E A S T E R N C A P E PA R K S & T O U R I S M A G E N C Y
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FOREWORD BY THE CHAIRPERSON It is my pleasure to present the 2020/21 Annual Report of the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency (the ECPTA). I believe it was Sir Winston Churchill who first said, in the context of World War II, “Never let a good crisis go to waste”. In the wake of the global coronavirus pandemic of 2020/21, the ECPTA has in all respects taken that sage guidance to heart. In the face of a potentially catastrophic threat, the Management and Staff of the ECPTA have responded with fresh ideas, innovative solutions, and an unflinching commitment to delivering on its mandate. The Board, as individuals and as a collective, couldn’t be prouder to be associated with an organisation that has, in so many ways, truly risen to the challenge. Before the President’s ink on the Declaration of a National State of Disaster was dry, management presented the Board with a policy, plan, and standard operating procedures for keeping the workforce of the the ECPTA safe and healthy. Without missing a beat, meetings were taken online, office staff were equipped to work remotely, older staff were offered voluntary severance packages and arrangements made for those with co-morbidities to work from home. Conservators were classified essential workers and remained at their posts throughout hard lockdown. While many organisations were overwhelmed by the challenges, the ECPTA quickly recognised areas where their existing plans would be inadequate, identified what was needed in their stead, and adjusted delivery mechanisms and schedules to meet these needs. In doing so, the ECPTA was able to make over R11 million available to the Provincial COVID-19 response adjustment budget without forgoing any priority deliverables. Later, when relief funding became available, the ECPTA was able to secure R19 million towards the relief and recovery of the Tourism sector. While this funding was only released in December 2020, the planning and preparation over the first six months of the pandemic meant that by the end of the reporting period, only R100 thousand of the R19 million was unspent.
Acting Chairperson: Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency
TRACEY PUTZIER
Just as the strength and depth of stakeholder relations were the key to the success of the ECPTA’s initiatives during the first year of the pandemic, they are the bedrock of the Agency’s plans for 2021/22. The socio-economic realities of the Province require an ever-increasing emphasis on biodiversity economy initiatives that meaningfully support livelihoods in the rural reaches of the Province. It is this integration that will see us achieve a society where “Responsible conservation and tourism benefit current and future generations”. Despite all the tumult and change, the ECPTA secured its sixth consecutive clean audit and its fifth consecutive performance achievement over 90%. The Board anticipates that the standards so set will be maintained and has every confidence that the CEO and his management team will continue to move mountains to do so. Finally, the Board would like to congratulate all of the ECPTA employees on demonstrating, yet again, what it means to be a true servant of the public.
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