Reflections and wrap up meeting related to KNP oversight visit

Meeting report

Opening Remarks

The Chairperson welcomed everyone present and said that there is not enough time to fulfil the Committee’s intended oversight because of the Committee’s programme the previous day. The purpose of the meeting is to wrap-up what was discussed in the previous day’s meeting so that a final report can be produced with action plans. The Annual Performance Plans (APPs) that were supposed to be submitted had a deadline which was 6 May 2021.

More works needs to be done regarding engagements with traditional leaders. A way forward has to be drafted on the matter.

The issues raised by members of the communities included the matter of the agreement that was disputed where the current beneficiation scheme was not inclusive and the expected benefits were claimed not to have been received which resulted in many community grievances.

The Chairperson asked for feedback on what has been done and the status of the allegations on irregularities of the negotiations of claims, verifications, their settlements, outstanding title deeds and reduced claims as well as communities being coerced to sign contracts without legal advice. There have been legislative impediments on development and growth of APMRs and the transformation of associated communities. This was highlighted in the presentation by the provincial Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries in Mpumalanga.

The tension between the MEC and the MPL in the province has been taken into consideration and the policy implementation should be prioritised.

On the matter of land claims, the Chairperson said that engagements need to be organised with the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Land Reform so that a full picture of what is happening can be better understood and so that a way forward can be implemented.

SANPARKS, Kruger National Park and the Department need to indicate if there are issues that need to be addressed so that a way forward can be drafted.

Communities were also encouraged to draft reports on issues so that the Committee is better informed. The chairperson said that there are issues that require processing.

Responses

Mr Joseph Ginindza said that what was mentioned by Adv Sono should be considered for investigation and that a report be drafted on the issues raised by the Committee. He agreed with the Chairperson that most of the issues are outside the scope of the Department and said that the Land Claims Commission will be engaged with as well as parliament officials for clarification. He confirmed that there are backlogs.

On the houses, Ms Mmakgomo said that the issue is being given attention and that the housing policy has been revised so that it is more inclusive. The living quarters were visited along with the staff villages. There are efforts to remove people to ensure that the housing structure is similar for all employees including employees from other concessions. The allocation is based on the meter square rate and is not market related. Employees are subsidised to ensure that they are comfortable because the houses in the staff villages are fairly larger than those in the staff quarters - this is a historical issue that is being addressed. On the allocation, this is rank related and managers are allocated first however essential employees should be given first preference to live inside the parks. Other employees are encouraged to live outside the parks and are given a housing allowance to purchase housing. There are areas which are further from the nearest town especially parks in the Northern Cape but alternative methods are being explored to address the matter of accommodation.

Mr Ginindza said that the western boundary of the fencing of the Kruger National Park never followed the official boundary but a railway line outside the park. There have been engagements with local government to make the land a staff village for SANParks employees.

Follow-up

Mr D Bryant (DA) expressed disappointment with the level of oversight and said that more oversight should have been conducted.

Mr N Paulsen (EFF) shared sentiments with Mr Bryant and said that messages are often received from people expressing their issues. Staff in the villages also need to be frequently communicated with because they are part of the community.

Ms N Gantsho (ANC) said that a joint committee meeting with the relevant departments that are affected by SANParks should be considered to try and resolve the challenges that were raised through the presentation. She also expressed disappointment that oversight was not conducted and said that nearby parks can be visited to avoid using more resources.  

Ms T Mchunu (ANC) appreciated the presentations and engagements and also expressed disappointment with the lack of oversight as intended. She said that more time needs to be allocated to reviewing the issues because some of the issues, such as land claims, are not the Committee’s scope/focus. There also needs to be engagements with communities because the reports that will be received will provide clarity on some of the issues that have been raised. This will help the Committee in assisting the communities as expected from Parliament. On the staff housing, she said that at some point, all historical issues have to be resolved and that engagements with the staff have to take place because they are part of the SANParks community.

Mr Ginindza said that the information that the Committee has is not the full story and that the history of the beneficiation issue can be presented to the Committee if time allowed. On the APMR, he said that it took three years to regularise what was not regulated which was highlighted by Adv Sono. A thorough process was conducted and Parliament should hear more about it as well as the changes that have been made.

The Chairperson said that the intention is to have a bigger impact on transformation in the country. Officials have a lot of work to do in consolidating all the information that has been gathered so that it makes sense during processing. He thanked everyone present for the engagements and appreciated the work that is being done to ensure that the communities are beneficiaries.  

The meeting was adjourned.