Safari industry focuses on surviving Covid-19

[Klipspringer]

The case with the "lie" is another one I think, there are several relief funds and several court cases

[Richprins]

It is a complex question, so complex that all the judges on the Constitutional Bench itself rarely give unanimous verdicts. Here is a long but balanced article/summary from 2018:

https://irr.org.za/media/the-concourt-a ... oliticsweb

Thank you very much for the list of Tourist Beneficiaries, Klippies! It is good and transprent from Govt, and we hope they get their money!

As Harry says, the Minister was wrong, and in fact the Finance Minister himself was unhappy:

Finance Minister Tito Mboweni on Tuesday told Parliament’s finance committees he could not support a policy position that discriminated against white business owners, although he said there would always be a bias in favour of emerging black business people due to the discrimination they had endured.

His comments came as trade union Solidarity and lobby group AfriForum headed for the Constitutional Court to ask it to urgently hear their appeal against the Pretoria High Court, which recently upheld Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane’s position that firms should comply with Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEEE) rules to benefit from the R20 million Tourism Relief Fund.

https://ewn.co.za/2020/05/06/parties-re ... businesses

[Klipspringer]

This explains the other case, with another minister taken to court by DA

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinion ... equaliser/

Court paper:
http://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZAGPPHC/2020/237.pdf

It is a complex matter indeed

[Richprins]

As said in your article, the Constitution is held by many to be vague and left to interpretation by judges without precedent. It is a nice one, but written in better times...

Anyway, judges kick the ball on to the Concourt in these precedent-setting cases...

[Lisbeth]

in favour of emerging black business people due to the discrimination they had endured.

Actually it's their parents who have endured it

[Lisbeth]

UK travel ban: SA scientists to 'educate' UK counterparts about the country - Prof Glenda Gray
The story: Health authorities and scientists will, on Monday, move to "educate" their counterparts in the UK about the country, and persuade them to remove South Africa from its travel red list.

What we know: The Sunday Times reported that health scientists were set to meet UK scientists on Monday to make their case against the red list travel ban against South Africa.

What to expect: Head of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) Professor Glenda Gray said she was optimistic about the meeting.

[Richprins]

[Lisbeth]

Private game reserves are vital in battle to conserve environmental heritage

Opinionista • Joe Cloete • 27 September 2021

Rehabilitating land that was once extensively farmed, and helping to restore the ecology to what it was, is – contrary to what many critics choose to believe – not just for the enjoyment of a handful of wealthy overseas tourists.

The Covid-19 pandemic has devastated the global travel industry and although there now are signs of activity resuming in some markets, the sector is still a long way from recovery.

New research from ForwardKeys, the travel data provider, shows that international flights to European destinations have reached 39.9% of pre-pandemic levels.

While this is significantly better than 2020 when the comparative figure was 26.6%, the picture is very mixed, with some destinations doing much better than others. Worryingly though, the outlook is not good, with bookings slowing towards the end of the Northern Hemisphere summer.

Although the data only considered Europe, it revealed some trends that should concern us. Countries that fared worst were those reliant on long-haul tourism. These travellers typically stay longer and spend more, and have all but disappeared.

Onerous travel restrictions, such as those the UK imposed, also affected destinations popular with British holidaymakers, such as Portugal, which was reclassified from green to amber in June. At the time of writing, South Africa remains on the UK’s red list, inhibiting travel from one of our most important source markets.

A year ago, I was asked when we anticipate guest numbers at Shamwari, a private game reserve in the Eastern Cape, returning to pre-2019 levels. My gloomy projection was 2023. Now, that seems optimistic.

The consequences of a prolonged recovery are significant for the entire travel and hospitality industry. The obvious concern is the longer it takes, the more the sector contracts.

By the time the recovery comes, South Africa may no longer be able to reclaim its place in a competitive global market.

As someone who started their safari career in conservation rather than hospitality, I have another worry that’s perhaps less obvious but to my mind equally important. It’s our ability to conserve our natural heritage.

Conservation is an expensive business and private game reserves have no other source of revenue than what guests spend when they visit us. Tourism funds these projects. Every rand spent contributes to a business model that absorbs the cost of conserving fauna and flora as well as its rehabilitation and protection.

Private game reserves play a vital role in conserving our natural environment. Many are outstanding at doing this.

With ever-growing demands on state coffers, a declining revenue base, and the need to prioritise spending, the government will simply not be able to support the extent and scale of conservation efforts in South Africa without private-sector support.

By way of example, for nearly 30 years the conservation project at Shamwari has arrested the impact of human activity and returned, to 25,000ha, the rich diversity for which the area was once renowned.

Much of the ecology has been restored, attracting or allowing for the reintroduction of an abundance of indigenous game, bird and insect life – from the big five to the flightless dung beetle.

Expanding, managing, developing and rehabilitating the land after many years of farming is an ongoing and costly exercise. As is deploying anti-poaching security to protect the wildlife and rehabilitating sick and injured animals.

Contrary to what critics may choose to believe, this isn’t all for the enjoyment of a handful of wealthy overseas tourists. The benefits of conserving our environmental heritage are much greater.

The lessons we’ve learnt over nearly three decades have contributed to a wealth of scientific and practical knowledge about how to rehabilitate land and reintroduce indigenous species.

So, too, has the pioneering work carried out at our wildlife rehabilitation centre, the largest and most advanced of its kind on the continent. State-owned and private reserves around the country make use of its facilities and expertise.

Shamwari and other private reserves have also contributed to studies on the relative socioeconomic impacts of game reserves, which outweigh those of agriculture tenfold.

We’ve learnt and shared lessons about how to reintroduce animals to rehabilitated land. This isn’t limited to the big game, but also benefits species such as the humble oxpecker.

Besides furthering a better understanding of conservation and how to implement it, we also strive to educate and stimulate interest in the subject. We regularly host schools from the surrounding communities as well as encourage visits to the two Born Free facilities on the reserve.

We’re determined that, despite the unprecedented difficulties we’re facing now, this successful conservation project will continue.

To that end, we’ve done everything we can to save costs and limit the effects on our team, without diluting the Shamwari experience. We’ve permanently shut some lodges and have stopped all new development.

We also decided to reopen incrementally, initially opening just two of our seven lodges, Long Lee Manor and Sarili Private Lodge. Sindile reopened this month and Bayethe follows in October. This enables us to keep operating costs down as well as implement strict health protocols.

And we’ve changed our model, repackaging to appeal to the domestic market. As well as offering unprecedented low rates, we’ve implemented initiatives such as the Banquet in the Bush and Safari Unplugged, with Watershed frontman Craig Hinds.

In November we’ll be hosting a weekend for local twitchers to coincide with the Birding Big Day 2021. We’re also looking at other activities such as mountain biking weekends, and we teamed up with Ultimate Braai Master for series seven, which was filmed in the Eastern Cape.

Perhaps our most successful venture to keep Shamwari top-of-mind has been Shamwari TV. This YouTube channel, offering virtual safaris, has proved hugely popular, both here and internationally, and showcases the essence of what the Shamwari conservation project is all about.

Conservation is cripplingly expensive, and the margins are thin, but I hope I’ve made the case for supporting privately funded projects such as Shamwari.

Besides the obvious benefits of sustaining South Africa’s tourism sector and the jobs and income it provides, it is also an investment in conserving our environmental heritage. DM168

[Richprins]

Brilliant article!

Things should improve more quickly, hopefully!

[Lisbeth]

Let's hope so

I don't know about Shimwani, which is terribly expensive. I have seen another place that makes special prices for South Africans. Why don't they try to do it for everybody, it might work. People are less scared if it costs less