iSimangaliso Wetlands Park Authority is clearly no friends of visiting and residential public. As they are enforcing a white paper devised in 1996 and implementing it with out any public participation. With Acer Africa as their appointed EIA and IMP agents one can never or with great difficulty find the newest information. The EIA of 2001 for the usage zones that included the implementation of beach driving is not regularly available. If so it is at great cost to the person who wishes to obtain it.
The latest IMP available on ACER Africa's web site has the future public participation dates as.
Future Meetings/Public Open Days
Laugh Out Loud .... This alone is a breach of the 1. World Heritage Convention Act 49 of 1999
The World Heritage Convention Act adopts the World Heritage Convention into South African law. South Africa is one of a few countries to have done this; an action applauded by UNESCO's World Heritage Centre.
Which demands public participation and full management disclosure. Also is newly introduced concessions (not excising ones) prohibited on products or usage rights experienced or exercise before the proclamation of this act. No rights that was enjoyed by the people in or around a newly proclaimed site should be taken away from them or any access to these areas deprived from them. Since The South African Government was the signatory to this legislative agreement between UNESCO and South Africa the iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority has not the loco standing to make these decisions.
This is legislative procedures that has to be brought in front of The World Heritage Council. At which stage the public influenced by this decision should be addressed. If the full extend of The World Heritage act is enforced the current IMP will not hold up and there is one of two options. Revoke The World Heritage Status or Replace the management. I don not, from experience, see the latter to happen so my money is that the Authority is backing the former since they have already received the World Bank Grant that they so wished for.
by Petrus Viviers
083 584 7473
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