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South Africa: Hunting Permits Were Wrongly Issued - Court

By News24 Correspondent



Permits to hunt and capture game on an eco-tourist reserve had been wrongly issued to a man not entitled to them, the Pietermaritzburg High Court ruled on Tuesday.

According to evidence in the case, the recipient of the permits, Zwelinzama Thwalizwe Gumede, had misled authorities, the KwaZulu-Natal Conservation Board and the KZN Conservation Services, that he was a landowner and resident on the Makhasa Reserve in Zululand.

Conservationist Robin Barnes, who is connected to Makhasa, said it was well-known that Gumede was not a landowner and therefore not entitled to the permits.

Judge Charmaine Balton set aside Gumede's permits, which allowed others to hunt and capture wildlife in Makhasa for the rest of the year, and said that the conservation board and services must not issue permits until February next year.

Until the order was made, Gumede was vested with the right to allow a professional hunter or animal capturer to use the reserve. They are now prohibited from entering the property to hunt or capture game.

Barnes said people previously arrived at the reserve and claimed they were hunters.

Makhasa's manager would not let them in and told them that they should get permits from the conservation bodies.

One person had wanted to hunt 34 animals including two buffalo, two giraffe and zebras, while another said that he wished to capture 200 nyala.

Source: News24