Inkatha Freedom Party - VIVA! Honourable Chairperson, At the outset let me thank the Chief Whip of the Majority Party for tabling this motion for debate. Make no mistake. We are at War. Our Rhino population is being slaughtered at rate that will see it all but wiped out within the next five to seven years. Since the start of this poaching epidemic in 2008, South Africa has lost over 2600 rhinos, with 716 being killed this year alone, which figure, I might add, excludes pseudo hunts, - and by pseudo hunts I mean hunts authorized allowed by crumbling, corrupt and inept conservation services. It is reported that our Conservation services in the North West, Limpopo and Mpumalanga are currently beyond repair. There is still no central database or system which nationally tracks and co-ordinates our anti-poaching efforts. Our rhino are dying because of ineffective systems, a lack of the required political will, alleged complicity in poaching by security and policing services, lack of information sharing between our enforcement agencies and judicial sanction that is not yet swift or severe enough. International co-operation, remains vague and embarrassing. It seems that the required political will is missing with our government paying mere lip service to same. We would encourage greater action and International cooperation - and less speak. Governments focus must also be on the rangers, the anti-poaching units and security services - they our frontline that stands between the poachers and our rhino; these units must be adequately staffed and equipped. Honourable Speaker, the protection of our Rhino from poaching places a solemn and binding obligation on us all, and in particular, the government of this country, to do everything it possibly can to prevent this wholesale slaughter. Any calls, efforts or regulation which seeks to subvert such obligation must be opposed. In closing, let me re-iterate that Rhino Horn has no medicinal value whatsoever! By legitimizing its trade, we legitimize this fraud! Is this the kind of heritage we want to leave our children? I thank you. Hon SJ Nkomo, MP
Posted on: Thu, 04 Sep 2014 13:38:17 +0000
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