Mebala Ya Rona wildlife auction benefit emerging game farmers

North West Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation, and Tourism in partnership with the National Department of Agriculture, Land Reform, and Rural Development, and Mebala Ya Rona Biodiversity Transformation has recently concluded a two-day Wildlife Game Auction in Kedar Lodge, Rustenburg. About 4000 live game animals, various hunting and culling packages from the North West Parks Board, Bahurutshe Communal Property Associations, and both existing and emerging farmers were successfully actioned to the highest bidders.

According to the department, this auction is one of the biggest platforms created to address market linkage challenges in the development of Previously Disadvantaged Individuals (PDIs) as new entrants within the wildlife industry.

Chairperson of the Mebala ya Rona Advisory Committee, Mr. Andrew Aphane expressed his thankfulness to the department, all the stakeholders, private and public sectors, and the community associations, for participating in the auction. “Through this auction, we have managed to achieve our vision of being a meaningful resource in transforming the biodiversity sector. We are creating market linkages for the emerging game farmers, as part of the economic value chain in the broader industry.

“The strategic and valuable partnership we have created with all of you is important and cannot pass unnoticed as it is a catalyst to supporting our wildlife entrepreneurs," said Aphane.

MEC Kenetswe Mosenogi in her message of support appreciated the Mebala ya Rona Biodiversity Transformation initiative for its contribution to the biodiversity sector, she described the auction as the business of nature that unlocks economic opportunities. According to the MEC, the auction offers a great marketing platform for wildlife products from our indigent game farmers. "As a government, we have realised that wildlife ranching and hunting can create a number of employment opportunities such as tracking, skinning, taxidermy, tour-guiding, and professional hunting which our emerging game farmers can explore, especially young people."

Mosenogi committed that the Department will continue to work with Mebala Ya Rona and offer support to emerging game farmers where possible. "I am grateful that the government is able to offer support to this innovative platform and provide existing game farmers with the opportunity to be part of the competitive industry, this will boost the emerging game farmers to increase the number of animals they have, which will, in the long run, attract more tourists to the province”, said the MEC.

One of the auctioneers, Kgosi Thari Maotwe of Barokologadi ba ga Maotwe in the Madikwe region could not hide his excitement as he was able to auction all the livestock he had put up for bidding. Kgosi Maotwe brought two packages of Kudus and Impalas.

The Mebala ya Rona auction was supported by Vleissentraal, SwiftVEE, Wildlife Ranching South Africa, and the Professional Hunters Association of South Africa.

Source: Government of South Africa