GO Wild - July/Aug 2021

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D L I W

JULY/AUGUST 2021 EDITION

NELSON MANDELA DAY 18 JULY

WORLD RANGER DAY 31 JULY

In this issue...

Van Loveren Rhino Run Wines Expands Conservation grant to include SANParks

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ADDO Elephant park celebrates 90 years

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COVID-19 vaccine – It’s not just a jab, it saves lives

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A world-class system of sustainable National Parks reconnecting and inspiring society

CONTENTS

VISION A world-class system of sustainable National Parks reconnecting and inspiring society.

MISSION To develop, expand, manage and promote a system of sustainable national parks that represents biodiversity and heritage assets, through innovation and best practice for the just and equitable benefit of current and future generations.

VALUES • Demonstrate leadership • Embrace, and be guided by, environmental ethics • Promote transformation both within and outside the organisation • Strive for scientific and service excellence • Act with professionalism • Adopt and encourage initiative and innovation by all • Treat all stakeholders with equality and justice • Exercise discipline • Act with honesty and integrity • Strive for transparency and open communication at all times

TALKING POINT

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CAPE NEWS

18

SANParks TODAY

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West Coast National Park opens its 18 door for the flower season

World Ranger Day 2021: DEFF releases poaching stats and KNP pays special tribute to our Conservation heroes

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Cecilia Alien Clearing Hack

19

De-littering the Western Cape

20

FRONTIER NEWS

21

Making Magic on Mandela Day

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Addo Elephant park celebrates 90 years

21

Woman in Conservation – Meet 10 Dr Nicola van Wilgen-Bredenkamp, Global Change Scientist

Sylvester Mountain Bike and Trail Run Events

26

KRUGER NEWS

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Van Loveren Rhino Run Wines Expands Conservation grant to include SANParks

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KNP and ZZ2 donate food parcels on Mandela Day

27 28

SANParks on the Snowdonia National Park Podcast

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COVID-19 Vaccine – it’s not just a jab, it saves lives NORTHERN NEWS

29

ARID NEWS

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World Youth Skills Day At Augrabies Falls National Park

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Digital education in the Maluti Mountains

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Away for Repair Contestants attend series shoot

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EMPLOYEE BENEFITS/HUMAN RESOURCES NEWS/ EMPLOYEE WELLNESS New Appointments

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Trans-Augrabies MTB Challenge

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COMPETITION

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GO WILD TEAM NEWS TEAM/CONTRIBUTORS: Accolade Ubisi,

Babalwa Dlangamandla, Chris Patton, Christine du Plessis, DFFE, Fayroush Ludick, Khensile Moriri, Muneeba Lamera, Sinoyolo Nama and Sipho Mkhwanazi Head of Communications Editor in Chief Reynold “Rey” Thakhuli

Editor Katlego Morulane

Sub-editor Phokela Lebea

REGULATORY FRAMEWORK SANParks was established in terms of the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act, 57 of 2003. In terms of this Act, SANParks’ mandate is to conserve; protect; control; and manage national parks and other defined protected areas and their biological diversity (Biodiversity). The organisation is also subject to the prescripts of the Public Finance Management Act of 1999.

COPYRIGHT Go Wild is a bi-monthly internal magazine published by the Communications Division of South African National Parks (SANParks). All material published is copyrighted and cannot be used without the written permission of the Editor in Chief.

Copy intended for publication and comments must reach the editor’s desk before noon on the 5th of every month. If not, the articles will not be published. All articles are published at the editorial team’s discretion.

Please forward your suggestion and comments to: internalcomms@sanparks.org | Tel 012 426 5401

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TALKING POINT

Talking Point

West Coast National Park flower season

It is my pleasure to welcome you to our Go Wild Magazine July/August edition.

We are excited to be bringing you the latest and exciting updates on activities within our organisation. Time is flying by and it’s hard to believe that we are three months away from the end of the year.

World Ranger Day is commemorated every year on 31 July. Our rangers play a very significant role day-to-day in keeping our national parks and our iconic species safe. In celebration of this year’s World Ranger Day, we embarked on a month long social media campaign whereby we profiled some of our rangers and the work they do. The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment celebrated the day by reporting back on rhino poaching statistics in South Africa.

This year, the International Mandela Day came at a time when our country was under strict lockdown regulations and the Covid-19 pandemic was at its peak. In response to Mandela Day, a number of our national parks commemorated the day by giving back to communities through volunteering and community service.

I also want to take this opportunity to wish Addo Elephant National Park a happy 90th birthday. Addo was proclaimed in 1931 with the purpose of protecting the Eastern Cape’s last eleven remaining elephants.

Finally, the month of August marks Women’s Month and in celebrating the women of SANParks, we are profiling one of the inspirational women in conservation, Dr Nicola van Wilgen-Bredenkamp Read Nicola’s inspirational story on pages 10 and 11.

conserving nature since 1926

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SANParks TODAY

DFFE releases Poaching stats on World Ranger Day

By DFFE

“Our rangers are at the forefront of our struggle.” – Barbara Creecy “On World Ranger Day, we want to pay tribute to our rangers for the incredible work they do each and every day to keep our National Parks and our iconic species safe. We also want to pay tribute to eleven of our staff members at SANParks who lost their lives to Covid-19 over the past year,” said Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, Barbara Creecy.

“We find ourselves in a position where the efforts being made to combat wildlife crime, such as rhino poaching, are influenced to some extent by the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the battle to beat the COVID-19 pandemic,” said the Minister.

“In the battle to conserve our wildlife and halt poaching, it is our rangers who remain at the forefront, putting their lives on the line daily to conserve our environment and vulnerable species despite the additional risk of contracting COVID-19,” added Creecy.

We also want to remember field ranger Checkers Mashego whose lifeless body was discovered at the Kruger Park late last year. May the souls of all our SANParks staff and field rangers rest in peace after serving our nation with diligence and passion.

While the national lockdowns that curbed the movement of people to halt the spread of the virus in 2020 contributed to a decrease in rhino poaching, the lifting of the stringent lockdown regulations appears to have seen an increase in rhino poaching in the first six months of 2021.

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Ranger on Patrol in Kruger National Park

From January to the end of June 2021, 249 rhino were poached for their horn in South Africa. While this is higher than the number of rhino killed for their horns in the same period last year, at 166, it is less than the 318 rhino that were poached in the first six months of 2019.

During the six months, January to June 2021, the Kruger National Park experienced 715 poacher activities, an increase of 3.77% in comparison to the number in 2020, which was 689 for the same period. From January to end of June 2021, 132 rhino were poached for their horns in the Kruger National Park.

One elephant was poached for its ivory in the Kruger National Park during this period.

A number of successful arrests and prosecutions have also been recorded in the past six months. This again underscores the success of the collaborative work being done by law enforcement agencies.

These include the police, the Hawks, SANParks, the Environmental Management Inspectorate or Green Scorpions, customs officials, SANDF, provincial park authorities and the National Prosecuting Authority.

SANParks TODAY

From January to June 2021, 40 alleged poachers were arrested within the Kruger National Park.

A total of 125 people have been arrested for rhino poaching and rhino horn trafficking across the country in the past six months.

Numerous confiscations of rhino horn have also taken place since January, both within the country as well as at OR Tambo International Airport.

The cohesive partnership with the South East Asian countries is also showing concrete results with the recent collaboration between the South African and the Vietnamese authorities resulting in one of the largest seizures of rhino horns and other wildlife products, thereby disrupting syndicate activities.

A total of 14 cases have been finalised since the start of the year with a verdict, representing a 93% conviction rate.

The total of 14 convictions represented 20 convicted accused. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the finalisation rate in courts has slowed down as witnesses, accused and court staff in many instances are required to isolate or quarantine, and even court buildings in some instances need to be decontaminated.

“We are working hard to defeat illegal wildlife trade.” – Barbara Creecy This has had an effect on the finalisation of cases.

“It is clear that the multi-disciplinary, integrated approach to investigating illegal wildlife trade is bearing fruit and that effective collaboration with critical role players remains key to our success,” said Minister Creecy.

“I congratulate the teams on a job well done. We remain aware that criminal elements within our society continue to take advantage of the socioeconomic pressures and drive demand for illegal wildlife products.”

Accordingly, the Department, working with a number of communities, NGOs and donors,

continues with various community developmental programmes, in collaboration with its partners, SANParks, Provinces and neighbouring countries.

The only long-term sustainable solution to wildlife management and conservation is to ensure that communities living on the outskirts of our national parks benefit from tourism and other opportunities.

The provincial and national breakdown for illegal wildlife activities from January to June 2021 (in comparison to 2019 and 2020) is as follows: PROVINCES AND NATIONAL PARKS

2019 January to June

2020 January to June

2021 January to June

SANParks

191

90

132

Gauteng

5

0

0

Limpopo

16

5

30

Mpumalanga

11

6

20

North West

17

17

18

Eastern Cape

1

0

0

Free State

8

0

16

Northern Cape

3

1

0

KwaZulu-Natal

66

47

33

Western Cape

0

0

0

Total

318

166

249

A noticeable increase in poacher pressure has been experienced in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the Free State provinces.

The Department is also monitoring the increased pressure seen on private rhino reserves and collaborating closely with the private sector which continues to play a significant role in rhino protection.

During the same reporting period over the last three years, losses in private parks constituted 15% of the total reported loss in 2019, 9% in 2020 and 30% so far in 2021. ** Members of the public can report any suspicious activities around wildlife to the environmental crime hotline which is 0800 205 005 or the SAPS number 10111.

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SANParks TODAY

Kruger pays a special tribute to our conservation heroes on World Ranger Day

By Accolade Ubisi

Managing Executive of KNP Gareth Coleman, addressing KNP rangers on the occasion of the commemoration, said, “with this year’s theme for the World Ranger Day (WRD) 2021 commemoration being ‘Ranger Wellbeing’ – it is important that we not only remember all the rangers we have lost in the past year through different causes, but also look at how we can raise awareness and promote the wellbeing of our conservation heroes who are in the forefront of what has literally spiralled into a war to preserve and conserve all things and places that are wild and our natural heritage.”

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KNP shared a moment of silence, placed some beautifully arranged wreathes featuring Proteas, Strelitzias, Cosmos and Lilies at the Ranger Monument outside the Paul Kruger Gate on 31 July 2021 – as a sign of respect, mourning and commemorating these fallen conservation heroes on this auspicious occasion.

“I salute the KNP rangers – we don’t often stand back and acknowledge that perhaps this is the most advanced antipoaching ranger team in the world. Because of the issues that we confront and the rhino population we have, we have developed the most advanced anti-poaching techniques, technologies and strategies,” said KNP Head Ranger Catherine Dreyer

Skukuza Section Ranger Kally Ubisi reads the Rangers Scroll that all rangers swear by as they take on the responsibility to be at the forefront of protecting KNP in the various ranger core positions

Regional Ranger, Marula North Steven Whitfield pays homage to the KNP rangers and rangers throughout Africa (both those who have passed on and those still with us)

SANParks TODAY

Addressing KNP rangers, Coleman went on to say, “I would like to say thank you for your dedication, your outstanding attributes, skills and abilities to ensure that we continue to build and maintain an even stronger ranger core team and supporting KNP Management in fulfilling our responsibility of biodiversity management, for the protection and management of natural and cultural heritage for the generations to come.”

Catherine Dreyer pointed out the deeply saddening fact that “13 rangers in South Africa have lost their lives since the last commemoration last year. It is also an extra difficult time for our rangers to carry out their normal work activities given the Covid-19 pandemic situation. And since roughly 80% of KNP’s revenue is generated through tourism, the pandemic has meant that tourism activities have been minimal, resulting in significantly reduced generation of that very much needed income.”

The Kruger National Park ranger team is made up of four regional rangers, 22 section rangers and 400 field rangers, and is responsible for the approximately 2 million hectares of flora and fauna

Making Magic on Mandela Day

By Corporate Communications

Mandela Day is celebrated on the 18th of July every year, on the date when Tata Madiba was born. This is the day when we honour the legacy of our former president, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, through volunteering and community service.

One this magical day, South Africans across all corners of our country happily spend 67 minutes of their time by giving back to people and communities in need.

At SANParks, our various initiatives in recognising Mandela Day 2021 spanned a number of communities, municipalities, reserves, provinces and partner organisations. Here are some of the activities

Staff members undertook some of the activities in Bontebok National Park

our staff members undertook to make our world a better place across all our regions for everyone.

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SANParks TODAY

Marakele Makes Mandela Day Meaningful

Matome Motswi – Assistant interpretation Center conducting an activity with the group

In the northern part of our country, Marakele National Park commemorated Mandela Day with Thabang Drop in Centre at the informal settlement of Smashblock, Thabazimbi.

The centre was established in 2010 in response to the high rates of poverty and orphaned children in the community. The centre’s main goal is to give care to the orphans as well as vulnerable kids who are from unstable homes.

Their services include providing the kids with balanced diet meals, assist with application of ID documents or birth certificates as well as organising professional social work services where necessary.

Sanitary towels and sanitisers donated to Thabang Drop in Centre Smashblock, Thabazimbi

To commemorate Mandela Day 2021, the park donated sanitisers to the centre and sanitary towels to all the girls.

The sanitary pads were proudly donated by the Marakele staff with the intention of also giving a helping hand.

Mrs Salome Mahasha, a contractor at the park, kindly donated lunch to the kids and the staff for the day.

Love Life was also invited to give words of encouragement to the teenagers who are beneficiaries of the services provided by the Centre.

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Mrs Mahasha and team donate and serve lunch to children at Marakele on Mandela Day.

The day was filled with fun and games for the kids and a great time was had by all.

SANParks TODAY

Giving It All at Agulhas

Agulhas National Park celebrated International Mandela Day 2021

On Friday 16 July 2021, Mandela Day was celebrated by Agulhas National Park (ANP), consisting of park management, Biodiversity Social Projects (BSP) teams and conservation staff totalling approximately 150 individuals and members of the Elim community.

The 67 minutes and other activities included the following with a litter clean up in and around Elim:

COVID-19 protocols, compliance and observance were in place and as the teams arrived in the morning they were escorted to their respective work sites in the community.

• Litter pick up and clean ups in and around Elim, including entrances and along the streets.

• Lime wash and realignment of boulders along the entrance road to the cemetery.

• Lime wash of events arena walls, as well as the painting of low walls around cultural features on the church square.

• Opening up of five overgrown storm water drainage plugs along the water furrow.

• Alien clearing and litter pick up in identified common areas.

• Cleaning up of litter and rubble at the Arts and Craft Building.

• Tree cutting, pruning and garden maintenance done in the “Heer se Bos” and “Garden of Thanksgiving”.

• Garden maintenance at the Geluksoord Community Centre.

• Road maintenance and erosion control in identified areas.

• The BSP project vehicles collected and dropped off litter bags.

Planning meetings and site visits preceded this day for smooth implementation.

Everyone gathered afterward.

Elim was the only village visited by Nelson Mandela within the Cape Agulhas Municipal area due to its history and the service it renders to those less fortunate and it was befitting that Agulhas National Park celebrated his birthday once again in Elim in 2021.

In 2018, the tenth running of the Mandela Day event (marking Nelson Mandela’s centennial year) was also celebrated in Elim by the Agulhas National Park (ANP).

conserving nature since 1926

for

some

refreshments

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SANParks TODAY

Woman in Conservation – Meet Dr Nicola van Wilgen-Bredenkamp, Global Change Scientist

By Babalwa Dlangamandla

August is recognised as Women’s Month in South Africa. We decided to profile one of the inspirational women in the organisation - Dr Nicola van Wilgen-Bredenkamp. She has played a vital role in the Cape Research Centre as a Global Change Scientist.

Dr van Wilgen was born in Stellenbosch and grew up on the Jonkershoek Forest station, where she developed an early love for nature. She studied at Stellenbosch University and later she completed her PhD at the Centre for Invasion Biology (Stellenbosch University). During this time, she was very fortunate to have wide exposure to international thinking on many environmental problems. She travelled to Australia twice to learn from their experts in biosecurity risk management and ecological modelling and also presented her work at a conference that took place in Manaus in the Amazon, Brazil.

Nicola is most passionate about wild places and their conservation. As a child, she was lucky to travel to many of South Africa’s protected areas and has a passion for ensuring that future children will be able to do the same thing. She joined SANParks in 2010 and was one of the small initial team that was being set up as the Cape region’s first research hub.

Her role as a global change scientist has evolved over the years, where she was initially managing teams of people to produce a product focused on six environmental change drivers, to now focusing mainly on climate change and alien species. Because her initial role was so broad, she still works with most parks. Her position has allowed her to work with a very wide range of SANParks employees and has included visits to

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Dr Nicola van Wilgen-Bredenkamp

atleast 10 of the parks and involvement in many of the management plans.

We asked her to describe the impact of COVID-19 and the changes it has brought with it and she said, “The past year and a half have been hugely challenging on a personal, organisational, societal and global level. However, they say that adversity promotes resilience and opportunity. After having been with SANParks for 10 years and not really knowing if and how one could really make a difference, I have found that there have been some unique opportunities in the past year that might not have arisen otherwise. Working ‘virtually’ has meant that we could include colleagues

SANParks TODAY

from anywhere in the country in our discussions and deliberations and even bring in people from overseas quite easily.”

Nicola encourages women who aspire to become global change scientists by saying, “The world of conservation and climate change science is a very exciting and dynamic space that people in almost any field can get involved in. Being a scientist teaches critical thinking and the studying of global change processes has such broad applications that I would encourage all young women with a passion for our planet and problem-solving to get involved in this field. While many spheres of society are still male-dominated, my experience is that this is changing. Many studies have shown that women have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and also by environmental degradation.

However, women provide unique and alternative ways of looking at problems and as such come up with more diverse and inclusive solutions that are key to developing a more sustainable future society.”

One of the most rewarding parts of her job is her involvement in a diverse range of exciting projects, including a collaboration on several applications with US scientists to NASA’s Bioscape programme.

NASA are planning to test some of their remote sensing equipment in South Africa in 2023 and will be assessing how the information can be used in conservation and biodiversity science. There are many exciting applications and broad opportunities for working with local and overseas experts. She’s also working with parks to assess park-level climate change vulnerabilities and adaptation options.

“It’s wonderful to see all the work that park staff are doing and assessing what changes might be required in the future to cope with climate change. We’re also looking at how to use parks to create more awareness of the problems related to environmental change as well as the solutions that conservation and working with nature can provide to society,” concluded Dr van Wilgen-Bredenkamp.

We say kudos to her and encourage her to keep up the good work!

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SANParks TODAY

Van Loveren Rhino Run Wines Expands Conservation grant to include SANParks

By Resource Mobilisation & Partnerships

Brothers, cousins, nephews, sons - makers of the Van Loveren Rhino Run Wines

Van Loveren Family Vineyards has sealed an agreement with SANParks that will see every sale of Rhino Run Organic Wine contribute to the conservation of South Africa’s natural heritage.

SANParks is responsible for managing South Africa’s national parks and is now the second beneficiary to benefit from this range.

Rhino Run was established in 2013 from inspiration of Dr Ian Player, founder of the Player Ntombela Foundation and a conservationist who dedicated his life and career since the 1960s to leading the efforts to save the rhinoceros. A portion of every purchase of Rhino Run Ian Player red blend is donated to conservation and anti-poaching initiatives.

Through the agreement reached with SANParks, a portion of sales from the range will now be used towards activities in the national parks and for rhino conservation.

“We are very excited about this new development, association and relationship for Rhino Run,” says Van Loveren Family Vineyards MD Phillip Retief.

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“The preservation of our country’s natural heritage is something we proudly support.”

SANParks Chief Financial Officer, Dumisani Dlamini says, “SANParks is excited to collaborate with Van Loveren Family Vineyards in fulfilling its core mandate of conservation and specifically rhino conservation. It is transformative initiatives such as this that will help us conserve our environment for future generations.”

The contribution to SANParks further expands Van Loveren’s efforts to restoring environmental health while continuing to produce exceptional and elegant wines. The journey includes Rhino Run Wines recently being certified 100% organic.

There are five wines in the Rhino Run organic range, which comprises two white wines, a red blend and two single variety reds.

For more information, or to make a direct contribution to conservation initiatives, visit www.rhinorunwine. co.za, email info@vanloveren.co.za, or call 023 615 1505. Order online at https://bit.ly/35r7FPS (www.vanloveren.co.za).

SANParks TODAY

SANParks is Going Cash Free for Extra Safety and Convenience

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SANParks TODAY

SANParks on the Snowdonia National Park Podcast

By Chris Patton

National Park Around The World - Part 1

Mount Snowdon in north Wales is the highest mountain in the United Kingdom outside of the Highlands of Scotland. It is also the centrepiece of Snowdonia National Park, one of 15 national parks in Great Britain.

Some SANParks colleagues were also invited to take part, but in the end Chris was the one they interviewed alongside staff from Vatnajökull National Park in Iceland (a park of glaciers) and the USA’s Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park.

When the COVID-19 pandemic sent the whole world into lockdown, Snowdonia started to communicate with their patrons through podcasts.

These ongoing podcasts alternate between Welsh and English, because unbeknown to many around the world, people in many parts of the United Kingdom do not speak English as their mother tongue… and Welsh is one of several Celtic languages in use, alongside Cornish, Scottish and Irish Gaelic.

Chris gave an overview of all the SANParks’ parks and contrasted their operation with parks in the United Kingdom. He made special mention of Mapungubwe, because of the role a Welsh botanist, Illtyd Buller PoleEvans, played in its original establishment as a botanic reserve, and then spoke of the incredible discovery a decade later of the ruins of the Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape that would lead to its proclamation as a national park and world heritage site some 60 odd years later. He also pointed out that Kruger National Park and the entire country of Wales are roughly the same size at approximately 20 000km².

After releasing frequent recordings on matters pertaining to their Park, the Snowdonia podcast team came up with the idea of trying to set up interviews with staff in other national parks all around the world.

They sent a speculative enquiry to SANParks’ reservation email address and were connected to the Communications department, who transferred the request for an interview to Phokela Lebea and Chris Patton, who of course recorded SANParks’ original podcasts in an attempt to make SANParks more accessible to blind people.

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The conclusion of his half hour interview focused on the common bond between Mount Snowdon and Table Mountain as two of the World’s top-10 busiest mountains, and the Snowdonia Podcast Team are now planning a future episode where they will showcase the top 10 mountains and interview staff connected with their protection, so a follow up podcast may feature some of our colleagues from TMNP.

Anyone interested in listening to the podcast can Google “eryri podcast episode 14”.

SANParks TODAY

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ARID NEWS

World Youth Skills Day At Augrabies Falls National Park

By Christine du Plessis

AFNP - World Youth Skills Day workshop

World Youth Skills Day, on 15 July, aims to equip youth all over the world with skills to be able to find employment, have decent jobs and be entrepreneurs.

Having noticed the poor state of CVs that are handed in for park positions and the fact that people arrive totally unprepared for an interview, it was decided to provide essential information and practical support in this crucial stage of a job application.

In recognition of World Youth Skills Day 2021, the SET officer conducted a workshop with the Park staff who fall into the Youth category, including Tourism and Environmental monitors.

The focus of the workshop was on providing the staff with essential and practical information regarding the compilation of an appropriate Curriculum Vitae and how to prepare for a job interview.

A mock interview was also conducted and an indepth discussion held afterwards.

The staff were very grateful and the information was well received. During interviews conducted

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the next day for a vacant position in the park, there was already a marked improvement.

It is hoped that the workshop will also be done with the Youth in the surrounding communities later on, as it is evident that this is a crucial area where information and skills are lacking.

Also with Youth Skills Day in mind and In the light of improving skills, the two Nature Conservation students, Nokwanda Zulu and Samukelisiwe Mathenjwa, who are busy with their Work Integrated Learning (WIL) training in the Park, were also given the opportunity to do a power point presentation about the Park for the Management and Staff.

They had to present as if the staff were tourists and a question session was held afterwards. Although it was a nerve-wracking experience for them at first, they were really proud afterwards that they had managed to do it well, even though they had very limited experience in presenting.

They appreciated all the constructive advice that they received. They realised that they still had plenty to learn, however, they were motivated and encouraged by the staff to keep learning more about the environment and the park.

ARID NEWS

Away for Repair Contestants attend series shoot

Trans-Augrabies MTB Challenge

By Christine du Plessis

By Christine du Plessis

After much planning and plenty of preparations, Augrabies Falls NP hosted the eight participants and crew for the SANParks TV Reality series shoot, Away for Repair, during the first week of June.

On arrival, all received a warm welcome and a small goodie bag consisting of an information guide, Augrabies mask, locally produced grape juice, raisins, dates and other edible treats.

Augrabies successfully held its second outdoor event for 2021 from 17-19 June in the form of the Trans Augrabies MTB Challenge. As part of the adjustments made to adhere to Covid-19 protocol, the participants were set off each day in small groups to adhere to social distancing.

Day 1 covered a distance of 82km through the park and exiting at Alkantrand, across the river at Vredesvallei and onto the mountains of Riemvasmaak and back to the rest camp.

The second day was 86km, the longest and most challenging over rugged terrain in the park and ended with a spectacular crash on the finish line.

The third day, covering 55km, entailed a more technical ride with an interesting river crossing over a suspension bridge upstream from the waterfall.

Away for Repair Contestants enjoying prize

The winning pair from the Golden Gate shoot had the pleasure of spending a night in the Gorge Cottage at Augrabies as their prize and they were awestruck on seeing the stunning location and wonderful dinner that was laid out for them.

The eight participants participated eagerly in three challenges at Augrabies with a strong Nama cultural focus.

The winning pair of the Augrabies challenges had a beautiful sunset dinner on a deck with the waterfall in the background. The shoot was completed with a lekgotla on a beautiful sandy patch amongst the rocks, with the waterfall thundering in the background.

Trans Augrabies MTB Challenge

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CAPE NEWS

West Coast National Park opens its door for the flower season

By Babalwa Dlangamandla

Postberg section of WCNP

The West Coast flower season officially opened in the second week of August 2021.

According to Pierre Nel, West Coast National Park Acting Park Manager, “The good rains which the area has received this year, should make for an excellent flower-viewing season. We anticipate the flowers to be good from the second half of August up until mid-September. Visitors should select sunny days to visit the park. If at all possible, it is advisable to plan your visit on a week day. Weekend days are often very busy with queues developing at the gate, and congestion in the flower viewing areas.

The Mooimaak Area will also be open for flower viewing.”

This season is one of the busiest flower seasons ever, the contributing factors mainly being a high amount of rainfall received during wet season and the travel restriction of lockdown being lifted which resulted in local tourists flocking into the park. In this flower season alone, approximately 60 000 people visited the park specifically to see flowers and picnic sites at Postberg.

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During a visit to the park in flower season, visitors can expect to see the following species on display: Suurvy, Elandsvy, Gouwsblom, Bokbaai vygie, White rain daisy, Sporrie, Magriet, and Suituintjie.

Come to West Coast National Park and explore flowers in full bloom.

West Coast National Park contains mostly strandveld vegetation (24,025 ha), which was previously classified as West Coast Strandveld and Langebaan Fynbos /Thicket Mosaic.

In recent years the park has expanded incorporating substantial areas (6,382 ha) of an additional vegetation type /broad habitat unit i.e. Hopefield Sand Plain Fynbos, previously called Coastal Fynbos. Both these habitat units were given a 50% irreplaceability rating; however, sand plain fynbos is regarded to be of higher conservation value than strandveld, due to very little being formally conserved and it being more threatened by alien plant invasion.

CAPE NEWS

Cecilia Alien Clearing Hack

By Muneeba Lamera

Clearing Hack

In March 2021, an alien clearing hack programme was started at Rhodes Memorial in Table Mountain National Park (TMNP).

The aim of the programme was to collectively remove the competitive alien plants found in the area and allow the indigenous vegetation to thrive while encouraging biodiversity.

Keen volunteers from the Newlands Forest Conservation Group, students of Rondebosch Boys High and Herschel Girls School and their parents, with the assistance of SANParks rangers of TMNP, helped tackle the alien plant problem that was rather widespread in the area.

Due to the Rhodes fire breaking out on 18 April 2021, the hacking group had to be moved to another priority area in need of alien clearing. On 22 May 2021, the group partook in yet another alien clearing hack programme, but this time at Lower Cecilia, near the car park.

The programme started off with a brief introduction by the Newlands Section Ranger, Chamell Pluim, regarding the background of Cecilia. In 2005, SANParks was assigned to manage the Tokai and

Cecilia plantations located on the eastern slopes of TMNP. The Tokai/Cecilia Management Framework was thus formed and incorporates the perspectives of various stakeholders in the transition of the land for the benefit of all.

These views include eco-tourism, heritage, sustainable harvesting, recreation and the protection of biodiversity. Prior to the management of SANParks, Cecilia Forest vastly consisted of invasive alien gum, pine and wattle species; however, it has sufficient land for the restoration of the endangered Granite fynbos.

Due to this, it is crucial to control the alien species and allow indigenous biodiversity to thrive.

To address this need, one of the aims of the Management Framework is to rehabilitate areas where commercial trees have been harvested.

One of the ways this was carried out is through the Silver Tree project, whereby more than 1 000 indigenous Silver Trees (Leucadendron argenteum) were planted in the Cecilia area. This project has shown to be successful as many of the mature trees have developed fruit and dispersed their seeds, giving rise to new little seedlings.

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CAPE NEWS

To ensure that this precious species is allowed to successfully thrive, the remaining alien plants in the area were intended to be removed during the hack programmes. After the introduction, an alien plant identification guide was distributed among the participants to make identification easier.

They were also informed of the PlantNet and iNaturalist mobile applications to help them identify species they were uncertain of. The participants were informed of the methods of clearing the species, i.e., gum and wattle species needed to be cut and have herbicide applied to it, however pine species do not require herbicide.

The volunteers were then told to split up into groups, each consisting of a SANParks staff member who would help clear the alien plants and administer herbicide to the cut tree stumps.

According to the volunteers, all of them enjoyed

the hack and would love to participate in a similar programme in the future.

However, many of them suggested the use of additional herbicide administers. In order to assist the volunteers with being more efficient, the core volunteers were given in-house training on herbicide application by SANParks on 17 June 2021.

During the training at Newlands, the volunteers were informed of which herbicides are used to remove the alien plants, as well as the relevant protocols of administering it.

On 19 June 2021, the second alien clearing hack took place at Cecilia where the SANParks staff demonstrated the correct way of applying herbicide, in order to further train the volunteers to be capable herbicide applicators.

De-littering the Western Cape

By Sinoyolo Nama

Bontebok staff de-litter and paint community member’s house

Bontebok National Park staff members cleaned up litter that had been illegally dumped near a community church and also helped to paint the house of a community member which had

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been burnt. As a quote from the bible says, “Blessed is the hand that gives.”

Initiatives like these which bring communities, municipalities

and the national parks together are very important. That is why awareness initiatives were set in place to show how litter threatens the environment and human health.

FRONTIER NEWS

Addo Elephant park celebrates 90 years

By Fayroush Ludick

Addo’s 90th staff celebration

Addo Elephant National Park’s 90th birthday was a muted affair at the beginning of July due to the country’s Adjusted Level 4 Covid Regulations in place at the time – which saw a restriction on gatherings. However, staff hope to celebrate the occasion belatedly in September with the joint national launch of SA National Parks Week in the Park.

Addo was proclaimed in 1931. It has grown exponentially since then – from conserving the last remaining 11 elephants in the area on 4 500 hectares nine decades ago, to now being home to over 600 elephants and a diversity of other species and landscapes over 176 000 terrestrial hectares and a further 114 000 marine hectares which make up the Addo Elephant National Park Marine Protected Area.

A social media campaign under #90FactsIn90Days and #AddoTurns90 gained quite a lot of traction in the months leading up to the 90th, looking back at the Park’s rich history.

90 ADDO FACTS 1. Addo Elephant National Park was proclaimed in 1931 (Government Gazette No 243 dated 3 July 1931).

2. The sole purpose of the proclamation was to protect the Eastern Cape’s last 11 remaining elephants.

3. Former Park Manager, Graham Armstrong, invented an elephant-proof fence so effective at keeping animals within the confines of the Park in the 1950s that it is still used in sections today.

4. The Park’s mission: Addo Elephant National Park seeks to be a key role player in providing benefits to society by being well integrated into the regional landscape, conserving and restoring the characteristic terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity, as well as ecological processes and cultural, historical and scenic resources of the Algoa Bay to Karoo gradient.

5. Addo is the third largest national park in South Africa.

6. Addo Elephant National Park stretches from Woody Cape in the south (the area between Bushman’s River mouth in the east and Sundays River mouth in the west), moving northwards across the area originally known as Olifantsplaat and Vetmaakvlakte, across the original elephant enclosure, across to the Nyathi Concession area, encompassing a large part of the Zuurberg mountain range, moving westwards, and then northwards across the Zuurberg to the Darlington Dam area up to the R400.

7. On 4 April 2005, former Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Marthinus

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FRONTIER NEWS

van Schalkwyk, opened the new R6.5 million Matyholweni Rest Camp.

8. On the same day, van Schalkwyk also proclaimed the initial Addo Marine Protected Area.

9. In terms of accommodation, the Park has a total of 79 units, 12 camp sites and 21 caravan sites available to guests.

10. Addo Elephant National Park provides a secure sanctuary for the largest population of flightless dung beetle.

11. The Alexandria dunefield comes in at 88km in length, and offers spectacular views and activity potential, an example of which is the existing Alexandria Hiking Trail.

12. The Addo Marine Protected Area encompasses the Bird Island group (Bird, Stag, Seal Island and Black Rocks) as well as the St. Croix Island group (St. Croix, Jahleel and Brenton islands).

13. Addo has one of the highest concentrations of African elephants in the world, with over 600 of these magnificent pachyderms making their home amongst the thicket.

14. The Park’s only elephant escapee over the years was the legendary Hapoor, who was the dominant bull in the Park from 1944 to 1968.

He broke out in 1968 after being deposed from his dominant status by Lanky.

15. The first official tourist only drove through the Park in 1978.

16. As there is no natural water in the main game area, most of the water is pumped from underground into the waterholes.

17. The Park’s water is managed in such a way as to mimic nature by regulating the water gradient into these waterholes that in turn forces animals to move around the Park in search of water. This helps to alleviate stress on the environment.

18. Jack’s Picnic Site is named after Jack the black rhino, one of the first black rhino to be brought to Addo. He was kept in an enclosure on the site where the picnic spot is now.

19. Addo’s unique biological diversity encompasses five of South Africa’s seven biomes, namely Forest, Subtropical thicket, Grassland, Fynbos and Nama Karoo.

20. In the Park’s five biomes, 43 distinct land classes have been mapped. 29 of the 43 land classes

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(67%) have been identified as experiencing a high level of threat (potential threats include grazing, agriculture, alien plant infestation, mining and human settlement disturbances).

21. Subtropical thicket is the largest biome in Addo, covering 69% of the area. Forest covers 10%, Nama Karoo 7%, whilst Fynbos and Grassland each cover 5% of the area. The remaining area is covered by dunefield and areas of Savanna.

22. Addo is the only nationally protected area which conserves thicket.

23. Addo’s buffalo, the descendants of the 30-strong Cape buffalo herd that were enclosed with the proclamation of the Park, are probably the largest disease-free herd in South Africa.

24. For many years, the buffalo in Addo were nocturnal. This may be the result of hunting pressure before the Park was established. Since the introduction of large predators, the habits of buffalo appear to be a natural response to the presence of lions, predators that hunt mainly at night. Buffalo would therefore prefer to come out onto the open plains to graze and to waterholes to drink when lions are less active during the day.

25. The Darlington section became a Big Five area with the translocation of 27 elephants on 31 July 2018. Elephants last roamed the area 150 years ago.

26. The Darlington section is the largest section of the Park at 45 000ha and surrounds the Darlington Dam. 27. The Woody Cape section was incorporated into the Park in 2002 when SANParks took over the management from the Department of Forestry.

28. The Kruger tusker, Valli Moosa, died on 28 December 2017.

29. Former Minister of Environmental Affairs, Dr Edna Molewa, witnessed the loading and departure of six black rhino from Addo to Chad on 3 May 2018.

30.

Alexandria Forest can be distinguished from other forest types by the relatively low percentage of shade-loving trees in the species composition, making it distinct from forests in other regions. This results in reduced light

FRONTIER NEWS

levels in the area beneath the canopy where species such as tree ferns are common.

31. Harvey’s loop is located on the original old Harvey farm.

32. The Alexandria dunefield is the largest and least degraded coastal dunefield in the southern hemisphere. It has a maximum width of 3km and covers approximately 15 800ha.

The average height of dunes is 30m, while the tallest dune is 140m above mean sea level.

33. The Alexandria dunefield gets about 3mm thicker each year. The landward face of the dune (where the vegetation starts) moves further inland at 0.25m per year.

34. The Alexandria dunefield has been growing for about 6.5 million years, which was when the sea moved to its present level.

35. Strandloper (which is the common term for coastal Khoi/San) had settlements in the Alexandria dunes. Remnants of midden sites, comprising mostly of fragments of harvested shellfish, but also pottery fragments and primitive tools, can be found in the dunes.

36. The coastal area of Addo Elephant National Park stretches between the Sundays River Mouth and Cannon Rocks along the Alexandria dunefield.

37. The SANParks Honorary Rangers Addo Region handed over the keys to a brand new antipoaching vessel, the JMB Malusi, to the Park’s Marine Rangers on 23 May 2014.

38. The Langebos Huts in the Woody Cape section were officially opened to the public as overnight accommodation on 9 February 2015.

39. Bird and St Croix islands are two of the very few South African breeding localities for the Roseate Tern and almost the entire Indian Ocean breeding population of Antarctic Terns roost on Bird Island during the winter.

40. Black Rocks are the most easterly breeding colony for Cape fur seals along the South African coast.

41. As a result of an artificial connection between the Sundays River via the Great Fish to the Orange River, African sharptooth catfish have invaded the Sundays River and Darlington Dam. There they grow to very large sizes and live for more than 25 years.

42. African fish eagles are often seen in the vicinity of Darlington Dam, flying low over the surface of the water or perching very conspicuously in trees. They are usually found in pairs.

43. Six lions from the Kalahari were translocated to Addo in 2003. Lions were chosen from the Kalahari in particular as it is believed that they are genetically most similar to the extinct Cape black-maned lions, which would have occurred in the Addo area prior to being shot out.

44. Domkrag dam is named after a large leopard tortoise called “Domkrag” (meaning car jack in Afrikaans). The tortoise lived in the camp and could actually lift vehicles up from the ground.

His shell is on display in the Ulwazi Interpretive Centre. He died in 1976 from starvation after falling into an aardvark hole.

45. Addo’s subtropical thicket supports 48 species of medium to large mammals due to its rich plant variety.

46. Hippo were released into the Park section of the Sundays River in 1992, with the current population estimated at between 15 and 20.

47. The Zuurberg National Park was proclaimed in 1985 with the transfer of Zuurberg Forest Reserve, initially proclaimed in 1869 with the intention of conserving a representative sample of the grassy Fynbos and AfroMontane forest patches characteristic of the Zuurberg Mountains. Zuurberg National Park was later de-proclaimed and included into Addo Elephant National Park in 1995.

48. Spekboom Tented Camp was opened on 13 December 2010.

49.

SANParks handed over a computer laboratory to Paterson High School, valued at R1.1 million, on 18 September 2013.

50. Thicket contains 112 different vegetation types comprising 1 558 plants species. 322 of these species (20%) are endemic and found nowhere else. For every one plant species, there are between eight and 35 organisms dependent on this species.

51. 40% of the world’s population of Cape gannets can be found in the Addo Marine Protected Area.

52. Addo has a rich cultural history. The natural and cultural heritage of the Park has been studied

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FRONTIER NEWS

by the Albany Museum in Grahamstown, recording hundreds of sites of significance.

This was done under what was known as the AENP cultural mapping pilot project conducted during 2002 by various researchers from the Albany Museum.

53. Matyholweni Rest Camp is a community partnership operating within SANParks. The Mayibuye Ndlovu Development Trust (Joint Venture Company with the Sundays River Citrus Company), sees the community receive a percentage of sales of the units in the camp.

54. The Park ranges in altitude from 0m to 951m.

55. The Zuurberg section is home to four cycad species, namely the endangered Alexandria cycad Encephalartos arenarius and three near-threatened species – the Grahamstown cycad Encephalartos caffer, Karoo cycad Encephalartos lehmannii and Zuurberg cycad Encephalartos longifolius.

56. The Park is home to 13 species of endemic herpetofauna (the reptiles and amphibians of a particular region, habitat, or geological period), five species of land tortoises and 14 species of frogs.

57. The Park’s webcam was installed on 28 April 2010.

58. The boundary fence between the Main Game Area and the Colchester Section of the Park was taken down on 20 August 2010.

59. Black-backed jackal and caracal are the two mesopredator species (a mid-ranking predator, which typically preys on smaller animals) that occur in the Park.

60. Addo is well-placed to cater for people with disabilities. In addition to a number of wheelchair accessible accommodation units, the Park offers a number of activities and facilities as well. These include the PPC Discovery trail, SASOL Red Bishop bird hide, waterhole viewpoint, underground hide, game area picnic site, Ulwazi Interpretive Centre, shop and restaurant.

61. There are about 120km of tourist roads between the main game viewing area and Colchester section for self-drive wildlife viewing suitable for normal sedan vehicles.

62. Addo is the only Park to offer guests a hopon guide. This is an individual, sourced from

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the communities adjacent to the Addo, who operates his own business within the Park, providing guiding services for visitors in the comfort of their own vehicles.

63. All guides on open game drive vehicles (individuals or staff members of organisations who bring guests into the Park on guided game drives) have to write an examination in order to qualify for accreditation to act as a nature/field/tourism guide.

64. Spotted hyenas were reintroduced into the Park in 2003, fulfilling the same role as lions in restoring the natural balance to the ecosystems in the Park by controlling the numbers of herbivores.

65. At 100% capacity, the Darlington Dam covers 3 000ha.

66. Darlington Dam was originally named Lake Mentz, in honour of Colonel Mentz, the then Minister of Lands. It was renamed in 1995 after the settlement which was overrun when the dam was created. The dam became part of Addo in 2000.

67. In 1992, the farm Gorah was included into the Park. The elephants made a rush for the area because of the abundance of prickly pears – a favourite of theirs. Park officials had to construct a new tourist road into the area as the elephants were no longer visible to the tourists in the original section and they complained of not seeing elephants.

68. The current rhino (bicornis bicornis) were introduced to the Park in 1994 after the removal of the original (bicornis michaeli) which were the wrong species for the area.

69. Five brown hyenas were introduced into the Darlington section in 2015. Historically, they were always found in the Karoo.

70. What is now known as the Main Entrance Gate was officially opened on 16 March 2010.

71. Numerous visitors witnessed a fight between two elephant bulls on 22 April 2010 which resulted in the death of the Park’s biggest tusker, Skukuza.

72. There are five species of tortoises and terrapins in the Park – Leopard Tortoise, Green ParrotBeaked Tortoise, Angulate Tortoise, Tented Tortoise and Marsh/Helmeted Terrapin.

73. There are 27 species of snakes in the Park.

FRONTIER NEWS

74. The Park boasts 449 bird species according to the Bird Atlas Project. This reflects the high diversity of habitats in the Park. Four of southern Africa’s Big Five Eagles occur here – the Martial, Black, Crowned and African Fish Eagle.

75. Flightless dung beetles are active in the day, with peaks in mid-morning and late afternoon.

Midday temperatures are too hot for these beetles and they are dependent on shade for survival. There is a dramatic increase of beetles after rain. They have an operating temperature of between 12 to 26 degrees, anything below or above means one will not see them.

76. The oldest rocks encountered in the Park occur as small islands in Algoa Bay. The Bird Island complex comprises Black Rock, Stag, Seal and Bird Islands and occurs about 10km south of the Woody Cape cliffs. These rocky islands are made up of quartzitic sandstone of the Peninsula Formation, formed about 500 million years ago.

77. What is known as the “Addo Main Camp” section of the Park is 13 000 hectares (1 hectare = 10 000 square metres).

78. In April 2003, 59 elephants were moved into what is known as the Nyathi section. This was a major operation and the first of its kind in the history of the Park. The R346 road between Paterson and Addo was closed off and the railway line shut down. These elephants were driven across the road using a helicopter and game capture vehicles. 11 of the elephants could not be coerced to cross and were darted and then moved by game capture vehicles.

79. Rangers had to be evacuated from Bird Island on 5 September 2008 as high seas caused the water level to move about 15m inland.

80. Jack’s Picnic Site was opened on 22 December 2008.

81. The Bedrogfontein 4x4 route follows a pass built by Sir Harry Smith. It featured during the Anglo Boer War when a commando under the leadership of General Smuts was involved in a skirmish with a British force that was moving up the pass. A number of British soldiers and horses died during this event which took place shortly after many in the Boer commando had

suffered severe food poisoning after eating the green fruit of cycads. Names of soldiers can be seen carved into some of the trees. There are also San Rock paintings in the area.

82. Vukani loop is named after Harold Trollope who rounded up the remaining elephant in 1931. Vukani means ‘Wake up; Wake up’, the traditional name by which he was known. He was an early riser and made sure that his team were up and about the same time that he was.

83. Bird Island is a low flat island, rising to 9m above mean sea level at its highest point, with an area of 19ha.

84. Fourteen species of sea-birds, three species of shorebirds and 33 species of terrestrial birds have been recorded at the islands in the Addo Marine Protected Area.

85. The breeding season of Cape gannets extends from the beginning of September to the end of March. Gannets do not breed at any other Algoa Bay island. They are highly susceptible to disturbance during the egg-laying phase.

Gulls prey on gannet eggs and chicks.

86. Bird and St Croix Islands are the only two South African localities where Roseate Terns breed. The South African population is approximately 500. They breed in winter, from June to September, and are extremely susceptible to disturbance. Roseate Terns are classified as endangered in the Red Data Book, which reflects their position in a southern African context. Internationally they are not endangered. Almost the entire Indian Ocean breeding population of Antarctic Tern roosts on Bird Island during the winter.

87. On 3 December 2005, the Park celebrated the birth of its first three lion cubs – at the time estimated to have been about four months old.

88. On 16 August 2006, former Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, officially opened the new southern access road in the Park.

89. There are 14 lizards species and six species of geckos in the Park.

90. There are three species of chameleons and nine amphibian species in the Park.

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FRONTIER NEWS

Sylvester Mountain Bike and Trail Run Events

By Fayroush Ludick

The Sylvester MTB Race Celebrates Sylvester, the Famous KNP Escapee Lion

The Sylvester MTB race was born to continue the legacy of the famous runaway lion who escaped from Karoo National Park twice – Sylvester, also known as Spook – who captured the hearts and minds of many the world over.

From his escapades, the SANParks Honorary Rangers Karoo Region saw the opportunity to give the public the chance to experience some of the terrain that Sylvester and the search parties endured during his times on the run.

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The participants also had the opportunity to stay at the race village at the Grantham Environmental Education Centre in the Park, which served as the base of the entire event.

This year a total of 160 participants entered amid the onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic.

An event like this does not only expose the Park and the Karoo and its beautiful surroundings to visitors, but also brings in much-needed funds for the SANParks Honorary Rangers Karoo Region in order for them to assist the Park.

This was the event’s fourth year and the third year that it was presented as a three-day event.

Participants could choose between a long or short three-day race which included a prologue (time trial).

OK Foods Beaufort West was again the main sponsor of the event. ER24 as a sponsor provided medical assistance over the three days. Kuzuko Lodge, the home of Sylvester, sponsored a weekend to visit Sylvester as a very special prize.

One-day participants could choose between seven different distances, making this event accessible to pros and novices and to every age group alike.

The Honorary Rangers wish to thank every sponsor, helper and SANParks for the opportunity to have made the event possible.

KRUGER NEWS

KNP and ZZ2 donate food parcels on Mandela Day

By Accolade Ubisi

KNP hands over fresh vegetables donated by ZZ2 to the Mahlathi village ward counselor

“There can be no greater gift than that of giving one’s time and energy to helping others without expecting anything in return” – Nelson Mandela.

KNP became the first national park of South Africa in 1926, stretching over an estimated 181 communities and 3 million people, all of whom look up to KNP for jobs, support and socio-economic upliftment.

This year, to celebrate Mandela Day, KNP visited a home-based care centre in the Mahlathi village situated in the northern part of KNP, to offer support to one of their community programmes that looks after people who are unable to tend to their daily needs either because they have grown too old or are too ill.

Mandela Day is observed by giving back as much as one can without expecting anything in return. This is one of many beliefs that made our revered former president the great South African and world icon that he was and will always be.

The home-based centre cooks warm and hearty meals, cleans community members’ yards and homes, fetches and assists those who are on chronic medication to have their medicines delivered in their

homes on time and administered properly as well as ensuring that they have access to clean drinking water.

KNP, in collaboration with ZZ2, donated food parcels consisting of instant porridge, fresh vegetables, meat and mealie meal to add to what the community centre has so that they can continue to stretch their helping hand to all who need assistance within their community.

More importantly, KNP gave their time spent at the centre, strengthening existing relationships, building new ones and using the opportunity to get to know the people who live adjacent to the KNP even more.

“Overcoming poverty is not an act of charity, it is an act of justice.” – Nelson Mandela We are grateful that a little bit of justice was achieved from our side to ensure that we hold hands with communities trying to overcome these difficult times.

This was neither the first nor last act of justice to pull our people together again to a place of health, hope and sanctity by KNP and its stakeholders.

May this annual act of justice be passed on like a baton to all generations that are to follow.

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KRUGER NEWS

COVID-19 Vaccine – It’s not just a jab, it saves lives

By Khensile Moriri

Both anxiety and excitement filled the room as Kruger National Park (KNP) employees queued outside the Skukuza community hall to receive their first COVID-19 jab. The Mpumalanga National Department of Health (DOH) visited the Skukuza Rest Camp where a total of 936 individuals got their Pfizer BioNTech according to their age category as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The Covid-19 vaccine is 95% effective and is administered to protect the public from severe illness caused by the coronavirus and to also curb the massive spread. The more people get vaccinated, the quicker the progress of fighting COVID-19.

The president of South Africa, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, emphasised in one of his COVID-19 National Lockdown addresses that all organisations should encourage their employees to get vaccinated to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. Therefore, KNP took a step forward and made it possible to ensure a healthy and safe environment for its staff members.

Four stations were allocated for vital signs checkups prior to the vaccine, to check for high blood pressure and other conditions that might be of risk for an individual to get vaccinated. A vaccination station where the jab was administered was set up, and a post-vital signs checkup station to check for symptoms that might be triggered by the vaccine was also created.The last station was the discharge spot where an individual recieved a confirmation email from DOH that they had their vaccine. With ease, employees who did not register to vaccinate were assisted with walk-in registrations.

“As individuals, we are sensitive to anything that has to do with being pricked, diagnoses or any health related issue that is directly aligned to us on a personal basis,” said KNP’s Sherlock Shabangu.

“Also bear in mind that we all react differently to certain diseases. As the Wellness Office, together with Health and Safety, it is our job to ensure that our employees are, firstly, mentally prepared through orientations of any health-related programme that

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Wellness Officer of the KNP, Mr Sherlock Shabangu prepares to receive his first jab

will be carried out (which is why we afford them free counselling with ICASA). Secondly, we also ensure that we constantly inform and educate them of different stigmas. Thirdly, we prioritise their health which sums up this vaccination programme where we encourage them to vaccinate and get protection from serious illnesses that might result from a coronavirus infection.

“However, employees are not forced to vaccinate; instead, they do so willingly and they have every right to declare a dispute. Judging from the responses we have received from those who have vaccinated already, we are happy to learn that there were no confirmed complications caused by the vaccine.

“The progress of the vaccination roll out in the Park since the third wave is our reminder that we are far from the end of COVID-19. The rate of infections remains high, reminding us that we still need to take care, continue wearing masks, washing hands and avoiding unnecessary travel. SANParks have so far vaccinated 936 people. The vaccine roll-out is under way, showing that we have the capacity and the will to overcome this pandemic.

“More groups are being welcomed to receive the Covid-19 vaccine. It’s anticipated that over 50% of those who register will receive their first dose of the vaccine by September.

The majority of adults in SA should be vaccinated by the end of the year,” concluded Mr Shabangu as he made his way to get his vaccine.

NORTHERN NEWS

Digital education in the Maluti Mountains

By Sipho Mkhwanazi

Film and Publication Board together with GGHNP host female youth during Women’s month

On the weekend of 28-29 August, The Film and Publication Board hosted 20 selected girls at the Golden Gate Highlands National Park as part of the FPB Youth Voices and Youth Cybersafety Ambassador Programme (YCAP).

These girls were selected to attend a fun-filled targeted youth camp and programme at the park after an insightful webinar. As part of the weekend’s activities, FPB partnered with Golden Gate Highlands to treat the young ladies to an educational hike on the famous herbal trails at the park.

This experience coincided with the organisation’s aim to educate young girls the importance of having a healthy, fully balanced on lifestyle.

FPB was created to support social cohesion and inclusivity aligned to the moral compass of the country. They do this by classifying content of films, games and publications, while protecting the most vulnerable in society from potentially harmful elements within this area.

A special area of focus is protection from Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). Women’s Month presented an ideal opportunity to empower and

educate women, as social change agents and advocates for the work of the FPB. Part of the objectives of the Women’s Month campaign was to empower girls to create a safe digital footprint online and engage safely in the 4IR space as a tool for learning, networking, and making their voices heard.

Moreover, there was a focus to educate them on the opportunities for advancement that are available online and encourage them to use these opportunities safely.

This was successfully executed through the leveraging on Women’s Month to create a movement for a safer online environment for women and girls by creating a cohort of young women ambassadors for safe content consumption.

FPB was exceptionally impressed with the facilities at Golden Gate Highlands and have committed to formulating a long-lasting partnership with SANParks where they intend to educate our employees about the importance of having a healthy digital presence. We are very eager to see what this partnership will bring the organisation and how much of a positive impact such information can have on our employees.

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7

Check your pay slip to confirm contributions to GEPF

The easiest way to keep track of your GEPF contributions is to check your monthly pay slip which shows your contributions to the GEPF. It also indicates the service date on it. Always ensure that you check the membership certificate and query anything that does not agree with the information at your disposal. If you are unsure, speak to your Human Resource representative.

Please note that your pensionable service starts from the day you start paying your monthly pension contributions. In other words, your

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fundtalk | Fourth Edition 2021

pensionable service is the period in which you are an active, contributing member of the GEPF. Sometimes, there is a difference between the date on which you started working for your employer (employment date) and the date on which you joined the GEPF (pensionable service date). This can happen if you started out working on a contract (during which time you did not qualify for a GEPF membership and therefore were not contributing) and later became a permanent employee that contributes to the Fund.

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EMPLOYEE BENEFITS/HUMAN RESOURCES NEWS/ EMPLOYEE WELLNESS

New Appointments Name

Position

Park

Date

Magdalena Basson

Hut Attendant

Augrabies Falls National Park

1 July 2021

Cameron Bezuidenhout

Tourism Monitor

Namaqua National Park

1 August 2021

Cagero Uys

Tourism Monitor

Namaqua National Park

1 August 2021

Jo-Ann Cloete

Tourism Monitor

Namaqua National Park

1 August 2021

Rimano Afrikaner

General Worker

Augrabies Falls National Park

1 August 2021

Aphiwe Ntsume

Camp Supervisor

Table Mountain National Park

1 August 2021

Phindile Mbele

Field Ranger

Table Mountain National Park

1 August 2021

Finance Intern

Mountain Zebra National Park 1 July 2021

Arid Region

Cape Region

Frontier Region Abongile Memani

Promotions and transfers Name

Position

Park

Date

Socio Economic Transformation (SET) Officer

Karoo National Park

1 July 2021

Hayley Williams

Organisational Development Project – Turnaround Plan

Skukuza Rest Camp

1 July 2021

Nokuthula Nkalanga

Hut Attendant

Skukuza Rest Camp

13 August 2021

Pefect Malope

Hut Attendant

Skukuza Rest Camp

13 August 2021

Thembelihle Mnisi

General Worker

Letaba Rest Camp

16 August 2021

Mduduzi Khoza

General Worker

Letaba Rest Camp

16 August 2021

Simon Mbulaheni

Security Supervisor

Punda Maria Rest Camp

1 August 2021

Promise Lusenga

Security Supervisor

Kruger Gate

1 August 2021

Learning and Development Administration Officer

Groenkloof National Park

1 July 2021

Promotions and Transfers Rosemary Scheepers Kruger Region

Promotions

Northern Region Alicia Nxumalo

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COMPETITION

Congratulations to the May/June competition winners!

Previous Question: What is the theme for 2021 International Day for Biological Diversity?

Answer: We’re part of the solution #ForNature

Dikeledi Mashabathakga – Groenkloof National Park

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Dr Nicola van Wilgen-Bredenkamp – Scientific Services – Cape Research Centre