BY REGINALD KANYANE
MEC for the Department of Rural Environment and Agricultural Development (READ) in North West, Manketse Tlhape condemns and rejects with all the strongest and possible terms the alleged illegal hunting activities reported to be mushrooming in the area of Ganyesa.
Tlhape said: “Illegal hunting is prohibited by law, and any act of that nature will be perceived as crime which therefore means perpetrators should face the arms of the law. This is an attitude of zero tolerance on such activities in the province. This should be seen in the light of efforts towards vehemently cleaning all forms of criminalities to be embraced by all”, Tlhape said.
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 department said the matter was referred to South African Police Services (SAPS) for further investigations and actions on perpetrators of such unbecoming activities and behaviour in the province.
“The licences of the alleged hunters outside the designated areas have been revoked with immediate effect.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.” she said.
Tlhape said on annual basis, the regulations pertaining to the hunting of identified non-exempted game species on private, government and community owned land, were published in Government Gazette.
She said there are procedures that need to be followed if one want to be legal poacher. Tlhape also said that will 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 manor, 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.
The permits and licenses under 1.3 are those referred to as 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 at a fee for hunting to be conducted by those end-users; and details of the hunter, 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.
“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,” Tlhape said.
Kgosi Thuso Letlhogile of Ganyesa, allocated a quota, and hunting permits for further issuance to his identified hunters. He said that they will 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 from Letlhogile’s tribal authority, were hunting illegally on private properties belonging to neighbouring farmers, and alleged that the hunts were carried out outside the Kgosi’ area 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.
Tlhape said the 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,” she said.
-TDN
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