Capetonians are apparently being forced to select a touted less harmful option between two undesirable choices, supposedly to choose the lesser of two evils. This suggests a dilemma where the only alternatives are captivity or death. This presents a false dichotomy, particularly because there are other robust and viable solutions besides caging or killing.
This framing relies on an unstated premise: that baboons must be permanently excluded from the south peninsula regardless of whether humans can reduce conflict drivers. But that premise is neither ethically neutral nor empirically established in the Action Plan narrative. If the real problem is attractants and predictable conflict points, then the relevant decision is not “cage or kill”, but which evidence-based, non-lethal coexistence measures will be implemented first, enforced consistently, and evaluated transparently. WAPFSA believes that the Cape Peninsula Baboon Management Joint Task Team may be deliberately misrepresenting the issue by presenting only two mutually exclusive options rather than the full, nuanced range of options. Importantly, a spectrum of possibilities exists.
Examples of realistic third options (and combinations of options) include:
Targeted spatial exclusion of food hotspots (protect specific high-risk edges rather than attempting permanent exclusion from entire suburbs).
Non-lethal behavioural management protocols that are internationally recognised and least-aversive, with independent monitoring and reporting.
Community coexistence requirements (baboon-proofing, waste compliance, and education as preconditions before any wildlife removal is justified).
Habitat/connectivity interventions that reduce forced urban crossings and bottlenecks.
This calculated oversimplification has led to flawed decision-making by fallaciously forcing a choice between two extremes. Simply put, the scenario is a constructed false dilemma scenario where the baboons presently living in Simonstown will be (i) captured and relocated to live out the remainder of their lives in cages and on display or (ii) they will all be killed.
The DA’s Action Plan for Baboon Management on the Cape Peninsula is a Grotesque Reminder of South Africa’s Terrible Past
PUBLIC STATEMENT
Members of the Wildlife Animal Protection Forum South Africa (WAPFSA) Primate Working Group, who are also representatives on the Cape Peninsula Baboon Advisory Group (CPBAG), walked out in protest during a Cape Peninsula Baboon Management meeting, held on Thursday, 20th November 2025.
The meeting was convened to announce the Action Plan, key actions, budget and timeframes for the future management of baboons on the Cape Peninsula.
The CPBAG, is a supposed stakeholder body, ostensibly established to advise the Cape Peninsula Baboon Management Joint Task Team (CPBMJTT) on the implementation of the Baboon Strategic Management Plan. Theoretically, the group facilitates communication between the CPBMJJ comprising representatives from SANParks, the City of Cape Town, and CapeNature, and communities, interest groups, and stakeholders to address human-baboon issues on the Cape Peninsula.
Communications addressed to the CPBAG from WAPFSA have never been acknowledged.
The Cape Peninsula is a global biodiversity hotspot. Nonetheless, there has been rapid development of urban areas and the expansion of the human footprint at great cost to the environment and driving significantbiodiversity loss and habitat fragmentation. Indigenous Chacma baboons on the Cape Peninsula have, consequently, lost vital food sources, foraging areas and traditional sleep sites and this has obviously led to more frequent human baboon interactions.
The goal of the CPBMJTT was to formulate a new strategy for the sustainable management of these baboons, supposedly for their long-term survival. On the 29 May 2025, the CPBMJTT announced a plan to remove several baboon troops from the Cape Peninsula due to increasing human conflict with baboons and limited natural foraging areas The task team stated that the health and welfare of baboons is compromised by their time spent in urban areas. The proposed actions included translocation to sanctuaries, the killing of baboons, or a combination of these options. The affected baboons were the Waterfall troop in Simon’s Town, the Seaforth troop in Simonstown, the CT1 troop in Constantia, the CT2 troop in Constantia and the Da Gama baboons in Glencairn.
On the 2 June 2025, thirty-four wildlife welfare organisations supported, the WAPFSA Cease and Desist Letteraddressed to the City of Cape Town, SANParks, CapeNature and Sharkspotters with regard to the proposal by the CPBMJTT to stop the removal of 121 baboons from the Cape Peninsula.
In the interim, the CPBMJTT has allegedly, robustly reviewed expert opinions and has widely considered public comments. The final decisions recorded in the Action Plan were inappropriately announced to the media before the CPBAG members had even been informed of these decisions on 20 November 2025.
WAPFSA’s Public Statement – The Cape Peninsula Baboon Management Joint Task Team (CPBMJTT) Action Plan:
Attention: Democratic Alliance Federal Legal Commission and Compliance
Monday 10th November 2025
OFFICIAL COMPLAINT: MINISTER STEENHUISEN PROPOSED NOMINEE TO REPLACE MINISTER DION GEORGE
Democratic Alliance leader and Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen has publicly proposed that Mr Willem Aucamp, National Spokesperson of the Democratic Alliance, replace Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Dion George.
In our view, Mr Willem Aucamp’s private interests could influence the state’s decision-making to his own advantage, by shaping laws to benefit himself.
A Letter of Complaint to His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa
Monday 10th November 2025
Dear Mr President,
OFFICIAL COMPLAINT: MINISTER STEENHUISEN PROPOSED NOMINEE TO REPLACE MINISTER DION GEORGE
The Democratic Alliance leader and Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen has publicly proposed that Mr Willem Aucamp, National Spokesperson of the Democratic Alliance, replace Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Dion George.
In our view, Mr Willem Aucamp’s private interests could influence the state’s decision-making to his own advantage, by shaping laws to benefit himself.
Please find a copy of the official WAPFSA complaint:
PROVINCIAL POLICIES ON BABOONS: THE SHOCKING CASE OF THE ABANDONED STORMBERG BABOONS
National and Provincial legislation, policies and attitudes towards indigenous primates are largely responsible for the persecution and extirpation of baboons in South Africa. They are trophy hunted, shot, poisoned, electrocuted on pylons, run over by vehicles, trapped for traditional medicine and bushmeat and killed by dogs. Many infants and juvenile baboons are orphaned when their mothers are killed. There is a dire need for educational sanctuaries and rehabilitation centres willing to take in orphaned and injured baboons and offer them protection and a life with their own kind either in natural habitat sanctuaries or back in the wild.
The establishment of the Stormberg Conservation Baboon Rehabilitation Centre and Sanctuary (NPC 2020/1148708) was officially permitted by the Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEDEAT) in the Eastern Cape. This so-called sanctuary dissolved without warning or notice in 2024 leaving thirty-nine Chacma baboons lives at risk on Klipfontein Farm, Witkop (near Burgersdorp).
Several non profit organisations, members of WAPFSA have been trying to assist these abandoned baboons. Primate C.A.R.E. agreed to help to manage the facility remotely with funding provided by the EMS Foundationto ensure that the rescued baboons were provided with food and other necessities and that staff employed at Klipfontein Farm who directly cared for the baboons were paid and provided with electricity. This emergency agreement came with the proviso that the baboons were allowed to remain safely in their enclosures on the farm owned by Theunis du Plessis for a period of twelve months or until a suitable new permanent sanctuary home could be established for them in the Eastern Cape. Karin Morgan agreed to oversee the day-to-day care of the baboons during this period and for that reason the provincial nature conservation permit was issued and registered in her name.
As a last resort, when no suitable rehabilitation facility could be determined in the Eastern Cape, the EMS Foundation offered to assist with the funding of the relocation of these thirty-nine baboons from the Eastern Cape to Primate C.A.R.E. in Limpopo Province. The EMS Foundation also agreed to fund the costs of constructing new enclosures for the baboons as well as provide funding towards their rehabilitation at Primate C.A.R.E.
DEDEAT agreed to provide permits for the thirty-nine baboons to be exported to Primate C.A.R.E. in Limpopo Province for rehabilitation and for them to be relocated back into the Eastern Cape for release by negotiated arrangement with private reserve owners. Of concern is the Eastern Cape authorities were not willing to provide these rehabilitated baboons an opportunity of release in any of their provincial reserves.
WAPFSA members have been reliably informed that orphaned baboons have been relocated from facilities who act as halfway houses for rescued primates, including baboons, in Eastern Cape Province to another primate sanctuary which is also based in Limpopo Province.
We Wild Africa a non-profit wildlife translocation logistical organisation agreed to provide the veterinary and logistical expertise for both the short-term and long-term planning for this emergency project. Primate C.A.R.E agreed to accept the thirty-nine baboons where each baboon will be individually assessed, and if need be, all thirty-nine baboons would be quarantined.
It is difficult to give an exact estimate of time that it will take to rehabilitate the baboons. Despite this fact, a reasonable timeframe has indeed been provided by Primate C.A.R.E one that has satisfied DEDEAT and therefore it should also be acceptable to the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (LEDET).
WAPFSA is aware that the current permit held by Primate C.A.R.E stipulates that the import of baboons from other provinces are prohibited. However, the baboons are not going to remain in the Limpopo permanently they are going to be exported back to the Eastern Cape after they have been rehabilitated, i.e. this is a temporary arrangement. Moreover, WAPFSA questions the legality of refusal of baboons into Limpopo for sanctuary and rehabilitation.
Considering that there is a feasible solution for the thirty-nine baboons WAPFSA believes that LEDET should urgently consider the merits this extraordinary application which is supported by a number of wildlife conservation non-profit organisations and a provincial conservation agency in order to expedite a final decision/position on this matter. The parties concerned requested an urgent meeting between LEDET/EMS/CARE/DEDEA and the logistics and veterinarian experts. Unfortunately LEDET has refused this meeting.
Of critical importance is the fact that the owner of the farm in the Eastern Cape has requested that the baboons are removed as they no longer have a valid permit. According to DEDEA they are also suggesting that the thirty-nine baboons are killed within 72 hours.
“The landowner, may open the cages and chase the animals out and have a competent hunter dispatch the animals as humanly as possible. This option is the most cost effective for the landowner”
WAPFSA is hereby URGENTLY APPEALING to LEDET, particularly the Acting Director for Wildlife Trade and Regulation, Ms Paulina Moeng, to allow special permit conditions for this emergency situation.
WAPFSA has grave concerns about provincial authorities enabling the cruel, indiscriminate and unscientific management of vervet monkeys.
It has come to WAPFSA’s attention that some conservation agencies, including Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, may be permitting the removal or even the eradication of individual or entire troops of indigenous non-human primates such as the vervet monkey.
A communication from Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife on the 10th October 2025 addressed to the Umdoni Retirement Community advises residents that Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and the South African Police Services will be conducting a scheduled Wildlife Management Programme in the Umdoni.
WAPFSA questions whether permits have been issued without reliable scientific data and without adhering to best practices or carrying out sufficient due diligence, such as the assessment of the vervet monkeys or impacts on the overall populations of this species or targeted individuals affected.
Vervet monkeys are listed under CITES Appendix II, however provincial and national scientific authorities are failing to provide the Minister or CITES with the legally required Non-Detriment Finding. Moreover, there has been no public consultation by provincial and national authorities in relation to our indigenous primates.
There is no evidence, despite extensive research by members of WAPFSA, of verifiable data collected by any of the provinces in relation to damage or threats to humans or pets from vervet monkeys, or evidence of effective and non-violent measures to prevent human conflict with these primates.
In areas where there is the prospect for human-primate conflict, there are a number of simple precautions to take or solutions that can be implemented to reduce such conflict, such as, for example, making sure food is not visible from any windows, properly disposing of domestic waste and, if necessary, installing clear primate barriers. These simple strategies must be exhausted before considering any other option.
Often, in response to anecdotal reports or complaints linked to lifestyle considerations rather than real conflict, authorities have been known to issue very broad questionable permits to allow invasive and cruel management procedures instead of insisting upon non-lethal solutions.
Similarly, scientists advise that when vervet monkeys are killed, the removal of an entire or part of a troop is highly traumatic and cruel. Members of a large troop cannot be killed simultaneously which results in some of the troop members being traumatized. This impacts the entire troop.
DOWNLOAD WAPFSA COMMUNICATION SENT TO EZEMVELO KZN WILDLIFE:
Comments were submitted by environmental lawyers Cullinan and Associates to Nsovo Environmental Consulting on behalf of the landowners and entities which will be negatively affected by the proposed 131 km power line and substation works in Limpopo Province, South Africa.
“The Limpopo Province is characterised by exceptional biodiversity, offering both opportunities and constraints to development. Being so rich in natural resources – particularly in mineral deposits, agricultural potential, and eco-tourism assets – the province is well-positioned as a key contributor to South Africa’s economy. At the same time, these environmental assets are of national and global significance and therefore require careful management to ensure that development is sustainable and occurs within the ecological limits of the region.
Limpopo’s environmental landscape includes world-renowned conservation areas such as the Kruger National Park, numerous provincial and private nature reserves, two World Heritage Sites, two Ramsar wetlands, three Biosphere Reserves, two Transfrontier Conservation Areas, and several Important Bird Areas and Centres of Floristic Endemism. Collectively, these features form a network of ecosystems that underpin biodiversity, eco-tourism, and community livelihoods, and which contribute significantly to the province’s identity and sustainable development prospects.
Within this context, Foskor (Pty) Ltd operates as a major industrial actor in the province. Foskor is a South African company based in Phalaborwa, specialising in the extraction of phosphate rock, foskorite, and pyroxenite. The extracted phosphate rock is transported daily by rail to Foskor’s acid division in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal, using a dedicated megaRAIL service for the production of phosphoric acid and fertiliser products. These products are primarily exported to international markets, with a smaller portion sold domestically. The proposed Merensky-Foskor 130 km powerline upgrade project has been presented as necessary to sustain and expand Foskor’s industrial operations.
The eco-tourism and conservation-based industries, which are prominent in this province, depend entirely on environments that are natural and that have been altered in only the most minimal way by human structures and activities. In this setting – where biodiversity conservation and sustainable land use are of central importance – any proposed infrastructure must be rigorously assessed to ensure that it does not erode the province’s ecological resilience, scenic integrity or long-term economic sustainability.
Amongst other, the 2025 Draft EIR has accordingly failed to give due consideration to the significance of our clients’ properties as an extension of the protected area complex surrounding the Kruger National Park, and the pristine status of the bushveld environment that will be negatively affected by the proposed powerline project. The consequence of this is that the 2025 Draft EIR has failed to identify and/or understated potentially significant impacts which the proposed powerline project will have for conservation efforts and related eco-tourism initiatives in the area. This failure to conduct a comprehensive, contextual assessment of the impacts on the receiving environment, before the environmental authorisation is granted, leaves significant gaps in understanding the full environmental consequences of the proposed project. This means that the 2025 Draft EIR will not enable a comprehensive consideration of all relevant factors by the competent authority to inform a rational and defensible decision. “
DOWNLOAD AND READ THE SUBMISSION MADE BY ENVIRONMENTAL LAWYERS CULLINAN AND ASSOCIATESON BEHALF OF WAPFSA AND OTHER AFFECTED PARTIES:
After yet more death, this time at the HERD elephant facility in Hoedspruit, WAPFSA has appealed to the Honourable Minister George, to facilitate an independent and public review of the captive elephant industry in South Africa with the view to the phasing out of the elephant facilities that offer unnatural interactions with humans.
The Wildlife Animal Protection Forum of South Africa (WAPFSA) is a national network of twenty-eight South African environmental and conservation organizations established in 2017 with a particular emphasis on wild animal protection expertise.
WAPFSA is in agreement with Dr Dave Gaynor, an outspoken expert appointed to the Joint Task Team: “It is a serious shortcoming that the City of Cape Town is committing the vast majority of funds to this programme and being the public front for action undertaken by the programme. The principal mandate to protect biodiversity and wildlife health sits squarely with SANParks and CapeNature — institutions established precisely for this purpose. Expecting a municipality with broad social obligations (housing, welfare, services) to shoulder the primary financial burden of baboon management while national and provincial conservation agencies abstain, violates core principles of ecological governance and biodiversity stewardship. At minimum, SANParks and CapeNature should commit resources equal to the City’s contributions.”
WAPFSA Members the Green Group Simonstown and the Southern African Faith Communities Environmental Institute Submitted Comprehensive Comments to Joint Task Team:
The Wildlife Animal Protection Forum of South Africa was invited to attend the Southern African Elephant Indaba which took place at Bonamanzi Game Reserve in Northern KwaZulu Natal in South Africa on the 12th and 13th August 2025.
The WAPFSA Southern African Elephant Indaba Report:
