Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Barbara Creecy has asked for a detailed report justifying the controversial recent decision to artificially breach the mouth of South Africa’s largest estuarine lake.
In the wake of mounting criticism from expert scientists and conservationists — and praise from several other interest groups — Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Barbara Creecy has confirmed that she met iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority chief executive officer Sibusiso Bukhosini to discuss the controversy and also requested a report from him about the circumstances and justification for the decision.
iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority chief executive officer Sibusiso Bukhosini. (Photo: iSmimangaliso Wetland Park Authority)
As the managing authority and custodian of the UN World Heritage Site, iSimangaliso receives funding from Creecy’s department and reports to her office. Bukhosini, a former municipal manager at uMkhanyakude District Municipality and Umhlabuyalingana Local Municipality, took over as iSimangaliso CEO in September 2018.
Prior to Bukhosini’s appointment, former CEO Andrew Zaloumis helped to secure multi-million rand funding to restore the ecology of the water-starved lake and to institute a new policy against further artificial breaching of the estuary mouth.
The decision to reverse decades of human manipulation of the lake’s natural ecological processes followed a series…