25 October 2013 - South
Africa and the Government of the Lao People’s
Democratic Republic (PDR) are scheduled
to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
in the field of Biodiversity Conservation
and Management soon.
The signing of the MoU
will be accompanied by the endorsement of
an Implementation Plan putting into immediate
action concrete steps to, among others,
eradicate wildlife crimes through government-to-government
and security initiatives, educate the public
and raise awareness.
Commenting on the rationale
for these MoUs, Minister of Water and Environmental
Affairs said: “South Africa regards rhino
poaching and illicit trafficking in wildlife
and endangered species as part of the new
and emerging formsof crime,such as illicit
mining and trafficking in precious metals,
which also require global attention if we
are to effectively deal with these crimes.’’
The MoU with Mozambique
is on track and scheduled to be signed by
early next year. This is a deadline set
by the Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and
Flora (CITES) for Mozambique and Vietnam
to report on concrete legislative and other
security measures taken to curb rhino poaching.
In June 2013, South
Africa met with the Mozambique to deliberate
on concrete actions to be taken by both
countries to combat the scourge of rhino
poaching. The two countries have been engaging
consistently overtime to find concrete measures
to stamp out the scourge.
Rhino poaching has become
a huge concern globally, particularly in
the conservation fraternity. The South African
Government has established collaborations
with privately owned nature conservation
estates to address this scourge and put
specific measures in place to combat illegal
hunting within our borders and abroad.
An Implementation Plan,
putting into action the terms of the MoU
with China in the field of Wetland and Desert
Ecosystems and Wildlife Conservation is
also expected to be signed soon.
The conclusion of the
MoUs with the Lao PDR and Mozambique, and
Implementation Plan with China, is indicative
of the government’s commitment to step up
international and regional efforts to eradicate
rhino poaching and wildlife crime in general.
The number of rhinos
poached for their horns in South Africa
since January 2013 has increased to 790,
while 31 poachers have been arrested in
the past two week. The total number of people
facing rhino poaching-related charges has
increased to 259.
The Kruger National
Park has lost a total of 476 rhinos so far
this year. Of the total number of rhinos
poached, 87 rhinos have been killed in Limpopo,
65 in North West, 73 in KwaZulu-Natal and
68 in Mpumalanga. Four rhinos have been
poached in Gauteng, while three have been
poached in the Eastern Cape and three in
the Marakele National Park in North West.
Rhino poaching was declared
a national security risk and a national
priority in 2011 and is being dealt with
through a plethora of interventions at the
highest levels of government. These interventions
not only include international and regional
cooperation and negotiations to ensure the
cross-border nature of rhino poaching is
addressed, but also national interventions
including legislative amendments, the creation
of a National Rhino Fund and greater cooperation
with stakeholders, locally and internationally.
South Africans are encouraged
to report incidents of poaching and tip-offs
to the anonymous tip-off lines 0800 205
005, 08600 10111 or Crime-Line on 32211.
