New Pair of Serval in Eastern Shores

The iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority has introduced a pair of Serval into the Eastern Shores section of the wetland park. 

The pair was found by a Vryheid farmer in snares on his farm and were relocated by KZN Wildlife to the well established Emdoneni sanctuary for rehabilitation before they were released into Eastern Shores. This section of the wetland park, with its numerous vlei areas, is an ideal habitat for Serval, a medium sized cat adapted to living in wetland areas. Serval eat predominantly rodents but also birds (including water fowl), fish and small reptiles. Due to their rarity, Serval are listed as one of the "threatened or protected species" (TOPS) as they have fallen victim to poachers for their spotted pelt.

Serval pair (female left, male right) introduced into Eastern Shores, photo courtesy of iSimangaliso press release

“It is fantastic to be releasing the serval cats into the pristine wilderness of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park where they are now free to wander in the wilderness without having to worry about any human pressure and can enjoy an abundance of delicacies of a well-balanced ecosystem. We hope we will see more of these threatened cat species being released in iSimangaliso in the future” said Louis and Cecillie Nel, owners of Emdoneni.

In the past year St Lucia News has spotted two Serval, on separate occasions, in the vlei areas along Beach Road in St Lucia.

Another Blow to iSimangaliso Wetland Park Rhino Population

Sunday evening, 21 October, KZN Wildlife staff, while following fresh human tracks in the Ozabeni section of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, came across the hornless carcass of an adult white rhino, the second rhino in a week to be poached in this World Heritage Site.

Photo courtesy of iSimangaliso press release 22/10/12 & Timconwild Secretariat

The crime scene was secured and the search for the perpetrator/s continued into the early hours of Monday morning yet no arrests were made. KZN Wildlife is working closely with the Organised Crime unit and Tony Conway, KZN Wildlife Conservation Co-ordinator for iSimangaliso, warned that "absolute zero tolerance has been reinforced and anyone entering the park illegally and armed, do(es) so at their own risk". KZN Wildlife is offering a reward of R100 000 to anyone providing information leading to the arrest and successful conviction of the culprit/s.

Members of the public are urged to inform the authorities of any suspicious behaviour or if they have any information regarding criminal activities in the park. Such information can be reported to either Siboniso Duma, KZN Wildlife Conservation Manager St Lucia Marine, on 0825592871 or iSimangaliso's 24hr emergency number, 0827977944.

KZN Rhino Watch - Latest News

Following a healthy turnout for the march against rhino poaching in Hluhluwe on Saturday, 13 October, KZN Rhino Watch reported another poached rhino in the north of the HluhluweImfolozi Game Reserve.
The carcass was discovered by Kyle Shuttleworth, a King Shaka Aviation Pilot based in the game reserve, and was in the same region of the park where seven rhinos were poached during the Heritage Day long weekend. The most recent poaching was thought to have occurred during the march in Hluhluwe town.
Bringing the plight even closer to home, two rhino carcasses were found in iSimangaliso's Western Shores last weekend.

13 October Rhino March - courtesy of KZN Rhino Watch

According to recent data released by the government, KZN has suffered the loss of 55 rhino so far this year, compared with 2011's total of 34. The good news, however, is that in the three weeks since KZN Rhino Watch's inception, a grand total of R824 760 has been raised and pledged. These funds help keep the helicopter in the sky above HluhluweImfolozi Game Reserve.

The helicopter project was experimentally implemented late 2011 and it has proven to be the most effective method of anti poaching. The project stalled for a few months this year due to a lack of funding, however, as can now be seen, donations are coming in from around the province.

St Lucia Tap Water - No Contamination

Rumours are circulating St Lucia that the E. coli bacteria has been found in the town's tap water. St Lucia News has been in contact with both Gawie Dipennaar, who oversees the town's water supply, and Rudi Redinger, Chairperson of the St Lucia Ratepayers' Forum, in order to verify these rumours. At the time of publication Mr Dipennaar had not been notified by the water suppliers of possible contamination in the town's tap water. Mr Redinger, who is in regular contact with the water pumpers, said that it is required practise for the chlorine levels following a water outage to be higher than normal in order to eliminate any possibility of contamination. Mr Redinger confirmed this evening, 7 October, that, while the water colour may be unsightly, the chlorine in the water being pumped into St Lucia's reservoir is at the correct level to ensure no risk of contamination.

This news follows an intermittent water supply from Thursday 4 October until Saturday evening, 6 October, as the result of a broken 400mm pipe by an excavator.

Somkhele Mine Strike Turns Violent

It has been reported that the strike at Somkhele anthracite mine turned violent on Monday night when a security guard was killed. 

The 48 year old security guard was on duty on Monday night when he was confronted by a group of men carrying bush knives. Witnesses say he was unable to outrun his killers. Police have stated that his service pistol was stolen. According to management at Somkhele Mine, the family of the deceased is being looked after financially by the company. Suspects - allegedly striking miners - have been arrested and their imminent appearance in court is expected.

Workers at Somkhele mine started striking last week and, as per strikes taking place elsewhere in South Africa, they are demanding a salary of between R10 000 and R15 000 per month (they currently earn between R4000 and R6000 per month). Sandton Plant Hire (SPH), the contractor said to employ the striking miners, has obtained a court interdict deeming the strike illegal and has been given permission to take "any legal steps necessary" to resolve the situation. Disciplinary action may include dismissal but in the meantime SPH is encouraging the striking miners to get back to work and make use of the appropriate channels in order to air their grievances.

St Lucia residents are urged to be vigilant when travelling past Somkhele mine.