From A.Honeybun@ecu.edu.au Tue Mar 16 11:04 MET 1999 From: "Alastair Honeybun" To: Rhodesian Worldwide on the World Wide Web Date: Tue, 16 Mar 1999 17:29:18 +0800 Subject: A serious appeal Reply-to: A.Honeybun@ecu.edu.au DEPROCLAMATION (CLOSURE) OF VAALBOS NATIONAL PARK: Kimberley Area, South Africa: Please sign (by entering your name)at the bottom to signify your support, and include your town, country and e-mail address. If you receive this list when it has 100 names on it, please e-mail a copy of it to dtours@kimnet.co.za Even if you decide not to sign, please be considerate and do not kill this important petition. (IT IS BEST TO COPY RATHER THAN FORWARD THE PETITION, TO KEEP IT LEGIBLE). Thank you and kind regards. Dirk Potgieter (Kimberley, South Africa.) VAALBOS NATIONAL PARK (VNP) was proclaimed by the South African Parliament in 1986 - the primary function of this 23 000 ha National Park was to protect a rare combination of 3 x ecotypes and to set up a safe and secure breeding facility for the highly endangered (desert) black rhino and several other rare species. Larger animal species found in the park on the schedule 1 list of endangered wild animals include the (desert) black rhino, white rhino, African scaly ant- eater and several schedule 2 endangered wild animals! It is worth noting that Vaalbos National Park it is borderd on the east & west boundaries by approx. 50 km of Vaal River frontage - this being the only section of the Vaal River protected by National Park status and containing rare barb, rock cafish and the large-mouth yellowfish, not to mention birds, repliles and insects. The infrastructure of this uniquely diverse Park (situated 60 km north from Kimberley) was established primarily with a local work force ("by the community for the benifit of the community") recruited from among the impoverished local community along the eastern boundary (Barkly West, Longlands, Delportshoop and Gong-Gong). It is also worth noting that more than R4 million of local taxpayer money was invested in setting up roads and tourist facilities within this Vaalbos National Park. The promise was made from the very beginning and again with the grand opening in November 1996 that Vaalbos National Park would be a major economic boost and tourism asset to this neglected and progressively impoverished / unemployed area. As a young National Park, VNP was making it's mark and visitor figures steadily increased with the charming 3 chalets very often fully book out. But then on 24 July 1998 it was announced by Mr, Mavuso Masimang; Chief Executive of the South African National Parks (SANP) that the SANP in conjunction with the Northern Cape Provincial Government (NCPG) had decided upon deproclamation of the Park (the first Park ever in South Africa to be deproclamated) and that it should thus lose it's National Park conservation status and legal protection. This immediately influenced visitor figures negalively and amazed foreign tourists! According to a press release dated 25/07/98, Mr. Thabo Makweya - the NCPG MEC for Agriculture, Enviromental Affairs and Land Reform, he stated that the interests of beginner miners (small diamond miners) would receive preferance in the area's new status of utilisation ? Deproclamate a National Park for small scale mining of unconfirmed diamond deposits? According to the SANP the initial aims for establishing a larger Vaalbos National Park were not realised, partly due to the manner in which it was done, which included threats of expropriation and non-consultaion; this was to be expected to lead to failure. Other excuses such as not being having aesthetic value, nor meeting the IUCN merit system requirements, as well as not being able to carry and sustain the major predators, are misleading - many Parks, even in South Africa, do not meet these conditions and still exist. As for SANP and NCPG themselves, there has been very limited communication and no consultation with the neglected and progresively impoverished / unemployed surrounding area / communities, as well as a definite lack of transparancy and consideration in reaching this decision. Destroying the well-established Vaalbos National Park, taking into considering it's much needed tourism potential for these local communities and then attemting to establish a new National Park elswhere in the province, is but a futile dream. Not only would a predominantly neglected and progresively impoverished/underemployed community be deprived of development potential, but an attempt would have to be launched to establish a new National Park elswhere in the province at great (duplicated) financial cost. The loss of Vaalbos National Park is our real issue here and this being the first National Park to be deproclamated in South Africa, this conservation failure would lay the foundation for further onslaught on other National Parks, in a modern world where conservation is fighting a losing battle. To quote a foreign tourist once visiting Vaalbos National Park: "Some of the finest classic African scerery I have yet experienced!" We hope to have a web page up within the near future, but presently request your kind supporting vote in our quest to retain Vaalbos National Park for conservation and as a viable development to the benefit of the neglected and progressively impoverished/unemployed surrounding areas/communities. We thank you for your time. 1.) Dirk Potgieter - Kimberley, South Africa - e-mail: dtours@kimnet.co.za 2.) Marzanne Potgieter - Kimberley, South Africa - e-mail: dtours@kimnet.co.za 3.) Mark Wilson - Kimberley, South Africa - e-mail: markw@kimnet.co.za 4.) Linda Engelbrecht - Kimberley, SA - e-mail: linri@kimnet.co.za 5.) Gavin Evans - Kimberley, SA - e-mail: docentre@intekom.co.za 6.) Riaan Maritz - Kimberley, SA - e-mail: riaanm@Intekom.co.za 7) Hardy Maritz - London, UK - e-mail: Hardy.H.Maritz@OPC.shell.com 8) Andrew Fuller - Hilton , SA - e-mail: fuller@futurenet.co.za 9) Adam Riley - Pietermaritzburg, SA - email: adam.riley@intekom.co.za 10) W. R. Branch - Port Elizabeth - email pemwrb@zoo.upe.ac.za 11) M.R.R. Logie - East London - email besc@iafrica.com &malcolme_logie@hotmail.com 12) Heuer Bosman - Pretoria - email heuerb@iscorltd.co.za 13) Louis D Bosman - Midrand,SA - louisb@dbsa.org 14) Julie Clarke - midrand SA juliec@dbsa.org 15) Jonathan Gale - Auckland NZ - Jonathan.Gale@nzes.govt.nz 16) James Jackson - Sellenbosch SA - bwana@iafrica.com 17) Nicolette Murison - Cape Town SA - nicky@zealx.co.za 18)Rob Gortmaker --Cape Town mcstore@netactive.co.za 19)Phil Evans. Cape Town, SA. riders@iafrica.com 20)Olwyn Evans. Strand, SA. ppnoevans@dockside.co.za 21) Trevor Keeling, Adelaide, Australia. mawuya@camtech.net.au 22) Pamela Keeling, Adelaide, Australia. mawuya@camtech.net.au 230 Alastair Honeybun, Perth, Australia A.Honeybun@ecu.edu.au