The Minister of Environmental Affairs, Forestry and Fisheries, Ms Barbara Creecy, led a SANParks initiative on Friday to distribute food parcels and water tanks to vulnerable communities in Malamulele, the Magona and Bevhula villages, which are near the Kruger National Park in Limpopo.
"Because of the national Covid-19 lockdown, tourism, the main source of income for these communities, has dried up. This has affected the well-being of the families reliant on tourism for an income and that is why we decided to try and make life change for the better for them," said Creecy.
She was joined by the MEC for Economic Development, Environment and Tourism, Thabo Mokone, SANParks CEO Fundisile Mketeni, Hosi Busa Nxumalo, and some senior SANParks officials when handing over 20 water tanks and 600 food parcels to vulnerable and needy people. The event was held at the Gidjana Tribal Authority.
According to Creecy, most of the national parks are situated in rural areas affected by poverty, unemployment and a range of socio-economic problems, and these communities rely on the national parks for their survival, either through jobs or business opportunities. She said that, during this difficult period of Covid-19, "it requires all of us to join hands to assist the most vulnerable members of society in our country".
Hosi Busa Nxumalo, who is the former chairperson of the Vhembe House of Traditional Leaders, said they appreciated the way the department and SANParks had shown they really cared for the poor and vulnerable communities.
According to Nxumalo, Magona and Bevhula are deep rural communities, where most people are not working, and they largely depend on grants for their living. "The water tanks will go a long way in helping the communities to get clean water from their taps and they will no longer be drinking water with animals in the nearby rivers. Communities here have joined hands with SANParks, and they are learning tourism development, which will help in creating job opportunities," said Nxumalo.
One of the community members who received food parcels during the event, Ms Tintswalo Masungwini (40), an unemployed mother of three children, said life was hard without food during this period of lockdown and the food parcels came at a time they were really needed in the family.