For the residents of Pringle Bay it was shocking to hear there was no plan or budget by the Overstrand Municipality for urban baboon management beyond December 2024.
The news was shared at a very well-attended public meeting on 9 August organised by the Pringle Bay Ratepayers’ Association (PBRA).
“The PBRA requested the Baboon Management (BM) be extended,” chairperson of the PBRA Gert Bam said. “Altogether 143 of the 172 comments received from ratepayers on the OM budget throughout the Overstrand, specifically requested the BM programme be extended beyond 2024.”
According to him the current Baboon Management Plan is the result of community input and a joint management agreement between different spheres of government, namely Municipal, Provincial and Cape Nature.
“The PBRA Executive Committee convened a public meeting of all ratepayers in the community hall on 9 August,” he said, “requesting support from ratepayers for a mandate to interact with the authorities, and to urge them to continue the Baboon Management Plan beyond December 2024, together with a sustainable, requisite funding model.”
That this is an enduring and contentious issue in Pringle Bay, indeed across the Overstrand, was plain to see, evidenced by the exceptional attendance of the meeting as well as the number of proxies received from ratepayers who weren’t able to attend.
The mandate was adopted unopposed by ratepayers present, supporting the initiation of a campaign by the PBRA Executive.
Bam added: “People think this is the only thing that matters to Pringle Bayers, given the amount of social media ‘ping pong’ about baboon matters, harsh language and commentary of a conflicted group of people. But this couldn’t be further from the truth; most of us moved to Pringle Bay for the paradise it represented, and it is generally a peaceful, friendly village. No-one disputes the beauty of our surrounds, and that baboons form part of an abundance of fauna and flora worthy of preservation.”
He said there are many community projects supported by a plethora of willing volunteers, undertaken by the PBRA as highlighted by the Conservation Portfolio: conservation of their cultural and natural heritage, marine and terrestrial ecosystems.
“Projects include the planting of fynbos within the village centre and beyond, a beach rescue plan, the protection of our dark, night skies by limiting light pollution, and so much more.”
Bam also emphasised that tourism has a direct link to the economic impact on the village.
“Pringle Bay deserves a place on the ‘must-visit’ list, where visitors are welcomed to this coastal gem, supporting local businesses and enjoying the haven we call home.”
Overstrand Municipal Manager Dean O’Neill stated that the assignment from the province, through the cabinet, for the municipality to manage baboons in the Overstrand municipal area will lapse in December 2024.
“Therefore, from January 2025, the OM will no longer have the mandate to manage baboons,” O’Neill explained, “as it is a national and provincial competency. Consequently, OM cannot budget for this function.”
He futhermore stated the outcome of discussions between the OM and the province regarding this matter had not been concluded, “so we cannot include it in future budgets at this time.”
