BY OBAKENG MAJE
Mahikeng- MEC Manketsi Tlhape for the Department of Rural Environment and Agricultural Development condemns and rejects with all the strongest and possible terms the alleged illegal hunting activities reported to be mushrooming in the area of Ganyesa.

This comes in a wake of a myriad of reports and outcries by farmers in the area of Ganyesa brought to the attention of the department. The matter is referred to South African Police services for further investigations and actions on perpetrators of such unbecoming activities and behaviour in the province.

“The hunting permits of the hunters who are allegedly reported to be hunting outside designated areas, have been revoked with immediate effect. Any further activities by these hunters both inside and outside the set boundaries in the area must be perceived to be as unlawful and warrant immediate arrest.” said the MEC.

On annual basis, MEC publishes in the Provincial Notice of the Government Gazette, regulations pertaining to the hunting of identified non-exempted game species on private, government and community owned land, and the hunting of identified bird species in the North West Province as well procedures for the granting of licenses, permits and fees in respect thereof in terms of- 1.1 Sections 17 and 102(1)(i) of the Nature Conservation Ordinance, No. 12 of 1983 (Transvaal Province);

1.2 Section 10, 29(i(b) and 29(i)(k) of the Bophuthatswana Nature Conservation Act, 1973, and
1.3 Sections 78(a)(i), 79(a)(i) and 82(i)(o) of the Cape Nature and Environmental Conservation Ordinance, No. 19 of 1974 (Cape Province),

In addition to the above, the MEC determines the number of plain game species and game bird species for annual take off as bag limits and hunting quota to be assigned to a particular hunting area including tribal lands under specific tribal authorities.

“Such hunting, when controlled and conducted in a sustainable manner, plays a crucial role in ensuring long term benefits to our previously disadvantaged communities, and thus such control is ensured by means of permits and licences that the department, as the issuing authority, issues in accordance to allocated hunting quota and bag limits, to tribal authorities for further issuance to their clients,” she said.

Tlhape said the permits and licenses herein referred to are those known to be face value permits, meaning that, tribal authorities (land owners) when in receipt of such permits in accordance to the hunting quota and bag limits, are able to further issue them to their end-user clients (hunters) at a fee for hunting to be conducted by those end-users; and details of the hunter (end-user), number of species to be hunted, details of the hunting vehicle/s, fire-arms and their calibres, as well the validity of the hunting permission for the hunt must be completed by the land-owner prior to commencement of the hunt, and further after the hunt is successful, the hunter and tribal ranger who accompanies and monitor the hunt in order to cancel further use of such permit must sign off the permit or licence.

“Land owners and hunters must at all times comply to conditions appended on the back of each permit or license, failure which enforcement measures including criminal prosecution would be imposed, and none of the above mentioned permits and licenses do allow the hunting at night (culling) for which a special permit is required, nor hunting on other land than those stated in a permit,” she said.

Land owners and all Tribal Authorities who are allocated who is allocated hunting quota, and hunting permits for further issuance to their identified hunters, must ensure at all times that such hunts are conducted within prescripts and are accompanied by relevant tribal ranger/s to ensure compliance.

A report, in a form of complaint was received sometimes last week to the effect that some tribal members around Ganyesa areas, were hunting illegally on private properties belonging to neighbouring farmers, and alleged that the hunts were carried out outside the stipulated of jurisdiction.

Above such allegations, an impression was also made in linking the illicit conduct of the hunters on the ground to the presumed incorrect issuing of permits by the department.

“Investigations have been conducted on the matter with the intention of finding lasting solutions. It is in the light of this that the Department took decisive steps in ensuring conformity to the law. In a quest of finding lasting solutions and conforming to the law, the department has instantly withdrawn the permits from the hunters perceived to be involved in the illegal hunting activities in the area.

“This was done after thorough investigation and following due processes. The outcome of the investigation indicates that no permits were issued incorrectly and that none of those permits could be attributed to the cause of the prevailing criminal activities,” said Tlhape.

She also outlines that in the light of this, the department took a decisive step to withdraw all the hunting permits issued to the particular Authority, this to avoid further misuse of the permits by criminals. This was done after thorough investigations and following due processes.
-TDN
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