ah@radioislam.co.za<\/a>
\n<\/u>27 June 2025 | 11:30 CAT
\n2 min read<\/p>\nThe iSimangaliso Wetland Park, once a shining example of South Africa\u2019s natural heritage, is facing an ecological crisis, with concerns now being raised in Parliament by Action SA over siltation, invasive reeds and the declining fish populations in Lake St Lucia.<\/p>\n
Bheki Manzini, representing the iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority, spoke to Radio Islam, clarifying the park’s current state. \u201ciSimangaliso is one of the protected areas found in the province of KwaZulu-Natal along the coast. It starts from Maphelane, which is on the southern side of St Lucia, and runs right up to the Mozambique border on the northern side of the park,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
Declared South Africa\u2019s first World Heritage Site in 1999, the park gained its status after UNESCO assessments acknowledged the region\u2019s unique biodiversity and conservation efforts. However, mounting environmental pressures have led to alarm over its sustainability.<\/p>\n
Addressing the state of Lake St Lucia, Manzini acknowledged that while challenges do exist, the situation may not be as dire as portrayed. \u201cThe lake\u2019s mouth is open, and it has been open for almost a year now. So basically, the system is slowly restoring itself in terms of addressing those ecological challenges that we have experienced in the past,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He explained that earlier challenges stemmed from a prolonged period of drought \u2014 lasting nearly a decade \u2014 during which the mouth of Lake St Lucia remained closed. This disconnection from the sea disrupted natural ecological processes and limited the inflow of marine species. \u201cWith that came challenges of its own, which we had to look into and collectively, with other partners, try to address,\u201d Manzini noted.<\/p>\n
To restore balance, the Authority undertook dredging operations and opened the lake\u2019s mouth to promote water exchange. \u201cThat would include the dredging of the system that we did recently so that we could encourage that exchange of species, your marine species, into the lake system,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Manzini confirmed that flooding, particularly backwater flooding, has had a real impact on both the ecosystem and communities. \u201cIt is a reality\u2014the issue of back-flooding dates back decades. With global warming and other environmental developments across the world, we are not immune to that,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Recent heavy rainfall in KwaZulu-Natal has exacerbated these problems. \u201cFarming communities in the floodplain have been affected, with so much water inundating their farms. At the same time, tourism and fishing communities benefit from higher water levels due to improved navigability and fish migration,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
Given the competing interests, Manzini said the Authority has had to mediate and consult widely. \u201cWe had to call all the interested parties to ensure that we find solutions that address the needs of every stakeholder,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Rehabilitation work is actively underway. \u201cThere are a number of projects. We also involve other partners such as Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, White Trust, and local communities,\u201d Manzini confirmed.<\/p>\n
The Authority has also partnered with academic institutions, including the University of Zululand, to provide ongoing research that informs conservation strategies. \u201cAmongst the interventions is a cleaning and clearing programme wherein we have employed local people,\u201d he said, highlighting efforts to remove invasive species and debris that disrupt natural water flow and biodiversity.<\/p>\n
Manzini added that a robust monitoring system helps the park track the presence and health of fish and other aquatic species. \u201cThe reports that we get from the monitoring system inform our estuary management plan, which guides efforts across both Lake St Lucia and the Kozi Bay estuary in the north,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Manzini appealed to all involved to work together to find long-lasting, sustainable solutions.<\/p>\n
LISTEN<\/strong> to the full interview with Ml Junaid Kharsany and Bheki Manzini, iSimangaliso spokesperson, here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Azra Hoosen | ah@radioislam.co.za 27 June 2025 | 11:30 CAT 2 min read The iSimangaliso Wetland Park, once a shining example of South Africa\u2019s natural heritage, is facing an ecological crisis, with concerns now being raised in Parliament by Action SA over siltation, invasive reeds and the declining fish populations in Lake St Lucia. Bheki […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":98718,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98717","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Isimangaliso-wetland-park.jpg?fit=1200%2C856&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc0QIf-pGd","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-18 06:13:37","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98717","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98717"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98717\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/98718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98717"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98717"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Isimangaliso-wetland-park.jpg?resize=268%2C191&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n