The Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, Ms Barbara Creecy, has clarified that overnight accommodation for hunters will be permitted in terms of further amendments to be made to the Directions for the Biodiversity Sector for Alert Level 3.

“Permitting hunters to sleep over at their hunting destinations, within the province in which they live, is in line with this week’s Cabinet decision to ease restrictions around leisure travel,” said the Minister.

It should be noted that the Minister and the Department must at all times remain within the framework of Regulations published in terms of the Disaster Management Act.

In light of the announcement by the Minister of Tourism on 30 July 2020 that people will be allowed to, amongst others, leave their homes for leisure purposes within the province where they live and make use of accommodation for leisure purposes within their province of residence. The Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries is, therefore, amending the Directions for the Biodiversity Sector to align with such.

The approach to new amendments to the Directions for the Biodiversity Sector will align with the announcement by the Minister of Tourism and will depend on the scope of the leisure activities that will permitted in terms of the Regulations of the Disaster Management Act to be published.

The amended Directions for the Biodiversity Sector will be published next week.

Issued by Albi Modise on behalf of Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, 31 July 2020