DURBAN - PROBLEMS of broken fences at game parks, rundown chalets and dangerous access roads will continue to haunt Ezemvelo Wildlife, unless the entity deals with its capacity problems.
This is the assessment of some of the Members of the Provincial Legislature (MPLs) who visited different game parks in the province over the past two days as part of a fact-finding mission.
Lourens de Klerk of the IFP was critical of the state of the facilities they had visited, saying it came as no surprise that there were fewer tourists visiting the game reserves.
“When you visit a place and are paying for it, you want to enjoy the experience. The last thing you want is a dangerous road, an air conditioner that is not working or a roof that leaks and these are some of the things we found here,” he said.
He expressed concern over the management of the entity, lamenting the money that had been spent over the years with no tangible results.
“Ezemvelo management needs to get its act together, or it will continue to be the problem child that drains the province’s coffers,” De Klerk said.
DA KZN leader Francois Rodgers was equally scathing about the state of facilities they had visited, saying it reflected poorly on Ezemvelo leadership.
He said the visit was important as a lot of money had been spent by the national and provincial government to ensure the entity was in a good state.
“We have seen the state of the roads, and the facilities and no wonder there is a decline in tourist numbers. Some of the boarding facilities are on the brink of collapsing,” said Rodgers.
He contended that the entity could do better if it were split into two divisions, as this could allow for better management and maintenance of the facilities.
“There should be a biodiversity and an accommodation division, each being managed separately so that biodiversity deals with animals and game parks and the other component deals with the state of accommodation facilities,” Rodgers said.
ANC MPL Sipho “KK” Nkosi said: “We came to see the matters that we have been complaining about over the years and we noted that in some instances, Ezemvelo took the advice of the committee and sought to correct the situation.”
He conceded that the roofing in some of the facilities needed attention, adding that the committee was encouraged by the steps taken by the entity to address this.
“They told us that the reason for leaks in some facilities was because they had thatched roofs and the monkeys would make holes in the roofs to scavenge for food. We have now learned they are putting in tiles as part of the roofing for the chalets and this should solve the issue of leaks,” Nkosi said.
He said he was optimistic that the entities would soon draw tourists, especially foreign ones, after seeing the committed attitude of the Ezemvelo staff and the speed with which repair work was being done.
Ezemvelo spokesperson Musa Mntambo said they were happy with the visit by committee members.
He acknowledged that the state of some of the roads leading to their facilities was not good, and the condition of some accommodation facilities also needed attention.
However, he stressed that they were working on dealing with the issues identified. The committee’s next stop today is the Ndumo Game Reserve and Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park in northern KZN.
THE MERCURY