Latest news with #Mntambo
TimesLIVE
a day ago
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Linda Mntambo's plea to Sipho Mbule
Mntambo, the experienced, 36-year-old midfielder who has been a model of consistency over a long career, also spoke passionately about his early days in amateur football in Soweto before he joined Jomo Cosmos where he cut his teeth in professional football. His career then took him to Chippa United and Orlando Pirates before joining Sekhukhune in mid-2022. For most of his career, Mntambo has been captain of the sides that he has played for and he discusses his leadership style and how he navigated around leading some difficult personalities in a team environment. Over the past few seasons, Mamelodi Sundowns have dominated the Betway Premiership with eight successive titles. Mntambo believes consistent Sekhukhune — top-half finishers in three of their four seasons since being promoted in 2021, and fourth-placed finishers in the last two campaigns — can be among the teams to challenge the Brazilians.
The Citizen
06-05-2025
- Climate
- The Citizen
2025 incema harvest cancelled
Hundreds of incema harvesters will have to go without this year as the 2025 season has been cancelled owing to recent heavy rainfall. This annual operation benefits mostly rural communities that depend on the plant to make a living by producing traditional handicraft products like baskets, sleeping mats and traditional beer strainers. ALSO READ: iSimangaliso says marchers were misinformed Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, in collaboration with the iSimangaliso Wetland Park authority, said this difficult decision was made following the recent heavy rains that severely affected the St Lucia area and its surroundings. Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife communications manager Musa Mntambo said, 'We regret to inform the public that the previously announced incema harvesting operations, scheduled to take place from 5 to 20 May, have been cancelled.' He mentioned that the prolonged downpours resulted in significant waterlogging, rendering large portions of the harvesting areas inaccessible. 'Despite the possibility of the rains subsiding, most of the incema plants remain submerged, making harvesting unsafe and unfeasible at this time. 'As a result, incema harvesting operations have been officially postponed to the 2026 harvesting season. Dates for the 2026 season will be communicated in due course,' said Mntambo. ALSO READ: Transformer upgrade needed to address iSimangaliso power woes Expressing her regret regarding the news, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife executive manager for biodiversity conservation, Vuyi Radebe, said the safety of harvesters was paramount. 'We acknowledge the importance of incema harvesting for cultural, economic and social purposes, and we share in the disappointment of the affected communities. However, the safety of harvesters and the sustainability of natural resources remain our top priorities. 'We thank all stakeholders, including the St Lucia and Western Shores incema harvesting committees, for their ongoing support, co-operation and commitment,' said Radebe. Don't have the ZO app? Download it to your Android or Apple device here: HAVE YOUR SAY Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter. For news straight to your phone invite us: WhatsApp – 060 784 2695 Instagram – zululand_observer At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
02-05-2025
- General
- IOL News
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife halts Incema harvesting for 2025 amid severe waterlogging
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, in collaboration with the iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority, has decided to cancel the Incema harvesting operations scheduled to take place in May. Image: Montage / Supplied Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife said this year's annual Incema harvesting operations have been cancelled due to waterlogged areas that threaten the safety of harvesters. Incema is a herb that is valued for its strength and flexibility, growing up to a height of 1.5m in large colonies. The announcement was made on Thursday after the St Lucia Incema Harvesting Committee and Western Shore Incema Harvesting Committee unanimously agreed to proceed with harvesting earlier in the week. 'Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, in collaboration with the iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority, regrets to inform the public that the previously announced Incema harvesting operations scheduled to take place from 5th to 20th May 2025, have been cancelled,' said Ezemvelo spokesperson Musa Mntambo. Mntambo said this difficult decision was taken following the recent heavy rains that have severely affected the St Lucia area and its surroundings. 'The prolonged downpours have resulted in significant waterlogging, rendering large portions of the harvesting areas inaccessible,' he said. Despite the possibility of the rains subsiding, Mntambo said most of the Incema plants remain submerged, making harvesting unsafe and unfeasible at this time. 'As a result, the Incema harvesting operations have been officially postponed to the 2026 harvesting season. New dates for the 2026 season will be communicated in due course,' he said. Vuyi Radebe, who is the executive manager of Biodiversity Conservation, acknowledged the importance of Incema harvesting for cultural, economic, and social purposes. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Radebe said Ezemvelo shares in the disappointment of the affected communities. 'However, the safety of harvesters and the sustainability of natural resources remain our top priorities.' She thanked stakeholders, including the St Lucia and Western Shore Incema Harvesting Committees, for their ongoing support, cooperation, and commitment. According to Steve Mckean's Ezemvelo-affiliated publication, 'Harvest of Juncus Krausii(incema) in the greater St Lucia Wetland Park: Impacts and guidelines for sustainable use', incema is a popular material among Zulu people for weaving sleeping mats and other commercial products. 'This brings much-needed income to many impoverished rural people,' he said. According to a report, in St Lucia, Incema is harvested by women from across KZN, usually with sickles. The only places that Incema is found in KZN are in the coastal and midlands regions, with major stands being found at Kosi Bay, St Lucia, Richards Bay, Umlalazi, and Umgababa estuaries, stated the report. Ezemvelo noted that Incema is the primary material used in the creation of most items sold at locations such as the Zamimpilo market. Concerning how Incema impacts sustainability, Mntambo said it helps to absorb water from the ground, particularly during the drought season. 'Had we continued with harvesting, the human movement might have damaged it by rooting it out,' he said. He said the harvest takes place within a game reserve, where the presence of wildlife poses risks. 'It would also have caused danger to those harvesting, as they would find it difficult to run from crocodiles or hippos in water. Animals are faster in water than humans.'
TimesLIVE
28-04-2025
- General
- TimesLIVE
Harvest season for cultural plant to open next week in KZN
Harvesting of a plant widely used for cultural activities and to make Zulu crafts will commence next week. Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife in conjunction with iSimangaliso Wetlands Park Authority has announced the official dates for the harvesting of incema, also known as common rush, for areas falling under the park. Scores of community members in the far north of the province, especially women, rely on the plant to create a variety of Zulu crafts which are sold. The plant is used for creating traditional sleeping mats which are often used at funerals and weddings. Some traditional healers use it for medicinal purposes. Ezemvelo spokesperson Musa Mntambo said the decision to announce the dates follows meetings attended by the St Lucia and western shore harvesting committees. These are made up of community representatives who have assessed the availability of harvestable natural resources for the season from May 5 to 20. 'After thorough deliberation and field assessments, both committees unanimously agreed to proceed with the harvesting operations,' said Mntambo.
