2005/2006 - SANParks

2006South African National Parksthe Agulhas plain. This was done in conjunction with the local regionaldisaster management authority. Steps have now been taken towardsthe registering of the Agulhas/Haasvlakte with the DWAF. During earlyFebruary 2005 a severe veld fi re started in the Elim area driven by strongsouth-easterly winds burning about a total of 120 000ha including some80 000ha of natural fynbos.The park personnel assisted in preventing the fi re from spreading to parkareas. This incident has severely impacted on the sustainable wildfl owerharvesting activities in the area, an activity that falls under the SustainableHarvesting of the ABI project.The Working for Water project (WfW) proceeded with alien eradicationwhich was done by WfW project clearing contractors. Only 6,098ha of6,561ha could be cleaned. The backlog was due to the fl ood in April,forcing workers out of fi eld for two months. Clearing of dense stands of alienvegetation on the urban edge of the L’Agulhas area also took place.The Working on Wetland project (WoW) involving wetland rehabilitationwas carried out by WoW project contractors in the Bergplaas andRietfontein area. Work mainly consists of plugging manmade drainageditches and restoring natural fl ow patterns in the area. A total ofR476,531 of the original R500,000 allocated, was spent. Work was delayedby 2 months during the beginning of the project due to fl oods.The Coast Care project (CC) performed well in the period under review.The original operational budget was R 2,500,000 and R 2,194,475 wasspent with 634km of the original 590km planned, being cleaned. Ongoingremoval of old farm fences and redundant farming infrastructure by CoastCare teams as well as day to day coastal operational aspects has beenprogressing according to schedule.Infrastructure DevelopmentWith the Medium Term Expenditure Fund (MTEF) allocation to SANParksthe park will now be able to address the urgent infrastructure refurbishmentof some cultural and historical entities. This is the single most signifi cantevent that will ensure the establishment of basic infrastructure needs ofthis newly established and expanding park.Discussions on repairs of the Rietfontein Langhuis which burnt down, areat an advanced stage and the fi nal negotiations on insurers claims wereheld on site early in 2006. On the negative side, inspection and surveyof the Rhenosterkop cultural site was done. It showed major problemswith the existing roofi ng that will now have to be totally re-done. A tenderprocess has to be embarked on for this project.51