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Daily Maverick
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
At a crossroads: Sustainable solutions for Madikwe's elephant overpopulation crisis
There has been a lot of conversation around Madikwe, but none of the rhetoric has come from the people or entities who oversee the management of the reserve. As custodians of Madikwe, and partners in Madikwe with the local community, we, the North West Parks and Tourism Board, feel it's appropriate for us to speak up and outline the vision that we have for Madikwe and other parks under our purview. When you start thinking about the management of natural resources in South Africa, the current guiding standard is the Section 24 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa and the White Paper Policy on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of South Africa's Biodiversity, which has goals and objectives that steer our direction for social, economic and ecological benefits from our natural resources. In today's day and age the idea to let Mother Nature do what she does without any human fingerprint on that desired goal or desired objective is a pie in the sky dream that was erased as human populations started pressing on our natural resources and habitats all throughout South Africa. This specifically relates to our parks. Elephant conundrum It will be of no surprise to anyone that Madikwe (750km2) has too many elephants, and we are not afraid to say that. Those who say otherwise are blindly ignoring the significant change of the ecological infrastructure. A closed, fenced-in reserve with a current indeterminate growth rate of a habitat modifier like an elephant, that has no predators, with access to permanent water and food, will lead to overpopulation. A 2024 aerial count of elephants had the population at 1,633 animals (7.8% per annum growth), 653% higher than the suggested population in the 1997 Madikwe Management Plan of 250 elephants. Currently, the elephant density in Madikwe of 2.7 elephants/km2 could arguably be the densest elephant population in southern Africa. Landman and Kerley (2018) found desirable elephant densities of 0.28km2 for privately owned properties and 0.79km2 for state-owned properties. Inaction is not an option There has been a lot of discussion around elephants, their management and what to do in Madikwe. Elephant management doesn't have to be complicated. There are only five things you can do to manage elephants: Let mother nature control and decide. Habitat and water manipulation. Translocation and relocation. Contraception. Lethal reduction. Of the five options, the only realistic ones for Madikwe are contraception and lethal reduction. Lethal reduction can take the form of hunting and culling, whose revenues can be easily ploughed back into the reserve. Though lethal reduction or culling has a narrative history in South Africa, common options advocated for and implemented (such as #1 and #2 above) are also forms of culling, but driven by mother nature which has no consideration of animal welfare. We as the North West Parks and Tourism Board believe that the path forward in Madikwe and our other parks is an opportunity for North West as a province to be a leader in natural resource management and stewardship. There is a lot of talk and pointing of fingers around how we got to where we are today. How did the situation get so dire? Online forums, news articles and letters are pointing fingers in all sorts of different directions, and at all sorts of organisations, but ultiately the buck stops with us, the North West Parks and Tourism Board, for the wellbeing of Madikwe, the wellbeing of the community that we are partnered with in Madikwe, and the natural resources of North West. As the custodians of Madikwe we take full accountability for where we have landed up today, and in saying that we are united in our stance on what we do next. We are at the doorstep of doing something incredible at Madikwe. There is no option other than to move forward. The idea of inaction, the idea of constant meetings, discussing the same dilemma over the next 12 to 18 months, is unacceptable in our eyes. Now is the time to simply understand what the path forward is to ensure the appropriate protocols and processes are in place, ensure the appropriate stakeholders are engaged, that the social, economic and ecological benefits are maximised, and then to implement the associated action(s). Sustainable use as a cornerstone There are those who don't believe that sustainable use of natural resources is an appropriate action in Madikwe or any other park. Those individuals are allowed to have their opinions, but it has been made very clear in the White Paper that sustainable use is a key component of the stewarding of South African natural resources for its people. The North West Parks and Tourism Board will fulfill its obligations as dictated by the Constitution of the Republic, the North West provincial government and the Board Policies on game utilisation and related legislations and regulations. The North West Parks and Tourism Board will not be driven by emotions or agendas that seek to keep South Africa and our province in the economic doldrums. We have a country that has vast potential to address the challenges of unemployment and inequality through the sustainable utilisation of our wild fauna and flora. We believe specific strategies over the next 12 to 18 months will ensure that the triple bottom line of social, economic and ecological benefits will begin to be realised in Madikwe. At its heart, community upliftment, community involvement, and community benefits from natural resource stewardship will be a key component of Madikwe's path forward. We are 30 years into democracy, and Madikwe is currently inaccessible to the people of the North West province, let alone black communities who now own 56% of the park. Economic benefits from sustainable utilisation will be transparently outlined, and the beneficiaries, whether that be community, education, or employment, will be outlined for everybody to see. The ecological infrastructure enhancement that comes from sustainable use utilisation will be realised in vegetation changes, habitat improvements, and overall biodiversity health enhancement in Madikwe, significantly benefiting the photographic tourism sector. This enhancement of biodiversity and ecosystem health speaks specifically to the cross-cutting goal of the national biodiversity economic strategy that seeks to secure and enhance ecological infrastructure that is essential for South Africa's economy. Sustainable use is not in opposition to photographic tourism, they can work harmoniously together, but under strict processes and protocols. In fact, we are all alive to the concept of consumptive and non-consumptive tourism. One cannot detract from the other. Our mission is to not only maintain Madikwe as an ecotourism hotspot, but to enhance that by working on balancing the ecosystem to yield tremendous aesthetic qualities that tourists are interested in. At a crossroads The issue facing Madikwe has put the North West Parks and Tourism Board in the spotlight, but the issues we are facing are the same issues that our other parks are either about to face, or are a couple of years from facing. Everyone is looking at what we do, from all corners of the world. They are all looking at us and taking note of what we do, how we implement it, and how we move forward, and most importantly how the social, economic, and ecological benefits are realised from our actions. We understand the gravity of the position we are in, and we intend as the leadership of the North West Parks and Tourism Board to move forward in a manner that can be replicated in other state parks and national parks across South Africa. We understand that we are in a leadership position and have an opportunity to be a global example of sustainable stewardship of our natural resources. There will always be detractors to what we do, and we're not always going to make everybody happy. But ultimately if communities are benefiting and ecological infrastructure is being enhanced, we have done our job. DM Khorommbi Matibe has served as the Chairperson of the North West Parks and Tourism Board since February/March 2025. He has also served as the Chief Director: Biodiversity Economy and Sustainable Use at the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment since May 2017. His career spans more than 35 years in government. Jonathan Denga is the Acting CEO of the North West Parks and Tourism Board. In his position, Jonathan is the Director for Biodiversity Management and Conservation in North West province, under the Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism. He has 25 years of working experience in the biodiversity conservation management field.
Daily Maverick
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Crisis in Madikwe: Too many elephants or just an excuse to hunt them?
Elephants face a grim future in the Madikwe Game Reserve amid claims that there are too many. The North West Parks and Tourism Board has proposed the imminent culling of 500 elephants and up to 1,200 out of a population of about 1,600 elephants over the next decade. However, this is a plan that is opaque, onerous and lacking scientific basis. The 'crisis' erupted in late 2024 when there published claims of ecological collapse in Madikwe, alleging starvation among elephants and unsustainable degradation of habitat. Madikwe experienced a spike in elephant mortalities due to a drought. A total of 75 elephants died during a dry spell, primarily juveniles and older animals. Killing paradox And this is where the paradox lies. Despite the deaths of 75 elephants, the tourism board's solution is to kill more of them… a lot more. At a recent Parliamentary Committee hearing the board claimed that the population is growing at an average rate of 7.8% per year. The current density is estimated at 2.7 elephants/km², the highest in enclosed areas in South Africa, they say. Overpopulation threatens biodiversity and leads to habitat degradation. And yet, there is no published scientific data on whether that translates as 'too many' or whether there is indeed a negative impact on Madikwe's biodiversity. In February 2025, the EMS Foundation, sent a Promotion of Access to Information Act request to the North West Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism, which oversees the North West Parks and Tourism Board, to provide all scientific and census data for the elephant population in Madikwe, as well as a detailed elephant management plan and which elephant experts they consulted for it. The department never responded. My own on-site investigation in early 2025 found no evidence of ecological degradation or any lasting impact on other herbivore populations. During the Parliamentary Committee session on Wednesday last week, tourism board officials were unable to answer whether other herbivore populations were also affected by last year's drought. The rains have since arrived and my observations showed healthy populations of all herbivores, including elephants, white and black rhino, zebras, wildebeest and other ungulates. Predator populations also looked healthy. There was an abundance of cheetahs, lions and wild dogs. My guide was adamant that the elephants had a minimal impact on Madikwe's landscape. The tourism board's Acting Chief Executive, Jonathan Denga, admitted as such, stating: 'The situation improved with the onset of rainfall,' but then hastened to add that 'the need for sustainable management remains critical'. Non-lethal solutions long ignored Let's assume there are, in fact, too many elephants. Then why has the North West Parks and Tourism Board not explored other, non-lethal, options for managing the population? 'This is not a sudden crisis,' said Doug Wolhuter, manager of the Wildlife Protection Unit at the National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) at the Parliamentary Committee. 'It is the result of decades of inaction. The elephant population did not explode overnight — these animals breed slowly. Every warning sign was ignored.' Parliamentarians questioned why long-term preventive measures like contraception were denied by the North West Parks and Tourism Board even though they were offered repeatedly for free by Humane World for Animals — in 1998, 2020 and 2023. Also, a decades-old vision for a regional conservation corridor — connecting Madikwe to Pilanesberg National Park — was mooted but remains stalled due to mining and bureaucratic delays, dashing hopes of restoring ancient elephant migratory routes. Dr Marion Garai of the IUCN Elephant Specialist Advisory Group, has said that the only way to go for smaller reserves like Madikwe is to open corridors that follow ancient elephant migratory routes. 'Corridors have huge benefits because wildlife can move to different vegetation areas. They can open summer/winter areas and relieve overgrazed vegetation and allow it to recover. It's the most natural pattern for elephants.' The heart of the matter This then begs the question, is the tourism board genuinely trying to manage elephant numbers or is there something else at stake? The tourism board regularly sells hunting packages in at least five nature reserves (Molopo, Bloemhof Dam, SA Lombard, Boskop Dam and Botsalano nature reserves) and also sells culling lots, which can be purchased by professional culling operators. In 2024, the board auctioned the hunting of 873 animals (747 biltong/recreational hunts and 126 trophy hunts) and the culling of a further 2,550 animals. For Madikwe, which does not normally conduct hunts or culls, a tender was issued in May 2025 by the tourism board that proposes the trophy hunting of 25 elephants, two black rhinos and 10 buffalo. In January this year, a delegation from North West province, led by Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism MEC Bitsa Lenkopane, attended the annual Dallas Safari Club Convention in Atlanta, Georgia. Lenkopane participated in discussions with counterparts from Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Namibia 'addressing shared challenges such as the management of burgeoning elephant populations in the region'. She also emphasised that 'the primary objective of attending the Dallas Safari Club Convention is to attract foreign investment in order to revitalise North West province's protected areas network and enhance contribution to South Africa's biodiversity economy'. This is the heart of the matter. The North West provincial government is looking to boost its revenue from overseas hunters. It is also in line with the national outlook. In South Africa, the scale of hunting operations and the volume of meat and live animals supplied from provincial reserves is significant. Thousands of animals are hunted annually in provincial reserves, or the large quantities of meat derived from culling. Additionally, some provinces are actively selling live game from these reserves to private wildlife farms. Notably, recent policy documents — the Draft National Biodiversity Strategy (2024) and the Game Meat Strategy (2023) — underline the national government's intent to expand hunting and wild animal use on state land. Tourism sidelined The next question is: how does the proposed cull affect photographic tourism? It's unlikely that tourists from the two dozen or so lodges in Madikwe will be thrilled that elephants and other game will be shot right under their noses. Hunting activities are not publicly advertised alongside tourism; instead, they're marketed through specialised hunting platforms. The hidden nature of hunting in publicly funded reserves is likely to undermine trust and could damage South Africa's conservation and ecotourism brand. Madikwe Game Reserve is one of South Africa's most successful conservation and community-development models. Established in the early 1990s, it transformed degraded farmland into a thriving ecosystem unique in its tripartite model — combining government oversight, private tourism investment, and community partnership. Madikwe promotes high-end, low-impact tourism that directly supports local development. Madikwe stands out for its emphasis on community ownership and inclusion. Several lodges are community run, and the reserve has served as a benchmark for land restitution, job creation and biodiversity recovery. During the hunting season (in those reserves that offer hunting) the entire reserve gets closed to tourists for obvious reasons. Imagine the revenue loss to those lodges and the communities in and around Madikwe if the reserve is closed for four or five months? It is well known that photographic tourism (photo safaris) generates vastly more revenue than trophy hunting across Africa. In South Africa alone, tourism revenue was $9.5-billion with trophy hunting contributing just $112- million — about 1.2%. It would be a misguided policy if hunting took precedence over photographic tourism. The situation unfolding in Madikwe is not simply a matter of elephant numbers — it is a test of South Africa's commitment to ethical conservation, scientific integrity, and inclusive governance. As the debate continues, the reserve stands at a crossroads: either deepen its legacy as a model of progressive conservation or allow commercial interests and opaque policy to erode its foundations.
