Tangible benefits to its nearby communities

WHEN the iSimangaliso Wetland Park was listed and proclaimed as South Africa’s first world heritage site in 2000, the region in which it is located was marked by a declining tourism economy.

The proclamation of iSimangaliso consolidated 16 separate parcels of land, including a patchwork of earlier proclamations dating back to 1895.

Today, the 395 odd tourism jobs of 1999 have grown to over 8 000 and the region contributes some 7% of KwaZulu-Natal’s tourism GDP; and the number of tourism businesses in and around iSimangaliso has grown by 89%.

Importantly, local communities are starting to see real benefits.

All privately owned lodges in iSimangaliso have local community equity, a mandatory requirement set by iSimangaliso.

There are nine community-owned and operated companies running tourism activities such as game drives, boat tours and turtle tours.

iSimangaliso also supports 215 black-owned small and medium enterprises, provides on average 11 000 temporary jobs per annum and has supported 87 neighbouring students at university since 2010.

Scratching the surface

With a population of some 640 000 people around the Park, iSimangaliso is situated in one of the poorest regions in the country.

Eighty percent of people around iSimangaliso live below the poverty line and unemployment is rife with youth unemployment at around 80% and only 15.3% of the economically active population is formally employed.

There is a high dependence on social grants for survival.

iSimangaliso’s fragile beauty and sense of place is being protected for future generations through environmentally-benign forms of economic growth.

It is a place where nature and conservation contribute to reconciliation and restitution by providing tangible benefits to those communities living in and around the wetlands.

People and nature reconnect

‘This ethos,’ says Buyani Zwane, Chairman of the iSimangaliso Board, ‘continues to underpin the Park’s vision today, to recreate the wholeness of nature, where people and nature can reconnect and flourish, and where enhancing access, equity and the economic empowerment of our local communities remain the cornerstone of our conservation and development approach.’

‘iSimangaliso’s economic development and empowerment has continued its consistent upward trajectory since 2000.

Coastal Forest Reserve and Kosi Bay

‘This planning includes 24 local community-driven tourism investment accommodation opportunities,’ says Andrew Zaloumis, CEO of iSimangaliso.

Zaloumis says in the planning and development, iSimangaliso is cognisant that it must uphold and strengthen the Park’s world heritage values.

The World Heritage Convention Act (of 1999) sets out iSimangaliso’s very specific mandate of conserving the world heritage values while empowering local communities and optimising tourism potential.

Nine local community-owned (upwards of 70%) activity operations including game drives, estuary cruises, turtle tours and charter fishing are operating in the Park.
Supporting small business

The Park also supports and has equipped of 215 entrepreneurs through the iSimangaliso SMME programme.

At any one time, 110 small businesses actively engage with mentors.

Some R7.8m has been disbursed to 106 businesses ranging from tourism operators, Internet cafes, spaza shops and poultry producers to hairdressers, salons, nurseries and caterers.

The local community fill 90% of jobs created through third-party services.

Approximately 164 956 temporary jobs have been created through iSimangaliso’s infrastructure and land-care programmes in the last 15 years.

Over 80% of iSimangaliso’s expenditure is spent on BEE providers annually.

87 bursaries have been awarded to students since 2010 through the iSimangaliso Higher Access Education Programme.

Forty-eight students have graduated and a further ten are expected to graduate this year in fields related to conservation, tourism and park management.

Fourteen internships have been awarded with all the interns securing permanent placements, eight of whom are now proudly part of iSimangaliso staff.

Tourism guide training

Forty guides are now going through an advanced programme and an additional 10 new guides are being trained.

The investments that have been made by iSimangaliso with government in the southern sections of the Park have boosted tourism significantly and created a platform for the roll-out of the programme in the northern sections of the Park.

HAVE YOUR SAY

Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter.

For news straight to your phone invite us:

WhatsApp – 072 069 4169

Instagram – zululand_observer