adminWork has been underway to sign a memorandum of understanding with Mozambique to set up a fence along the boundary of the South African Kruger National Park, the minister told reporters in Cape Town after tabling her Budget Vote speech in Parliament.
The park, which borders Mozambique, bears the brunt of rhino poaching.
Molewa said such a fence wasn’t aimed at negating the spirit of the Transfrontier National Park, which is characterized by parks without border fences. But Mozambique has already postponed the signing of the agreement a number of times.
Molewa said her country would try hard to have the agreement signed as soon as possible. South Africa is also trying to sign an agreement with Laos, where the market demand for rhino horns is growing, according to the minister.
South Africa has signed agreements with China and Vietnam to curb environmental crimes, with arrests already having been made in Vietnam and rhino horns had been seized, Molewa said.
Molewa vowed to “leave no stone unturned” in tackling rhino poaching.The number of rhinos poached in South Africa since the beginning of this year now stands at 350, the official statistics show.
The Kruger National Park has suffered the biggest loss, with 242 rhinos being poached since the beginning of this year. In the North West Province, a total of 29 rhinos have been poached, while 28 have been poached in Limpopo, 33 in KwaZulu-Natal and 17 in Mpumalanga. The Gauteng Province lost its first rhino to poaching this year during the past week.
Meanwhile, the number of people arrested in relation to rhino poaching has risen from 98 to 106. The majority of these, 101, were poachers, with the rest being receivers.
Online Reporter