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) as the management agency of the site.

The MEC for the Department of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, Vusi Mkhatshwa, announced last month that the MTPA has been appointed as the management authority for the Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains World Heritage Site on behalf of the Department of Economic Development and Tourism.

“This was done without any consultation and contrary to the resolutions of the landowners taken in 2013 and again in 2020, which supported a collaborative management arrangement agreed to by all parties, including provincial cabinet,” Nico Oosthuizen and Mark Ngwenyama, representatives of the landowners, said.

In a stern letter to Mkhatshwa, the landowners threatened to withdraw from the project, which will nullify the site’s status.

“At the consultation meeting held by the MEC on April 13, the stakeholders, community representatives and landowners were unanimous in their support for the agreed 2018 management arrangements and frank in their rejection of MTPA as management authority for the site,” Oosthuizen and Ngwenyama wrote on behalf of the landowners.

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In the announcement speech, Mkhatshwa said the MTPA had to submit a three-year plan within 30 days on how it will manage the site.

The MTPA spokesperson, Kholofelo Nkambule, said the agency has a plan to develop various tourism activities to sustain the visitor experience. The agency provided a plan dated for the 2021/22 financial year to Lowvelder.

The list consists of plans to launch the site, proclamations and buffering mechanism manual development, construction of gateway stop road map of entry, attractions and amenities, landscaping, signage and many more.

Nkambule added that the development of the geo-site, research and wildlife photography opportunities will benefit the local people with direct and indirect job opportunities.

The landowners said the development of the site is about so much more than a few tourism projects. There is a multi-sectoral regional development plan that aims to uplift the entire area, which is well beyond the mandate and capabilities of MTPA to implement.

According to the landowners, the latest decision now threatens the continued existence of the WHS as it goes directly against the agreements reached with the landowners and the commitments made to Unesco.

“Lacking any communication from the MEC, the landowners are at a loss as to what information may have been provided to you, which could have caused the decision that goes directly against previous agreements and years of consultation,” they wrote to Mkhatshwa, after he had for five months refused to meet with them.

Oosthuizen said the landowners are extremely proud of the fact that this area was declared South Africa’s 10th World Heritage Site and they want to make every effort necessary to prevent the destruction of the site.

“This is very important, as the site is the foundation for economic development in the region. Political meddling is now bringing all the negotiations and plans made to an end, plunging the region further into poverty,” Ngwenyama said.

The landowners gave the MEC until Friday September 10 to reply to their concerns.

At the time of going to press, six days later, the MEC had not yet replied.  “This signals that the MEC was not interested in saving the WHS and cooperating with the landowners and communities surrounding the region,” they wrote.

“The MEC will have to take the responsibility of bringing embarrassment and shame to the province and the republic by killing the world heritage site,” Ngwenyama said.

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