GO-Wild South African National Park - March/April 2022

G

D L I W

MARCH/APRIL 2022 EDITION

WORLD

WILDLIFE

DAY

3 March

In this issue...

On the Green Couch with Mr Luthendo Makhadi, SANParks Chief Audit Executive

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New female cheetah thrives in Mountain Zebra National Park

Marakele marathon, a race for conservation and health

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p23

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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FRONTIER NEWS

15

SANParks TODAY

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Recreation and conservation education for the future generation

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New female cheetah thrives in Mountain Zebra National Park

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KRUGER NEWS

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KNP Malaria awareness roadshow

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KNP Managing executive leads an economic transformation road show

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KNP takes environmental education to neighboring communities

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NORTHERN NEWS

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Marakele marathon, a race for conservation and health

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EMPLOYEE BENEFITS/HUMAN RESOURCES NEWS/EMPLOYEE WELLNESS

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New appointments

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The Force behind our Parks - Meet 4 our Regional Park Managers On the Green Couch with Mr Luthendo Makhadi, SANParks Chief Audit Executive

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The status of EDRMS in SANParks

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ARID NEWS

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Our connection with forests and water

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World Wildlife Day at Augrabies Falls National Park

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CAPE NEWS

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Boost for tourism infrastructure in Western Cape Parks

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Bontebok National Park Fire Awareness Campaign

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FRONTIER NEWS

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Critical Black rhino monitoring in 15 SANParks supported by IUCN Save Our Species funding

GO WILD TEAM NEWS TEAM/CONTRIBUTORS: Accolade Ubisi,

Christiaan Lochner, Christine du Plessis, Ester van der Merwe, Kayley Carolissen, Fayroush Ludick, Khensile Moriri, Lesley Nyawo, Rosemary Scheepers, Tumi Mphahlele

General Manager: Stakeholder Relations, Media and Events

Editor Katlego Morulane

Sub-editor Phokela Lebea

Reynold “Rey” Thakhuli 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 extremely flexible in the face of change. We need to recognise that we wouldn’t be where we are without the contributions made by each and every one of you, so please accept a big thank you from the organisation. Enkosi, Siyabonga! Re ya leboha!

Baie dankie! Ndo livhuwa! Ndza khensa! Re ya leboga!

IUCN funding

Chief Audit Executive, Mr Lutendo Makhadi is on the Green Couch in this issue, shedding some light on the internal audit function and what it purposes to achieve on page 4.

Reynold “Rey” Thakhuli General Manager: Media, Events and Stakeholder Relations

Colleagues, we have reached the end of the 2021/2022 financial year and it’s truly exciting to see how far we have come as an organisation, and how we survived the turbulent times up until the declaration of the end of the national state of disaster. We have come a long way. The year turned out much differently than anyone could have imagined. While it was certainly challenging in many ways, it also showed how strong we are as an organisation, even in the toughest times.

We can take pride in the fact that when the pandemic brought the world to a halt and forced us to keep our distance from family, friends, colleagues, the work we do and places we managed, our national parks somehow helped people to have well-balanced lives when restrictions were eased and travelling was allowed. Hopefully this made the difficult times a little easier as you, our staff, welcomed visitors back into our parks.

The great service we provide to our customers defines us and we rose to the challenge. Your smiles, willingness and professionalism in the execution of your duties passed the test, and as an organisation we proved to be both robust and

Also in this issue, read more about the status and important benefits of the Electronic Documents and Records Management System (EDRMS) project on page 9.

World Wildlife Day was celebrated on 3 March where a special focus is placed on species under threat of becoming endangered or extinct.

Worldwide, it is estimated that approximately 1 million species have become extinct. In South Africa there has been a decline in species and ecosystems, with 12% of South Africa’s species categorised as endangered. Conserving our species for future generations remains a top priority for SANParks. Read more on how Augrabies Falls National Park commemorated the day on page 12.

As part of the national cheetah meta-population project co-ordinated by the Endangered Wildlife Trust, a cheetah was released at Mountain Zebra National Park. Read more on how the cheetah is thriving on page 18.

As we’ve recently commemorated Human Rights Month in March and Freedom Month in April, I am reminded by Tata Nelson Mandela’s words which I would like to bring to each of our memory: “Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another and suffer the indignity of being the skunk of the world. Let freedom reign! The sun shall never set on so glorious a human achievement!

God bless Africa!”

God bless SANParks!

Grab a coffee, remain safe and Go Wild.

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SANParks TODAY

The force behind our Parks – Meet our RGMs and Park Managers

Mr Property Mokoena Managing Executive: Parks

Arid Region

Mr Lucius Moolman, Regional General Manager, Tel: (054) 338 0600

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Cape Region

Norman Johnson, Regional General Manager, Tel: (021) 689 4441

Angela Isaks, Park Manager Augrabies National Park, Tel: (054) 452 9200

Hendrik Malgas, Park Manager Meerkat National Park, Tel: (071) 753 0941

Johan Taljaard, Park Manager Agulhas National Park, Tel: (028) 435 6078

Bulelwa Msengi, Park Manager Bontebok National Park, Tel: (028) 514 3206

Johan De Klerk, Park Manager Mokala National Park, Tel: (053) 204 8000

Steven Smith, Park Manager Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Tel: (054) 561 2003

Pat Bopape, Park Manager West Coast National Park, Tel: (022) 772 2144

Kennet Makondo, Park Manager Tankwa Karoo, National Park Tel: (027) 341 1927

Brent Whittington, Park Manager /Ai/Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park, Tel: (027) 831 1506

Pheladi Chuene, Park Manager Namaqua National Park, Tel: (027) 672 1948

Frans van Rooyen, Park Manager Table Mountain National Park, Tel: (021) 712 0527

SANParks TODAY

Frontier Region

Garden Route National Park

Northern Region

Andre Riley, Regional General Manager (Acting), Tel: (012) 426 5372

Vuyiswa Thabethe, Regional General Manager, Tel: (044) 302 5618

Reuben Ngwenya, Regional General Manager, Tel: (012) 426 5198

Megan Taplin, Park Manager Knysna Section of the Garden Route National Park, Tel: (044) 382 2095

Paddy Gordon, Park Manager Golden Gate Highlands National Park, Tel: (058) 255 0938

Sandra Taljaard, Park Manager Wilderness Section of the Garden Route National Park, Tel: (044) 877 0046

Stefan Cilliers, Park Manager (Acting) Mapungubwe National Park, Tel: (015) 534 7923

Victor Mokoena, Park Manager Tsitsikamma Section of the Garden Route National Park, Tel: (042) 281 1607

Mphadeni Nthangeni, Park Manager Marakele National Park, Tel: (014) 777 6928/9/30

Nick De Goede, Park Manager Addo Elephant National Park, Tel: (042) 233 8605

Roland January, Park Manager Karoo National Park, Tel: (023) 415 2828

Mzwandile Mjadu, Park Manager Camdeboo National Park Tel: (049) 892 3453

Koketso Kotsoe, Park Manager Mountain Zebra National Park Tel: (048) 031 5700

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SANParks TODAY

On the Green Couch with Mr Lutendo Makhadi, SANParks Chief Audit Executive

By Katlego Morulane

ON

THE GREEN

COUCH

Have you ever wondered what Internal Audit entails and what the function of the Internal Audit (IA) is? In this interview, Mr Lutendo Makhadi, SANParks Chief Audit Executive, sheds some light on the IA function and what it aims to achieve.

Tell us a bit about yourself?

I started my journey as an Internal Audit intern at Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, IA division.

I then joined the Limpopo Provincial Government IA team in my role as Senior Internal Auditor.

Thereafter I joined Deloitte, working in their Johannesburg and Pretoria office for 8 years. I then joined Gauteng Treasury for a period of 6 years before joining SANParks in November 2021. I am a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA).

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Can you define what Internal Audit is?

Internal Audit (IA) provides a service to the organisation by providing assurance, advice and insights to help management achieve their goals and strategies. The role of internal audit is to provide independent assurance that an organisation’s risk management, governance and internal control processes are operating effectively.

IA is a partner to the organisation or management of an organisation.

What would you say are the differences between internal and external audits?

While sharing some characteristics, internal and external audits have very different objectives. These are explained in the table below:

SANParks TODAY

External audit

Internal audit

Reports to

Shareholders or members who are outside the organisation’s governance structure.

The board and senior management who are within the organisation’s governance structure.

Objectives

To add credibility and reliability to financial reports from the organisation to its stakeholders by giving opinion on the report.

To evaluate and improve the effectiveness of governance, risk management and control processes. This provides members of the boards and senior management with assurance that helps them fulfil their duties to the organisation and its stakeholders.

Coverage

Financial reports, financial reporting risks.

All categories of risk, their management, including reporting on them.

Responsibility for improvement

None, however there is a duty to report problems.

Improvement is fundamental to the purpose of internal auditing, but it is done by advising, coaching and facilitating in order to not undermine the responsibility of management.

How is your team structured?

The team consists of myself and Mr Phillip Vass, Senior Manager for internal audit. The internal audit capacity is augmented through a panel of consultants.

We report to the audit and risk committee of SANParks’ Board to ensure our independence as a division. We are standing invitees to the quarterly Audit and Risk Committee Board meetings. We report administratively to the CEO while the CE, CFO and other Managing Executives and Heads of Divisions are beneficiaries of the function.

How does your unit operate? What process do you follow to achieve your divisional goals?

IA is an independent function. We aim to be agile, proactive, connected, and forward-looking in our approach. The Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) legislates that organisations have an internal audit system, however, we like to pride ourselves in the value that we can provide to the organisation and being partners of the organisation rather than just complying with the PFMA requirements.

Toward each financial year end, a three-year rolling internal audit plan including an annual internal audit plan for the coming financial year is compiled. This plan is based on the organisation’s strategic risks and other key sources of risks that

Mr Lutendo Makhadi, Chief Audit Executive

the organisation is facing. We look at the list to see which areas or departments need assurance or advisory services or a formal or informal opinion, which includes timings. The plan is then presented to EXCO for support and the Audit and

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SANParks TODAY

Risk Committee for approval. After approval the plan is used to guide the internal audit activities throughout the financial year.

What are the current risks that the organisation is facing?

The organisation has an approved Strategic Risk Register for 2022/2023, every employee has access to it on the intranet. I won’t go into the details as this falls within the Risk Management Unit.

Some of the key areas which the Internal Audit will be auditing in the 2022/2023 financial year includes revenue, infrastructure and human resources. The digitisation of the organisation is another area where our resources will be focused.

What are the three biggest projects that you are working on this year?

There are a number of assignments (large and small) across all functions that we are working on, alongside our independent panel of consultants.

All our projects are outlined in our Annual Internal Audit plan.

We have recently completed audits in areas such as Human Capital Management, the Finance department and Audit of Predetermined Objectives to mention a few.

For a detailed overview of our projects, staff can visit the intranet and search for the Internal Audit plan 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 when it becomes available.

What would you say are some of the challenges your function faces?

Our challenges vary from budgetary constraints to completing our audit assignments beyond the allocated period. Co-operation from our auditees is very key to the quality and efficiencies in our deliverables as well.

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What is your role in Fraud Risk Management?

Internal audit supports management’s efforts to establish a culture that embraces ethics, honesty, and integrity. We assist management with the evaluation of internal controls used to detect or mitigate fraud, evaluate the organisation’s assessment of fraud risk, and we may assist in any kind of fraud investigations.

How do you contribute to the Governance of an organisation?

Our unit gives an opinion on Governance, Risk and Internal Controls (GRC). Governance goes beyond the compliance of an organisation but also consists of the structures, policies and processes that an organisation has in place. Governance also includes culture and whether we are setting the right tone from the top, staff buy-in etc. So, Governance looks at the manner in which an organisation is managed.

How an organisation is governed is important for potential partners or investors. In each assignment, we look at how a department is governed in-line with the organisation’s governance goals. We also perform a Governance Review which is a review of the board, key committees, compliance, ethics management, integrity issues, and conduct surveys with certain staff. We also look at how we deal with legal issues.

We look at Governance on two levels, on an individual audit level and on an organisational level. At the end of the financial year, we write an opinion of the governance of the organisation which goes into the Annual Report as part of the Audit and Risk Committee report.

In conclusion, as a function, we commit ourselves to the organisational strategy and values, particularly that of transparency, so that we reach our collective vision of being a world-class system of sustainable National Parks reconnecting and inspiring society.

SANParks TODAY

The status of EDRMS in SANParks

By Tumi Mphahlele

Electronic Documents and Records Management System (EDRMS) is a centralised online repository that will be used for capturing, storing and tracking documents such as PDFs, Word documents and images. The main aim of implementing EDRMS is to improve accountability, efficiency and productivity in SANParks for managing information and records.

The EDRMS platform will allow staff to group documents and records into divisional folders. This is where the usage of the File Plan Number will be compulsory when saving any official documents and records since we are guided by the National Archives rules and regulations for managing any documents and records within SANParks.

How far are we with the implementation of EDRMS within SANParks?

We are 70% complete with the implementation

of EDRMS and currently facilitating the final consultation sessions through the Microsoft Teams platform. This is where we will align the permission models to the divisional folder structures and to also consolidate all the file plan amendments. The main goal is to ensure that all the SANParks divisions are accommodated before the actual implementation date.

We will also need assistance from all the ECM change agents to participate and perform the user acceptance testing and piloting exercises before we go live with EDRMS. The success of this project requires comprehensive consultations and partnership with all stakeholders within the organisation. The Change Management team and the SANParks Records Manager are working together towards the goal of implementing EDRMS before the end of the 2022/2023 financial year.

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SANParks TODAY

The benefits of using EDRMS within SANParks

What is the difference between EDRMS, ECM Document Routing and SigningHub? Document Routing

SigningHub

EDRMS

This process is currently used for electronically routing official documents such as submissions that need to be reviewed and approved.

This is a digital signature platform that is currently used by Divisional Heads or Managers to digitally or electronically sign all official documents.

This is a centralised online repository that will be used to capture, store and manage all official documents, records and files.

All SANParks staff are allowed to use This solution should only be used by The EDRMS solution will be used by the ECM document routing process.

Divisional Heads, Managers and anyone everyone within SANParks. who have authority to sign official documents.

This solution can be accessed directly This solution can be accessed by using EDRMS will be accessed directly from from the SANParks ECM portal on the the SigningHub link below: the SANParks intranet/SharePoint. intranet. https://web.signinghub.co.za/Login

Important questions to be asked with the current method used for keeping documents, records and files within SANParks: 1) How long does it take you to retrieve documents, records and files?

2) How many times did you lose important documents, records or files?

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3) Do you keep physical documents in your office?

4) What will happen if your laptop gets lost?

5) Which method do you use to secure official documents, records and files?

6) How many important documents did you save on your C:/drive?

ARID NEWS

Our connection with forests and water

By Christine du Plessis

Soverby Primary School learners being introduced to the world of forests and water

At Augrabies Falls National Park the recently celebrated International Day of Forests and World Water day focused on the importance of forest ecosystems, their biodiversity, their protection and our total dependence on water.

In partnership with the National Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, the focus was placed on the different types of forests, and specifically on the Kathu and Quiver tree forests and the protected tree species of the Northern Cape. During an in-depth presentation to the Environmental and Tourism Monitors currently on training in Augrabies, Ms Jacoline Mans (DFFE) explained the intricacies of the overlapping laws, the importance of maintaining forests and the immense challenges facing some of the protected tree species in the Northern Cape, such as the Quiver tree, Camel thorn, Ebony tree and Shepherds tree. As part of the programme, the Environmental Monitors and Tourism Monitors will be taken to the local Koms Quiver tree nursery where they will experience the entire process of the legal propagation of Quiver trees.

The Grade 7 learners of Soverby Primary school were in the park for an overnight environmental

excursion and were introduced to the wonderful world of forests. During an icebreaker activity, the use of everyday products from trees were used to explain how dependent we are on trees and forests. On completion of the information session, a Searsia pendulina (White Karee) tree was planted in the rest camp by the learners and they were each given two packets of seeds from which they could cultivate their own ‘forests’.

The following day the Grade 7 learners and two educators were taken on the Dassie interpretive trail. They were introduced to the intricate adaptations of many of the plants in the Arid region to conserve as much moisture as possible. This was followed up by an interactive presentation in the rest camp on the available water in the water cycle, what humans use water for and how water is wasted. Learners then provided their own solutions to save water and not waste such a precious commodity. It was emphasized that although we have the right to clean drinking water we also have the responsibility to conserve as much water as possible. To keep them aware of how easily water can be wasted, they were each given a three minute sand timer to use when they shower or wash.

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ARID NEWS

World Wildlife Day at Augrabies Falls National Park

By Christine du Plessis

Academy for Environmental leadership students taking in the spectacular vistas in the park

In December 2013 the United Nations General Assembly declared 3 March as World Wildlife Day. This was so that special focus could be placed on species under threat of becoming endangered or extinct. Worldwide it is estimated that approximately 1 million species have become extinct. In South Africa there has been a decline in species and ecosystems, with 12% of SA’s species categorised as being endangered.

The Augrabies Falls National Park celebrated World Wildlife Day together with 40 students and two lecturers from the Academy for Environmental Leadership (AEL) at Uizip, near Upington, during a visit to the park.

The students were taken on the Dassie interpretive trail, where special focus was placed on the intricate and amazing adaptations of plant species to be able to conserve water and subsequently survive in arid conditions. Whilst on the trail, the students were also introduced to three of the four protected tree species in the park, namely Aloidendron dichotomum (Quiver tree), Boscia albitrunca (Shepherds tree) and Euclea pseudebenus (Ebony tree). All three species are under threat in the Northern Cape.

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After lunch in the great outdoors, the students attended a presentation on World Wildlife Day with the theme of ‘Recovering key species for ecosystem restoration’. A number of Northern Cape species which are facing diverse threats were highlighted. This was in an effort to bring awareness amongst the students of the local situation and to encourage them to become active in protecting these local species and creating awareness. Some of the species that were highlighted were the Camelthorn, Quiver, Ebony and Shepherds trees.

All four are protected trees which face large scale habitat destruction through either agriculture, mining or solar farming developments. Then there are the Conophytum and other succulent species in Namaqualand that are being ruthlessly poached by collectors, generating a value far higher than the rhino horn trade and the pangolin, which is being poached mercilessly for its scales. Finally there is the Riverine rabbit which has basically lost all its habitat due to livestock farming. This is one of the world’s most endangered species with only about 500 left.

The final message for the students was to be informed and to protect and conserve our species diversity. This will help to ensure the survival, not only of our natural ecosystems, but also the human race.

CAPE NEWS

Boost for tourism infrastructure in Western Cape Parks Office of the Tourism Department

Deputy Minister of Tourism Mr Fish Mahlalela visited Table Mountain National Park

The Deputy Minister of Tourism, Fish Mahlalela, conducted a site visit to assess progress on the infrastructure upgrade programme to tourism attractions in parks in the Western Cape Province.

The Department of Tourism seeks to implement destination enhancement and route development projects to diversify tourism offerings and enhance visitor experience in identified priority areas.

To revive the tourism sector post-pandemic, the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan (ERRP) and the Tourism Sector Recovery Plan support the rationale to improve and protect the core tourism infrastructure and assets.

The SANParks Maintenance Programme is an initiative adopted at the Presidential Jobs Summit in October 2018 with the primary objective to improve and ensure proper maintenance of National Park Assets for destination enhancement, job creation and SMME development.

The Department has entered into several partnerships with South African National Parks (SANParks) to enhance tourism facilities in various national parks. One of these projects is the SANParks Infrastructure Maintenance Programme. The Department has provided funding

support (R120 m) for the maintenance programme in SANParks properties across the country. The pandemic ensured that these projects could be implemented while there were no visitors to the parks.

SANParks has submitted both business and implementation plans to roll out the maintenance programme in 19 national parks namely Addo Elephant, Agulhas, Augrabies, Bontebok, Camdeboo, Golden Gate Highlands, Kgalagadi Transfrontier, Karoo, Knysna, Kruger, Mapungubwe, Marakele, Mokala, Mountain Zebra, Namaqua, Richtersveld, Table Mountain, Tankwa Karoo, Tsitsikamma, West Coast and Wilderness National Parks.

The Infrastructure Maintenance Programme in the Cape Region comprises six teams allocated to the Cape region namely Bontebok, West Coast, Table Mountain, Agulhas and Tankwa Karoo National Parks.

The labour statistics for this programme in the Cape Region are as follows: • SMMEs: 6 • Participants employed: 66 • Number of women: 35 Continued on Page 14...

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CAPE NEWS

Bontebok National Park Fire Awareness Campaign

By Kayley Carolissen

Bontebok staff conducting Fire Awareness Educational Campaign at local primary schools

Bontebok National Park (BNP) Socio Economic Transformation (SET) department conducted a fire awareness presentation at the Bontebok and VRT Pitt Primary School to educate the Grade 3 learners about the danger and impact fires have on our national parks and within our communities.

The young children were excited to learn about how fires are caused, how to prevent a fire, what is needed to make fire and also what safety measures they should follow when they see or get caught up in a fire.

Activities were done with them, like the stop, drop and roll when your clothes catch alight and the stop, drop and crawl when they are in a house or building fire. These young groups of children were very interactive and had lots of questions.

“The SET department of Bontebok National Park hopes that each and every learner will stay safe throughout the fire season and that they learnt something new from us,” says Khanyia Tyolo, BNP SET Officer.

...continued from Page 13 • Number of youth: 33 • Number of people with disabilities: 3 “The work done by the SMMEs has contributed immensely to maintain infrastructure in SANParks as well as to create jobs and transfer skills,” said the Deputy Minister. He visited the West Coast National Park and Table Mountain National Park on 10 and 11 February as part of the State of the Nation Address activities. Table Mountain National Park being an open access park, is well known for its hiking trails. The teams therefore focused primarily on footpath repairs and maintenance. The West Coast National Park

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consists of a number of old farm homesteads which have been converted to accommodation units, offices and a restaurant. These facilities required extensive maintenance which the team executed, as well as work to the sewer and water lines. The team also assisted with clearing of road verges, minor road works and the rehabilitation of terrain.

“These projects maximise the benefit of local communities and engenders a shared ownership of our parks. That way we take tourism to the people and collectively enhance the visitor experience,” the Deputy Minister concluded.

FRONTIER NEWS

Critical Black rhino monitoring in SANParks supported by IUCN Save our Species funding

By Christiaan Lochner and Ester van der Merwe

Photos by Ester van der Merwe

Rhino monitoring in Frontier Region

Thanks to funding support from IUCN Save Our Species*, co-funded by the European Union**, South African National Parks (SANParks) maintains crucial monitoring of black rhinos (Diceros bicornis) in three of its Frontier region parks.

This critical work improves SANParks’ knowledge about individual animals and helps protect them for future generations.

Black rhino, listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, saw an almost 96% reduction in their numbers between 1970 and 1992, reaching a minimum of only 2 600 individuals. By the end of 2017, black rhinos in Africa numbered around 5 500 individuals across all subspecies. Apart from Namibia, South Africa is the only other range state of the southwestern black rhino sub-species, Diceros bicornis

bicornis. SANParks is the custodian for the vast majority of these populations in Addo Elephant, Mountain Zebra and Karoo National Parks.

SANParks’ Rhino Monitoring Technician, Christiaan Lochner says, “It’s critically important to continuously monitor our rhinos individually to ensure the population’s demographics and social dynamics are understood. Ultimately, monitoring aims to provide the best information possible to aid in the species’ biological and security management.” Thus, monitoring data inform biological management actions to improve population growth by addressing natural resource and rhino social constraints, which reduce birth rates and increase natural mortalities. In addition, this information informs complementary security approaches, which focus on park boundary integrity, anti-poaching, and wildlife crime disruption efforts.

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FRONTIER NEWS

Ideally, each rhino needs to be individually recognisable. For this reason, the ears of rhino are ethically notched with distinctive patterns, the combination and position of which represent a number. “While sedated, we also collect basic data on the individual rhino including sex, location, age, condition and several blood samples that are used for tests relating to the animals’ health, blood parasite loads and genetic testing,” says Lochner.

In September 2021 six individuals were ear-notched and two biopsied in Addo, with three individuals ear-notched in Karoo.

Black rhino are monitored in various ways, including by vehicle/foot patrols, aerial patrols and remote sensor cameras. Methods depend on the rhino’s habitat and how accessible areas are, but a combination of methods are normally used.

In Addo Elephant National Park, rangers rely on 65 cameras placed throughout the park as vegetation is very dense and animals are not easily sighted. Cameras collect between 40 000 to 60 000 photos weekly, which include around 1 300 black rhino sightings monthly. Although vegetation in Karoo and Mountain Zebra National Parks is more open, camera traps are used in Karoo to supplement sightings from foot patrols.

Photos by Ester van der Merwe

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IUCN Save Our Species funding has ensured that these cameras have remained deployed for 24 hours a day over the past six months. Specifically, it helped keep the monitoring team’s vehicles running to service cameras, bought batteries for the cameras and purchased an additional 30 camera traps to be deployed across the three parks. Aerial monitoring also remains crucial across the three parks. In Addo alone, the funding has supported over 50 hours of aerial monitoring that has resulted in 300 sightings of individual black rhinos across the park. * IUCN Save Our Species aims to improve the longterm survival prospects of threatened species. It also focuses on supporting the species habitats and working with the communities who share this habitat. It achieves success by funding and coordinating conservation projects into multiple initiatives across the globe. **The Member States of the European Union have decided to link together their know-how, resources and destinies. Together, they built a zone of stability, democracy and sustainable development whilst maintaining cultural diversity, tolerance and individual freedoms. The European Union is committed to sharing its achievements and its values with countries and peoples beyond its borders.

FRONTIER NEWS

Recreation and conservation education for the future generation

By Rosemary Scheepers

Kids in Parks programme at Karoo National Park

Karoo National Park and some of its staff have been playing host to groups of learners during the Kids in Parks programme over the past four weeks. Between 14 February and 16 March learners from up to two schools at a time spent a day and a half (overnighting at the Grantham Environmental Centre) in the park. For many, it was their first time visiting.

The 239 Grades 5 to 7 learners and 20 teachers were from 10 different schools in Beaufort West and surrounding towns; Klaarstroom Primary School, HM Dlikidla Primary School, Restvale Primary School, Klawervlei Primary, George Frederick Primary School, Merweville Primary School, Prince Albert Primary School, Leeu-Gamka Primary School, Beaufort West Primary School and Teska Gedenk Primary School.

Socio-Economic Transformation Officer, Rosemary Scheepers says lots of learning and fun was had during the jam-packed sessions. “The groups’ time was split between activities at Grantham,

the park’s Interpretive Centre and in the park itself. Lessons included information on SANParks, ecology, ecosystems and veld interpretation, all linked to the national school curriculum,” she said. The local SAPS was also roped in, who did a short presentation to the learners on social crimes and crime prevention.

The Kids in Parks programme plays a vital role in providing meaningful environmental learning to equip the leaders of tomorrow with the knowledge, skills and values required to take action for the environment. It is a joint venture between SANParks, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment and the Department of Basic Education. The Kids in Parks programme was launched at Grantham in 2008 when it was first opened as an environmental education centre.

Rosemary says while the programme is designed for the learners’ benefit, it proved to be equally meaningful and rewarding to all the staff involved.

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FRONTIER NEWS

New female cheetah thrives in Mountain Zebra National Park

By Fayroush Ludick

New female cheetah thrives in Mountain Zebra

Much to the delight of park management, a female cheetah recently released into Mountain Zebra National Park outside Cradock has adapted surprisingly well and quickly to her new environment.

Rachel, as she’s named, was initially released into the park’s boma on 21 January. She was brought in from the close-by Samara Private Nature Reserve near Graaff-Reinet. Her arrival forms part of the national cheetah metapopulation project, which is co-ordinated by the Endangered Wildlife Trust.

As part of the project, two of the park’s cheetahs, a dad and son duo called Mabula and Chad, were translocated from Mountain Zebra to the Makalali Private Game Reserve in Limpopo at the end of last year.

Senior Section Ranger, Masindi Raselabe says Rachel was brought into the park to improve the

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park’s genetic diversity as there was only one other female present, along with a male. Rachel was initially placed in the boma for a couple of weeks so she could be habituated into her new environment, which wasn’t too far off from Samara due to Mountain Zebra’s close proximity to her former home. She was fitted with a tracking collar and released on 2 March.

After her release from the boma, rangers tracked Rachel’s movements on a daily basis to determine if she was able to catch her own prey as this was her first experience alone in the wild without her pride.

“Surprisingly, we found her on her first kill two days after her release. She had managed to take down a young female kudu, so I think it’s safe to assume she’s adjusted well and will thrive here at Mountain Zebra,” said Masindi.

KRUGER NEWS

KNP Malaria awareness roadshow

By Khensile Moriri

Thandeka Mbuyane, KNP OHS practitioner distributing malaria rapid tests to employees of Satata Rest Camp

The Kruger National Park (KNP) Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) unit in conjunction with the Limpopo Department of Health (DOH), carried forth the mission to educate, screen and raise awareness around Malaria to staff in Satara, Letaba and Mopani rest camps. The training lasted for three days from Monday, 14 February to Wednesday, 16 February 2022.

Malaria is a life threatening disease transmitted through the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito. When the parasite from the mosquito bite is released into your bloodstream, symptoms may take 7 to 35 days to appear. Although it can be cured, it is desirable to rather minimize the risk by following these easy tips to prevent the disease: • Try not to get bitten by covering up or staying indoors between dusk and dawn.

• Use mosquito repellent, burn mosquito coils and use mosquito nets on beds.

• Consult with your doctor to decide whether prophylactic medicine is needed and which is best.

• Test regularly for Malaria or if you are

experiencing symptoms within 7 to 35 days of visiting a malaria area.

A total number of 198 employees attended and were screened for the disease. The professional nurse of DOH, Ms Lancia Nxumalo mentioned during her opening address that November to April is the highest risk period or season for individuals to contract Malaria due to rains. Therefore, DOH urges the public to make use of the information at their disposal about the disease.

Ms Nxumalo further highlighted the symptoms associated with Malaria as follows; shaking chills that can range from moderate to severe, high fever, profuse sweating, headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, anemia, muscle pain, convulsions, coma and bloody stools. Although some of these signs are common to those of COVID-19, an individual should generally get checked when they’re not feeling well.

The tests were conducted through a rapid-test for 20 to 30 minutes for accurate results. COVID-19 regulations under level 1 of the national lockdown were strictly adhered to.

conserving nature since 1926

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KRUGER NEWS

KNP Managing Executive leads an economic transformation road show

By Accolade Ubisi

KNP Managing Executive, Gareth Coleman, poses for a picture with People and Conservation General Manager, Ms Helen Mmethi, the Program Director Mr William Mabasa and the chiefs that graced the workshop with their presence on behalf of their people.

South African National Parks embarked on a two week long economic transformation roadshow under the leadership of the Kruger National Park (KNP) Managing Executive, Gareth Coleman, in November 2021. The road show aimed to reach out to small, medium and micro business enterprises that have the longing to engage in business operations with KNP and SANParks as a whole for information sharing regarding what is expected by the organisation from all who bid for tenders to operate inside KNP. Available business opportunities which the businesses could penetrate were also presented to them, with all the relevant expectations and requirements in order to be considered or be awarded any business

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opportunity by the park. The Supply Chain Management formed part of the entourage and were granted an opportunity to explicitly state how these opportunities can be accessed by all the enterprises that wished to deal inside KNP. “Despite being hard hit by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kruger National Park has a responsibility to try and provide economic opportunities to businesses based in communities which surround the park. As a public entity, SANParks must follow strict procurement requirements. One of the ways of opening up access is to provide upto-date and relevant information to businesses and communities to explain what SANParks can and Continued on Page 22...

KRUGER NEWS

KNP takes environmental education to neighboring communities

By Accolade Ubisi

Community members and structures came together for a cleanup campaign of the Bevhula village as part of their contribution to work with KNP in achieving a clean and environmentally friendly community.

It goes without saying that the success of Kruger National Park (KNP) in achieving one of their core goals; to prosper in protecting the environment; the communities living adjacent to the park need to begin forming part of an active narrative of that story. In October 2021 KNP embarked on a vitally important excursion taking environmental education to the communities and affording themselves time to listen and explore what the community members have been doing to form part of an active role in reducing the carbon emission or pollution that is harmful to both the fauna and flora of Kruger National Park.

KNP realises that pollution in the communities has a direct impact on all life of fauna and flora as well as the air inside KNP. It is of very little effect to work towards ensuring that KNP is clean and protected without going further into the communities that are living on the borders of the park. This is for the resounding fact that the rivers that flow into KNP, namely the Sabie, Sand and Lower Sabie to name a few, come directly from

the communities. If these rivers are polluted from the outside, they will carry all their bacteria and harmful components into the park where animals and plant lives that depend on these rivers become threatened.

During this environmental workshop, KNP created an educational setting to share information regarding waste disposal as well as recycling. Items such as the artificial nappies that are dumped into rivers which are not biodegradable were one of the core focuses, as this waste product has become a pandemic in the communities and adding to the problem of soil pollution.

The community members also took this opportunity to showcase what they have been doing in their various villages to ensure that we keep our air and land clean together through waste recycling projects. These range from beaded jewelry made out of glass bottles and cans, cladding bricks made out of plastic, and coal made out of plastic and wood to name a few.

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KRUGER NEWS

KNP spoke about the effect that the chopping of important trees in the communities for firewood has on the environment which left them all shocked as it seemed like such a harmless act, but it actually takes the environment decades to recover from it, if at all. In response to this problem, another innovative thinker designed a stove called the ‘Rocket Works Stove’ that uses twigs to produce enough heat to cook a meal and boil water. These stoves have since been handed out free of charge to community members from the North to the Southern parts of KNP, in efforts to save as many trees from being chopped down for firewood as possible.

This environmental awareness information sharing was the first of its kind to take place. The workshop was received with excitement from the communities as some of them had already started caring for the environment in their business dealings from their own corners. Realising that KNP would also choose an environmentally friendly and aware business to deal with as opposed to the counterpart, had the business owners excited about the future they looked forward to with KNP.

Swikoxeni Waste Management Enterprise installs one of their effective waste disposal bins after the cleanup campaign at Bevhula Village.

...continued from Page 20 can’t do. We are trying to be transparent and more open about opportunities within the park as well as explain future plans. We also want to hear from these businesses how we may better serve them in the future. This is only the first small step that the park is taking in this journey,” explained Coleman.

This roadshow was the first of its kind to ever take place between KNP and the business owners from adjacent communities. This was also a prelude to a more robust KNP summit set to take place in June 2022. The roadshow covered approximately 480 participants from the Vhembe, Greater Tzaneen, Ba Phalaborwa,

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Enhlazeni, Thulamela, and Thabanchu Municipal Districts.

All business owners who met the requirements to attend the workshop and information sharing roadshow were sourced through the KNP People and Conservation division. Vigorous conversations took place during these workshops and businesses explicitly voiced their current feelings and experience regarding all business dealings with the park. They also pleaded for a much tighter and inclusive database to be created which would ensure that business opportunities were filtered through to all relevant owners when they arise within the park.

NORTHERN NEWS

Marakele Marathon - a race for conservation and health

By Lesley Nyawo

Marakele Marathon athletes at the marathon starting point

Prize giving ceremony (Marakele National Park Manager: Mphadeni Nthangeni & Coca-Cola South Africa Manager

SANParks’ Marakele National Park hosted the 13th annual Marakele Marathon on Saturday, 5 March 2022 in partnership with SANParks Honorary Rangers, Coca-Cola South Africa and the Marakele Marathon Club. This year’s marathon was a physical event, following a virtual marathon in 2021. The 2022 marathon took into consideration COVID-19 social distancing restrictions as directed by the South African Government for outdoors events.

kicked off the Marakele marathon at 06h00. Other categories of the marathon consisted of 10, 21 and 42km run in the heart of the Waterberg mountains which is home to an impressive variety of wildlife.

A distinctive attribute of the Marakele Marathon beyond maintaining a healthy lifestyle and creating awareness on uniqueness of the park is the meaningful contribution towards conservation efforts that is realised from proceeds generated by the marathon, which confirms the SANParks vision of “a world class system of sustainable national parks reconnecting and inspiring society.”

The marathon’s start and finish points were marked at the park gate. A 5km fun run, highly participated by family members of various age groups, officially

The marathon saw top achievers receive medals and prizes in various distance categories, noting top achievers as follows: OVERALL WINNER DISTANCE

COMPLETION TIME

1. Charles Soza

42km

2 hours 42 minutes 26 seconds

2. Thato Kekana

21km

1 hour 17 minutes 38 seconds

3. Noah Motimedi 10km

34 minutes 53 seconds

Celebration was the order of the day over lunch at the food garden with a variety of food and beverages representing various cultures and flavors which is ideal for social cohesion, diversity and cultural inclusion for athletes, family members who came to support them as well as nature enthusiasts in general.

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Men have an X and a Y chromosome (XY) Women have two X chromosomes (XX)

The gene for haemophilia is found on the X chromosome, and it is “recessive”, which means that a person will not have the disease if they have another normal X chromosome.

Parents donate one of their sex chromosomes each, to their children. Women always donate an X chromosome (they are XX). Men may donate an X or a Y (they are XY). A male child (XY) must have got his X from his mother and his Y from his father. Such a child can only get haemophilia if the X from his mother is abnormal. If his mother is a carrier, he has a 50 per cent chance of getting haemophilia because only one of her two X chromosomes is abnormal. Female children (XX) of men with haemophilia are always carriers because they must have got an X from their father (XY). Female children (XX) of female carriers (XX) have a 50 per cent chance of becoming carriers.

• •

Haemophilia is a “recessive sex-linked” inherited condition and this is the explanation of how it works:

Causes

Haemophilia is an inherited bleeding disorder caused by a deficiency in clotting factors.

Haemophilia affects men only. Women who are carriers (have one abnormal gene, but no illness) can pass on the condition to their male offspring and their daughters may become carriers. There are two types; Haemophilia A involves a deficiency in factor VIII, and is the most common (about 85% of all haemophilia is A), Haemophilia B involves a deficiency in factor IX. Haemophilia affects 1 per 10000 men at any one time.

Haemophilia

The essence of treatment is to replace the missing clotting factors. Clotting factors are concentrated from donated blood and then transfused into haemophiliacs. Treatment is effective, although a small number of people do develop inhibitors or antibodies to the transfused clotting factors, making them ineffective. This presents a major problem.

Treatment

•

Bruising Spontaneous bleeding Bleeding into joints and pain and swelling Gastrointestinal tract and urinary tract bleeding leading to blood in the stool or urine Prolonged bleeding from cuts, tooth extraction and surgery

•

•

•

• • •

Copyright HealthInSite - www.healthinsite.net

Choose soft toys without sharp corners.

Educate your child from an early age.

Follow the recommended immunisation programme. Injections must be given under the skin and not into the muscles.

Hepatitis B vaccination is strongly advised as some blood products still transmit this virus. Hepatitis A vaccination is also recommended.

Visit the dentist to prevent tooth decay and gum disease.

Regular exercise is beneficial. Contact sports should be banned.

As soon as a child is diagnosed, parents should take precautions to prevent or reduce the occurrence of bleeding. Many of these recommendations also apply to older people with haemophilia:

Symptoms of haemophilia include: • • • •

Living with haemophilia

Diagnosis

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS/HUMAN RESOURCES NEWS/ EMPLOYEE WELLNESS

New Appointments Name

Position

Park

Date

Lydia Strauss

Room Attendant

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

1 February 2022

Anescha Solomon

Room Attendant

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

1 February 2022

Susanna Moss

Room Attendant

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

1 February 2022

Reece Fortuin

Financial Administration Officer

Meerkat National Park

1 March 2022

Daniel Mkwanazi

Camp Supervisor

Mokala National Park

1 March 2022

Daryl Swartz

General Worker

Augrabies Falls National Park

7 February 2022

Asiphe Ranana

Field Ranger Corporal

Camdeboo National Park

1 March 2022

Max Dinkelacker

Conservation Student

Karoo National Park

1 March 2022

Melisnee Lottering

Hut Attendant

Karoo National Park

1 March 2022

Beauty Qotoyi

Tourism Monitor

Mountain Zebra National Park

1 March 2022

Shandu Hlungwana

Security Guard (Dog Handler)

Protection Services (Malelane)

13 January 2022

Matimba Mabunda

Security Guard (Dog Handler)

Protection Services (Kruger Gate)

13 January 2022

Lawrence Ndlovu

Security Guard (Dog Handler)

Protection Services (Crocodile Bridge) 13 January 2022

Veronica Ngwepe

Security Guard (Dog Handler)

Protection Services (Phabeni Gate)

13 January 2022

Nyiko Machavi

Security Guard

Protection Services (Malelane)

13 January 2022

Tendani Mudzulafhedzi

Security Guard

Protection Services (Skukuza)

13 January 2022

Hlayisani Khosa

General Worker

Pretoriuskop Rest Camp

24 January 2022

Stephen Ngobeni

Field Ranger

Olifants Rest Camp

20 February 2022

Windy Maleto

Store Assistant

Phalaborwa Ranger Post

21 February 2022

Floyd Mabunda

General Worker

Letaba Rest Camp

1 February 2022

Sydwell Chauke

Security Guard

Mopani Rest Camp

4 March 2022

Enoch Ndou

Security Guard

Mopani Rest Camp

4 March 2022

Samkeliso Chibi

General Worker

Skukuza Rest Camp

1 March 2022

Edith Chabangu

General Worker

Water and Waste Management

1 March 2022

Nkosinathi Ndlovu

General Worker

Water and Waste Management

1 March 2022

Meshack Mathapuli

General Worker

Berg-en-Dal Rest Camp

1 March 2022

Prudence Netshia

General Worker

Mopani Rest Camp

1 March 2022

Portia Nkala

Cleaner

Marula Cleaning Services

14 March 2022

Patricia Mabelane

Housekeeper

Pretoriuskop Rest Camp

14 March 2022

Arid Region

Frontier Region

Promotions

Kruger Region

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EMPLOYEE BENEFITS/HUMAN RESOURCES NEWS/ EMPLOYEE WELLNESS

New Appointments Name

Position

Park

Date

Sam Baloi

Corporal

Olifants Rest Camp

15 February 2022

Lufuno Sihadi

Environmental Interpretative & Educational Officer

Skukuza Rest Camp

15 February 2022

Ronald Nkuna

Team Leader

Phalaborwa Ranger

1 March 2022

Onica Seoka

Water Supervisor

Promotions

7 March 2022

Transfers Lucas Baloyi

Field Ranger

Ranger Services (Kingfisherspruit)

1 February 2022

Booi Manganye

General Worker

Ranger Services (Tshokoane)

1 February 2022

Mogadi Kgatle

Receptionist

Skukuza Rest Camp

1 March 2022

Felix Mhlongo

Linen Room Attendant

Orpen Rest Camp

1 March 2022

Shirly Makutu

General Worker

Pretoriuskop Rest Camp

1 March 2022

Ntsako Mkhari

Receptionist

Mopani Rest Camp

1 March 2022

Martha Siwela

General Worker

Skukuza Rest Camp

1 March 2022

Takalani Nematshema

Financial Control Officer

Groenkloof National Park

1 January 2022

Fortunate Tshisikule

Employees Wellness Coordinator

Groenkloof National Park

7 February 2022

Tshililo Elvis Netshavhambe

Programme Manager: Tourism IT Systems

Groenkloof National Park

7 March 2022

Northern Region

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