Speaker, the destruction of the Ndumo Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal is ongoing and relentless. This reserve may not be well known to the members of this House, but it is the closest thing that we have to our own Okavango Delta, encompassing the confluence of the Usuthu and Pongola Rivers. It is certainly worth protecting.
Two local communities lodged land claims against almost 1 300 hectares of the park in the 1990s, and the claim was settled in early 2000. Title to the land was restored to the communities on condition that the land remained a protected conservation area. There were also cash payouts.
However, in 2008, the eastern boundary to the park was removed, and members of the community began to clear the bush for farming. This is undoubtedly a difficult and sensitive situation, as members of this community are poor and need to sustain themselves. As an interim response, the KwaZulu-Natal government allocated a small section of the park for farming, but since then, the area has not been demarcated and the daily destruction of the riverine forest continues.
While the KwaZulu-Natal government promises to build a new fence, its wildlife officials appear powerless to stop further incursions into Ndumo. It is time for national government to lean on the provincial government, considering that Ndumo's problems are affecting the success of a three- nation conservation initiative that includes Mozambique and Swaziland.
The logical solution would be to establish additional farming areas outside the park with the assistance of the departments of agriculture and rural development. Whatever happens, national government needs to offer its assistance. The KwaZulu-Natal government has fiddled while Ndumo burns. I thank you. [Applause.]