Programme director;
The Acting Chief Executive of SANParks, Mr Themba Mabilane;
The Managing Executive of the Kruger National Park, Dr Abe Sibiya;
Deputy Director General of Biodiversity and Conservation, Mr Fundisile Mketeni;
Nkosi Mdluli of the Mduli Tribal Authority;
Executive Mayor of Mbombela, Cathy Dlamini;
Community members;
Children – our leaders of tomorrow;

Honoured guests,

Today we mark the first international celebration of World Wildlife Day.

It is appropriate that South Africa’s first celebration of this Day, to applaud the beauty of our natural world, takes place in the Kruger National Park, our country’s largest national park where thousands of plant, animal and bird species are protected for present and future generations.

This celebration comes as the country celebrates twenty years of freedom and democracy. We also must acknowledge that conservation has always reflected the prevailing political order and dispensation. During the colonial era, the creation of parks saw thousands of these communities forcibly removed from their land and relocated to new areas, or losing their land. Owners were reduced to labourers and the pride they had in land ownership was stripped away.

With these acres of land cleared, reserves were fenced off and communities lost their access to resources within the reserves, overnight. Conservation became an elitist enterprise, with access to parks reflecting the social privileges of owners and visitors, mostly along racial lines.

There was little or no consideration for communities. They were seen as posing a threat to the environment, despite history telling a different story. Our history tells a story of communities that have always had a mutually beneficial relationship with the soil and natural resources.

The dawn of democracy in 1994 ushered in a new approach to wildlife management in our country. This effectively called for a new way of addressing conservation, with a view to develop both people and the conservation agenda alongside each other.

So I am saying to all of us here today that our various communities must be part of our conservation efforts for it is only when we work together that we can achieve all our conservation goals that take into cognizance the aspirations, fears and concerns of our communities.

Our gathering here today is in line with adoption of the 40th anniversary of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora which passed a resolution that 3 March of each year should be celebrated as World Wildlife Day. The United Nations General Assembly on 20 December 2013 adopted this resolution marking 3 March as the day on which we celebrate the many beautiful and varied forms of fauna and flora.

It is also an opportunity to recall the privileged interactions between wildlife and communities in South Africa, and worldwide. In South Africa, communities not only interact with wildlife as tourists, but benefit financially from the tourism services sector while deriving other values known and valued by different communities.

As was stated by the United Nations General Assembly, this is a Day that also reminds us of the urgent need to step up the fight against wildlife crime, which has wide-ranging negative economic, environmental and social impacts.

The theme of World Wildlife Day aligns perfectly with key wildlife matters in South Africa, including the fight against rhino poaching. As members of communities living in close proximity to the Kruger Park you may be aware of the plight of the rhino and all the steps being taken by the government, institutions such as SANParks, as well as the private sector, to combat the scourge of rhino poaching.

We are being robbed of our heritage by criminals with no respect to our nation and our pride as a people.

Wildlife crimes, including rhino poaching, are among the most significant syndicate-led crimes of our time. These crimes rank among drug trafficking, arms smuggling and human trafficking as the top syndicate crimes in the world today.

South Africa is not immune to the challenges posed by crimes that have a significant impact on the environment and ultimately the economy of our country through the effects they have on tourism and job creation.

The crime of rhino poaching is real and we, as South Africans from all walks of life, need to find solutions nationally, regionally and internationally to deal with these crimes effectively. We need to join hands and work together to fight these criminals.

These solutions need to be sought in partnership with stakeholders in the rhino and wildlife industries, and communities, as well as with our partners within government, particularly the enforcement and security authorities in the country.

This morning I handed over five rhino to the Mdluli Tribal Authority as part of the community’s contribution to conserving these magnificent animals. Protected areas should be providers of benefits beyond boundaries and the partnership between SANParks and the Mdluli community will give effect to this philosophy.

I would like to appeal to the Mdluli community to work together with government to protect this heritage.

It has become international practice to engage and involve communities in the conservation of our natural heritage to ensure there is a buy-in into the conservation idea, and thus greater success in conserving our environment.

The land of the Mdluli Community, which straddles the Kruger National Park, was successfully restored to the community in 1998. This land is now part of a development partnership between the community and the Kruger National Park and has included the establishment of viable wildlife populations managed by the community.

With the future of the rhino being threatened by poachers, local communities have a role to play in ensuring that these criminal are brought to book.

Ladies and gentlemen, you are the eyes and the ears of the fight against rhino poaching.

You, and all members of other communities living adjacent to our national parks and game reserves, often become aware of strangers moving within your villages and towns wanting to know where to poach a rhino or asking for help to hide or smuggle a rhino horn.

The donation of the five rhino to the Mdluli community should serve as an incentive to encourage you to help us fight rhino poaching. It is hoped that ownership of these animals will promote awareness and increase the wildlife ecotourism potential of your land.

As custodians of these rhino it is hoped that you will become more active in reporting suspicious behaviour and the strangers pitching up in your communities asking questions that could lead to the poaching of a rhino.

By placing the future of these five rhino in your care enhances the government’s belief and policy that the animals in national parks, provincial and private game reserves, are owned by all South Africans. This means that we all need to ensure they are protected for future generation.

It is South Africa’s policy on sustainable utilisation that has resulted in the significant growth of our rhino population from 20 – 50 animals by the end of the 19th century to more than 18 000 animals today. This policy has been critiqued by some, but the result speaks for itself. South Africa is protecting just over 93% of Africa’s wild white rhino and this conservation success is directly linked and supported by South Africa’s sustainable utilisation policy.

We furthermore recognise that sustainable livelihoods will be best achieved with the engagement of those communities surrounding protected areas. South Africa supports the actions relating to increasing the capacity of local communities to pursue sustainable livelihood opportunities and eradicate poverty.

These actions are aligned to the government of South Africa’s key priorities, is included in our People and Parks Resolutions adopted in 2012, and while South Africa is implementing these actions already, as demonstrated today, others seem to only realise the importance to initiate actions relating to this now. Through the People and Parks Programme we seek a common approach to address emotive issues at the interface between conservation and communities.

As part of South Africa’s efforts to address the menace of rhino poaching, additional rangers, soldiers and police have been deployed across the country, particularly here, in the Kruger National Park, to trace and bring to book the poachers responsible for killing rhino for their horns. This resulted in a considerable increase in the number of rhino poachers arrested during 2013 with 343 being arrested, most of them in the Kruger National Park. In 2012, 267 alleged poachers were arrested.

The increase in the number of arrests is indicative of the success of interventions undertaken by SANParks in collaboration with some of the country's law enforcement agencies, beginning to yield positive results against rhino poaching.

The Kruger National Park continues to bear the brunt of rhino poaching in South Africa. To deal with the problem of rhino poaching the ranger corps has been militarised, additional rangers have been recruited and received specialised training, members of the SANDF have been deployed to protect the country’s border with Mozambique and new technologies have been introduced, including the utilisation and testing of drones and helicopter patrols.

Increased collaboration with local communities bordering the Park will further enhance the interventions within the Park.

As of December 2013, the total number of rhino poached in the Kruger National Park had increased by 42.6% (from 425 to 606) year-on-year compared to 2012.

The total number people arrested and charged with rhino poaching related crimes increased by 68.5% (from 73 to 123) during the period. This success can mainly be attributed to the increase in the number of rangers deployed to fight a scourge which continues to destroy our already depressed natural heritage.

The National Prosecuting Authority has been working hard to ensure those arrested for poaching rhino, the possession and sale of rhino horn are successfully prosecuted.

Between April 2013 and 17 January 2013, 48 cases were finalised against 94 accused. That is a conviction rate of 63.8%.

A total of 60 people accused of rhino-related crimes were convicted with 16 being convicted and sentenced to a fine, 37 receiving direct imprisonment without the option of a fine and only five receiving wholly suspended sentences.

The rhino poaching sentences handed down by the courts are an example of the seriousness with which the government views rhino poaching. These sentences will act as a deterrent to individuals and syndicates involved in this crime, and send a strong message that the government and the people of South Africa are committed to bringing to book those bent on destroying an important part of our natural heritage.

I am deeply concerned and affected by the magnitude of rhino poaching in South Africa and elsewhere in the world, especially since this iconic species has become the focus of international poaching syndicates.

Solutions to be sought in collaboration with stakeholders and experts in the rhino sector during 2014 will meet South Africa’s sustainable management and adaptive management practices that will ensure the country can continue to maintain its proud conservation record and that communities contributing to the conservation of species benefit financially from the restoration and protection of species.

Concerns about rhino poaching and the increasing number of poaching incidents remain uppermost in my mind, and in the minds of officials in the Department who are working tirelessly with colleagues in organisations such as SANParks to ensure rhino poaching is terminated.

I reiterate that rhino will not be allowed to become extinct on the present government’s watch. We have to work together as various stakeholders to ensure that we address this problem for the sake of our children and their children as well.

I thank you.