News & Blog


2014-10-15
MPPOA


The Marloth Park Property Owners association or MPPOA is actively involved in issues relating to Marloth Park and each property owner should serious consider to join them so that they can obtain 51% status and take over certain municipal functions. Current hot discussion topics include the removal of game/culling of game which is neccesitated by the fact that Marloth Park is fenced off from Kruger National Park.

Website : MPPOA

Here is today's Facebook status update by Mr Pat Williams which should give you some insight on the work being done by the MPPOA:

"

Meeting between Mppoa committee members and MTPA’s Mr Jan Muller, Mr. Lowe Steyn , and senior ecologist Dr Johan Eksteen, 15th October 2014.

We reconfirmed to the MTPA representatives, that the Marloth Park property owners understand the need to remove animals and under the correct circumstances, the cull of animals. It was made very clear that we were in fact reaching out to MTPA for assistance and support in getting this process to the point of a proper game and veld assessment being conducted and management plan being implemented.
Dr Eksteen gave details on how the removal figures were calculated this year based on their assessment of the current condition of our veld. He expressed his concern that our veld cannot support the number of our grazers and browsers and that if we have a lower than average rainfall season we are again going to have animals starve to death. Bearing this in mind, we still appealed to them to recalculate the figures which Mr. Velli Makwakwa announced on Monday last week. The MTPA agreed to this request. We then requested an increase in the numbers for impala and warthogs. The removal figures on the other animals, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest and kudu, should be reduced by at least 50%. It was agreed that Mr. Jan Muller and Dr Eksteen would consult urgently with on this request and adjust accordingly. The impalas will be herded and either sold or relocated to Lionspruit.
Details were given on the negotiations that were held with SANParks and Vet services on the possibility of herding animals through to Kruger. This got the green light from all the organizations concerned. Mr. Louw Steyn mentioned that after the meeting on 06 October, where he mentioned this as an option, he received several calls from Marloth owners who expressed various concerns on this issue. These concerns included the animals being eaten by lions, which will certainly happen in Lionspruit, and the possibility that the animals will not cross the river and will be trapped against the fence. 
There was a discussion on how the game removals are funded. The municipality carries none of the costs. The contractor who has been awarded the tender has to fund the entire game removal exercise and then recovers his cost by selling or hunting some of the animals. This “finance model” is also a reason why the herding of animals to Kruger will not work. It will cost about R100 000 for the bomas and helicopters to get it done, and with the excess animals in Kruger, the contractor will not be able to sell off animals to recover his cost. 
We mentioned the fact that offers for the capture and removal of the game have been made by other game farmers in the district. These offers have expressly been denied consideration by the municipality. We were asked to organize for these farmers to contact Bushpig Safaris and come to an agreement with them as Jasper currently has this year’s contract. These agreements can be taken to the NKLM (Velli) as an alternative to putting the game in Lionspruit ,which would add unnecessary pressure on the veld there, and without the added risk of probably being hunted . Contact has been made with the 2 game farmers who requested access to capture Impalas and relocate on nearby farms. This would drastically reduce the financial implication for Bushpig Safaris, and therefore the need for Jasper to recoup as much money. Failure to get this in place will mean that game will be moved to Lion-Spruit and most likely be hunted. MPPOA is totally against any hunting in Lionspruit and which must avoided at all costs.
We explained that we had already put the wheels in motion to get an Official ground carry capacity assessment and veld assessment done by a reputable local company , and request a proper game and veld management recommendation that could be put in place and implemented. This could only be done if it was strictly managed, and that indications are that NKLM would likely not do this. Everyone was in agreement with this step taken by MPPOA , and suggested that we, with the MTPA’s support and backing, approach the NKLM with this plan, at which time they would recommend that NKLM hand the management of our veld and game over to us, to be overseen by a suitably qualified game/veld manager. The suggestion was that possibly each property owner pay a levy into a trust account to start this process, after which animals that required to be moved ,would be sold, and this money would go into the trust fund, out of which expenses for game management and veld rehabilitation would be paid. MTPA also offered to have a representative as trustee on this Trust to assist with the overseeing of the management in an advisory capacity only.

For this plan to take place MPPOA must have a majority support of all property owners either by Membership or a Proxy vote. The NKLM will only entertain this type of private take-over of Municipal function if there is a majority vote.

SO WE NEED AT LEAST 51% MEMBERSHIP OR PROXY VOTES .
The MTPA indicated that they will only deal with one organization representing Marloth Park’s interests. 
They mentioned that in the past they had to deal with up to 8 different organizations in Marloth Park and this made them very frustrated and disinterested. The prospect of dealing with only one organization sounded very promising to them. 
The capture will go ahead, and an appeal was made to please not try and railroad it. Permits for the removal would be issued but only for a very short period, and depending on what agreements can be reached with the game farmers, as many as possible within the permit numbers particularly Impala and Warthog would be removed, either to game farms or to Lionspruit.

WE need to still take this issue up with the municipality, as well as the awarding of tender/contract procedures and an independent Veld and Game capacity assessment and management plan . Contact has already been made and confirmed by the Municipal Manager and that we will have full discussions at a meeting 04th November 2014. Watch this space. "