A CHRISTMAS LETTER FROM THE EMS FOUNDATION

“As you are well-aware, the EMS Foundation is a registered trust, a registered non-profit organization and a public benefit organization. Our mission is the advancement and protection of the rights and generalwelfare of wild animals, children, elderly persons and other vulnerable groups in South Africa and Africa for the purpose of alleviating suffering, disrupting inequality in all of its forms, raising public awareness, empowering and providing dignity. We are cognisant of the entanglements of oppression and we are committed to the promotion of inclusive justice, showing compassion across species and working to build a better future for all through campaigns, research, analysis, advocacy and holding government to account. The EMS Foundation sees access to information, openness, accountability and transparency as the oxygen of democracy.

The EMS Foundation has considerable national standing and we have invested tens of millions into community development and educational projects in the Overstrand, including the building of an entirely new high school, yet your office has not even bothered to reply to correspondence sent on 3 October 2023, appealing to the Mayor for an urgent intervention and offering to assist with waste management infrastructure in Pringle Bay. What an uncalled for slap in the face.

It is with significant frustration that we send yet another letter to your good selves. Frustration because we have received nothing but the Silent Treatment, Unwarranted Aggression and Disdain from yourselves to every single attempt by the EMS Foundation to engage with the municipality in a meaningful and productive way. Frankly, it is tragically gobsmacking that every one of our reasonable, prudent, well-considered and constructive attempts, which would be beneficial to all, appear to have been deliberately and unjustifiably disregarded.

Before you cast this letter into the proverbial bin – where it seems all our reasonable and thoughtful correspondence is flung – please try and cast your eye over this history of your baseless unwillingness to engage.

“A big part of addressing the troubling public perception trend of South African’s growing lack of trust in their government institutions and representatives starts with reaffirming the role of public servants. Our focus should be on addressing the needs of the citizens and delivering efficient, and equitable public services. The traits of the ideal public servant can only be fully attained when one has emotional intelligence, the components of emotional intelligence, like self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills are crucial for public servants to cultivate. These traits make for more effective administrators and foster stronger connections with the citizens we serve.”[1]

Public participation means an open fair and accountable process through which individuals and groups within selected communities can exchange views and influence decision making processes. It is further defined as a democratic process of engagement with people, deciding, planning and playing an active part in the development and operation of services that affect their lives.

The objectives of the Overstrand Municipality Participation Policy, published in August 2016, are to: promote the values of good governance and human rights and to establish appropriate mechanisms, processes for public participation in municipal affairs; acknowledge the fundamental right of all people to participate in the governance system; promote direct and indirect platforms of participation; and provideclear sufficient and timeous information concerning community participation to communities.

It is perplexing that you have chosen, despite numerous requests, not to hold robust public consultation with all interested parties on the escalating human- on-baboon conflict in Pringle Bay since October 2022. In our view this decision is in direct contravention of the Municipality’s Constitutional and Statutory obligation to provide transparent, democratic and accountable governance for communities and to encourage the involvement of community organisations. Despite this, the Overstrand Municipality’s appears to have taken an intentional decision not to engage transparently with all sectors of civil society.

The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa provides that organs of the state must comply with five principles when procuring goods or services: procurement procedures must be fair, equitable, transparent, competitive and cost-effective. The Overstrand Municipality has never been able to offer any credible response to the pressing contents of our correspondence on the 30 May 2023 and the 24 July 2023 with regard to the proof of the emergency situation that was said to have existed that resulted in the deviation to tender processes involving the appointment of baboon management company which cost the Overstrand ratepayers tens of millions of rands.

Civil society and registered NGOs have an important role to play as well as the three levels of government and there needs to be a developed agreement on an approach to human wildlife conflict as well as an agreement on best practice and a way forward.

Nonetheless, the Overstrand Municipality has repeatedly chosen to ignore all our communications which included alerts to the rising tensions and untenable situation between residents in Pringle Bay.

Perhaps if the Overstrand Municipality had heeded our warnings, the violence which has resulted in open criminality, the unnecessary and cruel killing of four baboons this year by residents, the four attacks of vandalism of property, and the countless incidents of common assault of male residents against women, could have been prevented.

In 2023 we also warned that the situation was deeply discouraging for international and local tourists as well the inhabitants of Pringle Bay after the publication in the international media about the untenable situation.