THE DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE FULFILLING IT’S ROLE AS A CREDIBLE ALTERNATIVE TO THE RULING GOVERNMENT

THE DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE FULFILLING IT’S ROLE AS A CREDIBLE ALTERNATIVE TO THE RULING GOVERNMENT

OPEN LETTER

DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE LEADER’S OFFICE

Marks Building (2nd and 3rd Floor) Parliament
Plein Street
Cape Town 8001
Via email: leader@da.org.za

Dear Mr John Steenhuisen,

THE DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE FULFILLING IT’S ROLE AS A CREDIBLE ALTERNATIVE TO THE RULING GOVERNMENT

The EMS Foundation hereby officially acknowledges the press release issued by Ms Hannah Shameema Winkler and we refer to the news article published in the foreign media on the weekend.

It is refreshing to note that the Democratic Alliance, the official opposition political party in South Africa, has finally, publicly questioned decisions taken by the Department of the Environment, Forestry and Fisheries.

The EMS Foundation published a report called the Extinction Business in 2018. The report highlighted a two year investigation into South Africa’s Big Cat Captive Breeding Industry which included the concise details of South Africa’s controversial Lion Bone Export business. The publication of this report led to a two-day colloquium held in Parliament in 2018. The Parliamentary Committee recommended that this industry be shut down immediately. Minister Creecy has ignored this recommendation. Judge Kollapen rule in August 2019, in the Gauteng High Court, that the lion bone export quota is unlawful and constitutionally invalid.

In May 2019 the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries made an amendment to the Animal Improvement Act, 1998 to include thirty-three wild mammal species under Table 7 of the regulations. The thirty-three species include Black and White rhino, cheetah, giraffe, lion and twenty-eight indigenous and non- indigenous game species, are now treated in the same manner, as livestock in so far as the recognition of breeders rights is concerned. These decisions taken without any public consultation. In November 2019 a coalition of twenty-one South African animal protection organisations responded to the AIA.

The world has been negatively affected by the zoonotic disease known as COVID-19, this zoonotic disease highlights the dangers of the trade and consumption of wild animals.

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