South African National Parks (SANParks) has hit back at a recent Change.org petition issued by a group of stakeholders opposed to the current management of Table Mountain National Park (TMNP).

The Change.org petition is demanding accountability, calling for comprehensive action to restore and protect Table Mountain, and has crossed 5,800 signatures, with them urging more concerned residents to join them.

This campaign, driven by Friends of Table Mountain and supported by Take Back Our Mountains, Love Our Trails, Table Mountain Watch, Table Mountain Bikers and Hikers Network, said that they believe it’s their right and responsibility to demand accountability and action.

They claim that TMNP suffers from critical issues directly linked to SANParks’ poor management and underfunding. They are also concerned by the persistently high crime rates, failure of their conservation mandate, decaying infrastructure, insufficient signage, runaway fires, and the decay of tourism infrastructure.

SANParks head of communications and spokesperson, JP Louw, has spoken out against these claims, stating that an independent assessment of the implementation of TMNP’s management plan scored the entity an overall high of 75%.

Louw said this assessment was done by Conservation Outcome, a biodiversity non-governmental organisation that supports the development and management of land for biodiversity conservation. They are also a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature – IUCN.

 “The scores of specific areas of focus is 43% for bioregional management, 90% for responsible tourism, 66% for biodiversity management, 57% for constituency building, 43% for cultural heritage, 90% for responsible tourism and 89% for effective park management. 

“This report provides us with factual and objective information which allows for SANParks to continue with its management of Table Mountain National Park based on science and evidence-based detail,” Louw said.

“This overall positive assessment comes amid the unfortunate circulation of a misleading petition issued by a small group of stakeholders opposed to the current management of TMNP.”

Commenting on some of the stakeholders’ specific complaints, Louw said they had a crime incident spike in January to March this year, but the figures have since dropped back to single-digit incidents. 

“In the past year, the figures were primarily in the region of single digits.”

He added that the safety alerts issued by foreign consulates relate to South Africa as a whole and not Table Mountain alone.

While fires are started by religious groups, they account for about 10% of fires in the past 3 years.

“Fact is that the majority of fires are caused by arsonists and vagrants.

“We have had a few fires this year, and the infrastructure that burnt down was toilet blocks at Silvermine. No infrastructure was damaged during the Newlands Ravine fire, the Tokai and Muizenberg fires,” Louw said.

“We have a management plan to control alien vegetation. We also have an Extended Public Works programme to clear alien vegetation with the support of collaborative NGOs.”

He also addressed the claim that “76% of the R430 million was sent to other parks” and said last year they clarified to Take Back Our Mountain (TBOM) that the R107 million referenced in their claim represents only direct, park-level expenditure. 

“It does not account for essential corporate-level costs.”

And with regards to the tourism infrastructure left to decay and losing potential revenue, “we have tenders issued to refurbish and renew infrastructure such as Rhodes Memorial, Hoerikwaggo trail, and Orange Kloof tented camp”.

Louw stated that SANParks actively seeks collaborative relationships across all its national parks.

“The organisations concerned are encouraged to rather continue with a relationship that is constructive and collaborative in nature as opposed to acrimony and misleading information.”

theolin.tembo@inl.co.za

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