Ezangaphakathi

KUBIKA U- CEO

"Kuningi osekwenzekile kusukela kwashicilelwa iphepha eledlule iWetlands Wire kodwa kulula ukulungisa okubi ngokuhle.

Izindaba ezinhle ukuthi iAuthority isisukile eThekwini yathuthela eSt. Lucia lapho sesijwayela ukuthi "local is Lekker" Lendawo yangamukela ngenhlawulo ka R600 ngesivinini emgwaqeni ekhoneni lodumo laseMtubatuba. Okuyinto enhle kakhulu uma ucabanga u 300 000 km ongenziwa yi "double cab" yami ngehora. Emva kokukhokha lenhlawulo ngazizwa sengibambe iqhaza emnothweni njengoba namaphoyisa omgwaqo esevumile ukuhlale eqaphe ngawokhozi emgwaqweni wase St Lucia ukuya eCape Vidal lapho ijubane lilinganiselwa ku 60km ngehora.Inhlawulo iya ku KZNW noMasipala wendawo. Sonke siyazuza ngokuncipha kwezingozi ezilwaneni nakubantu.

Ezinsukwini ezine kuthuthwe obhejane abamhlophe abangu-23 besuswa eMkhuze balethwa e-Eastern Shores ukubavikela esomisweni. Bathi behliswa nje, besadidwe umjovo babebeqala bethakasela izitshalo zaseEastern Shores baphinde bajabulelwa kakhulu abavakashi.

Ababalelwa ku 450 ababehambele I-World Parks Congress bavakashela iPaki, bayithakasela kakhulu. Ngafunda lapho ukuthi iSt Lucia iyi-World Heritage site eyehlukile kwamanye ngoba amaningi abizwa nge World Heritage Site ngoba eseseqophelweni eliphezulu. Lapha kusekuningi okumele kulungiswe njengokususwa kwezimila ezithize, ukulungiswa kwezinxephezelo zemihlaba nokunye.

Konke lokhu okumelwe kulungisweImibono eyahlukene ngokuphathwa kwePaki kwagxilwa kukho engqungqutheleni
yeWorld Parks Congress. Lapha kubalwa ukusebenzisana komphakathi nezinkampani ezizimele: ukuthuthukisela ukonga kunokongela ukuthuthukisa.

Umbuzo ukuthi kungakanani okumele kwenziwe ukuze kufinyelelwe kuzuzwe intuthuko kanye nokuphatheka kahle kwemvelo.
Ngithanda ukubonga kakhulu kubobonke abebebambe iqhaza ekwenzeni iWorld Parks Congress ibe yimpumelelo."

insidetrack

Since the previous Wetlands Wire much has happened and some negatives been turned into positives.
The good news is the Authority has moved from Durban to St Lucia where we are getting used to ‘local is lekker’. My first welcome was a R600 speeding fine at the infamous Mtubatuba turnoff. Quite impressive for my 350 000 kms on-the-clock double cab. Having paid up, I am now adding value to the local economy as Mtuba’s traffic officers have agreed to become regular watchdogs on the St Lucia road - where the speed limit is 60km, though sometimes you wouldn’t believe it. All fines go to Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and the municipality. But we all gain from less animal kills (see previous Wetlands Wire) and human injuries.
The drought has in a very small way turned into a positive for the Park through the translocation of 23 water-stressed white rhino from Mkhuze to the Eastern Shores in a four-day exercise by KZN Wildlife. As they came out of the truck, still sedated, they began to enjoy our natural vegetation – and add to the tourist experience.
Some 450 delegates from the World Parks Congress (WPC) visited the Park and were impressed by what they saw. I learned that St Lucia is a unique World Heritage site – because most are listed only once they are perfect. We still need to remove plantations, settle land claims, restock with game, and sort out signage and other things. The Australian World Heritage group referred to it, jokingly, as the Swiss Alpine WH site as they took in the view of the pines on the Vidal road.
But these issues were well-covered in the World Heritage application following the ‘no mining’ decision and government’s commitment to tourism-led development
Many of the shifts in thinking on protected areas management and in the Wetlands specifically are reflected in the WPC’s Benefits beyond Boundaries theme and outputs: innovative financing, including public-private community partnerships and a change in the age old adage from conserving to develop to developing to conserve. A new debate is now needed on how far the pendulum should swing to meet the development and ecological goals.
* A special thanks to all those who made the World Parks Congress events in the Park so memorable and successful.

Crafts provide income

Karena du Plessis

I set off to to meet young designers and crafters about to embark on their own adventure in remote villages around the Wetland Park.
Bronwyn James is director of the Social Economic and Environmental Development (SEED) Unit, which falls under the Authority. She says: "Rural poverty is crippling. It's not enough to safeguard the environment without addressing the needs of local people.
"Women in these areas have a strong tradition of craft and weaving, but they earn a pittance. Natural resources are also taking a beating. You only have to look at some of the magnificent meat platters: a whole tree is destroyed to make platters that sell for under R100. The craft programme has addressed the issue of natural resource use through ensuring product designs are founded on sustainable principles like using alternative materials, and growing schemes.
"One possible solution was a craft development programme focusing on finding more lucrative markets so women could continue using their skills and earn a living wage. But, to tap into a higher end market, we had to look more closely at the products.
This is where the Learnership - Product Development in partnership with Rural Crafters - offered by the Wetland Authority and Create SA came in.
"Each year, institutions churn out hundreds of design graduates unlikely to ever find jobs,” said Colleen Crawford Cousins, curriculum developer for the Learnership. “Yet there is a growing demand for good product developers who understand nternational trends and markets. If crafters want to make high value products for the export market, they need design input. This is the first year this Learnership has been offered and we have 19 wonderfully talented young designers signed up.
Bronwyn and Colleen are quick to point out that the designers are
not going into the villages to "tell" crafters what to do. Instead the emphasis is on building a partnership, sharing ideas and working on new products together. Richard Sparks from Bright House and Marisa Fick Jordaan from the Bat Centre have been roped in as mentors and design consultants.
Thembi Nkanini, known by everyone as Ma Thembi, is one of the crafters from KwaJobe who has hosted designers. She's also keen to increase her earning potential: 80% of the women crafters are their families' sole providers.

From left: Razia Dawjee, Bongiwe Mbhele, Zamokhuhle Nkosi and Sivuyile Piliso work with the KwaJobe craft

UMSEBENZI WEZANDLA EPAKI - NGUMUTHI OMUHLE”

Usakhumbula kambe ngezikhathi izipho zisathengwa emakhemisi? Cishe usomakhemisi wakho wayethola lonke uhlobo lwemikhiqizo embukisweni wenhlangano I SA Retail Chemist and Druggist Association (SARCDA)
Namuhla lenhlangano ayisenabo ubudlelwano nabakhiqizi bamaphilisi nje kuphela kodwa sebethuthuke kakhulu ukubukisa ngezimpahla zezipho, okukuhlobisa endlini nezinto zokudlala eNingizimu Africa jikelele. Lombukiso wenziwa njalo ngonyaka eGalagher Estate, eGoli uhehe abahwebi beNingizimu Africa yonkana nangaphandle.

Kulonyaka uhlelo lwezamakhono ePaki lwenze umbukiso womkhiqizo owenziwe abantu abakhele ipaki. Lokhu kwanikeza umdlandla omkhulu kubathengi ukuba bafake ama-oda ezitolo zabo belungiselela izinsuku zikaKhisimusi. Ezinyangeni ezintathu ezizayo abakhiqizi bazobe bematasatasa bekhiqiza umsebenzi we-oda elilinganiselwa ku R150 000.00 . Inzuzo enkulu emnothweni jikelele eNingizimu Afrika yatholakala ezimpahleni zokuhlobisa nezasendlini. Lokhu kukhombisa ukuthi umkhiqizo owenziwe ngezandla kwelaseNingizimu Afrika ungama ngokuzigqaja kweminye imikhiqizo, okunikeza intuthuko ezingeni lempilo kubantu basemakhaya.

UMnumzane Richard Sparks, ongungoti kwezemisebenzi yezandla nongumnini sitolo I-Bright House, eGoli wabeka ukuthi “Ngicabanga ukuthi umkhangiso weWetlands Park wawuyinkomba enhle kakhulu yokuthi kukhulu okungatholakala ngokuthuthukisa izinga lokudayiswa komkhiqizo wabantu basemakhaya.”

Eminye yemisebenzi yezandla eya yi khombiswa kulimbu kiso.