Note to Editors: Please find Hannah Lidgett, MPL sound bite in English
The deliberate misinformation presented by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (EKZNW) Head of Conservation, Vuyiswa Radebe, regarding the Mawana elephants, during a recent portfolio committee meeting, is completely unacceptable.
The misrepresentation came after Ms Radebe presented a progress report to the committee following a meeting between Ezemvelo, the local community and NGOs on the Mawana Private Game Reserve.
While originally stating that the Mawana elephants’ origin was unknown, she later admitted – under further questioning by the DA – that it was suspected that the elephants escaped from Mawana Private Game Reserve, but that this could not be proven.
This statement too is misleading as Ezemvelo was well aware that the elephants had escaped from Mawana. This is evidenced by the fact that, as reported in the media, Ezemvelo had already issued the reserve with three non-compliance notices.
The initial withholding of this critical information from the committee is alarming and raises serious questions about why Ezemvelo sought to mislead Legislature members and obfuscate the facts.
Such deception is unacceptable, particularly in light of the killing of nine Mawana elephants in 2024 – including pregnant cows and calves – an incident that sparked national outrage. Ezemvelo’s handling of this situation has been flawed, with the entity allegedly failing to implement non-lethal interventions proposed by NGOs and other relevant stakeholders to mitigate human-wildlife conflict.
Ezemvelo’s obfuscating of the facts raises questions around their real intentions in the management of the Mawana elephants. Given this, the DA has formally submitted questions to the entity, demanding transparency and accountability and has called for:
• The full inspection report that led to the killing of nine Mawana elephants in 2024;
• The inspection report on the remaining Mawana elephants;
• A detailed account of all non-lethal interventions taken by Ezemvelo to manage the elephants;
• A list of stakeholder recommendations raised during the meeting with a breakdown of those – if any – that have been implemented and;
• An explanation as to why Mawana Private Game Reserve continued to receive only non-compliance notices, despite the ongoing and well-documented issue of elephants escaping.
Ezemvelo’s credibility and ability to effectively manage wildlife conservation are now under serious scrutiny. In the event that the entity is deliberately misleading the Legislature, failing to implement alternative conservation measures, and allowing private game owners to escape meaningful accountability then urgent intervention is needed.
It is unjust that both the surrounding communities and the elephants have had to suffer due to Ezemvelo’s failure to effectively manage this situation. The Elephant Norms and Standards on Damage-Causing Animals explicitly state that culling should, within reason and depending on the circumstances, not include the killing of the damage-causing animal if the damage is solely due to human error or the negligence of the landowner.
Ezemvelo’s decision to kill these elephants—despite clear evidence that their escape was due to the reserve’s fencing failures and its own inability to hold the reserve accountable and to manage the situation post-fact – raises serious concerns about its adherence to conservation policies and ethical wildlife management.
The DA remains committed to ensuring transparency and accountability in wildlife conservation and will continue to push for answers regarding the mismanagement of the Mawana elephants. We will not allow Ezemvelo to cover up its failures at the expense of our country’s wildlife, surrounding communities, and the trust of the public.