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Reports of a lion on the loose near Dundee in KwaZulu-Natal – and the news that Ezemvelo will attempt to catch the animal ‘alive’ – are of deep concern to the Democratic Alliance. According to the reports, private farmers have teamed up with the South African Police Service (SAPS) and Ezemvelo.

The Democratic Alliance has strong reservations when it comes to  Ezemvelo’s capabilities in accomplishing such a feat. The situation has the potential to again highlight the failures of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and its ANC political masters.

In particular, the DA remains extremely concerned for the safety of the lion – particularly as a DA Legislative Motion calling for a moratorium on the shooting of the Big 5 by Ezemvelo has been ignored by the ANC.

While the threat to human life is concerning, the well-being of the animal must also be considered. In 2019, Ezemvelo rangers first chased about 10 escaped lion back into the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park before summarily executing them. These deaths totalled around 10% of the parks lion population. It is believed that there are still about two lion which remain on the loose today, with their fate remaining a mystery.

The DA intends questioning KZN’s EDTEA MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube on this matter during a portfolio committee scheduled for Friday. We sincerely hope that the MEC will make the time to attend given that she has not attended a single meeting to date this year and was largely absent last year. Ultimately, it will be interesting to see where the latest lion has come from, and whether it is one of the Hluluwe iMfolozi Park escapees. 

We will also continue to exert pressure on the MEC to take a firmer hand in the revival of Ezemevelo. This must include the capacitation and budget boost for the critical game capture unit, which is wholly underfunded.

The DA remains committed to closely monitoring the current situation. We certainly hope that this animal will not meet the same fate as the Hluhluwe lion.

Issued by The DA