Chairperson, I give notice that I shall move at the next sitting of the Council:
That the Council -
1) notes that the livestock farmers in the Baviaans and Couga mountains as well as the Elands River and Groendal areas, have planned a meeting with the Department of Environmental Affairs for Friday 5 November 2010 where no less than 12 agricultural associations met to discuss the leopard problem in livestock and game farming in these areas; 2) further notes that the Department of Environmental Affairs, who initiated and confirmed their attendance at the above meeting, recalled all their officials from attending;
3) acknowledges that the leopards conserved and protected by the farmers at present which currently roam the area outside the Baviaans amount to at least 70, whereas the farmers had to eliminate only 28 in the last two years;
4) acknowledges that the stock and game losses due to the leopard predation amount to about R1,4 million over the last two years;
5) requests the Department of Environmental Affairs to immediately face their responsibility and reschedule the meeting with the farmers to discuss and resolve the way forward to not only protect the viability of farming operations but to also prevent the job losses with it;
6) requests the government that, since 35% of the land, estimated at about 250 000 ha, where these cats roam belongs to the state -
a) they fence and protect their properties according to the game fencing regulations as is expected of any other individual who farms with the big cat species; and b) they see there is sufficient food for the leopards in the Baviaanskloof state land.