An elephant at the Hluhluwe game reserve. Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife says its revenue has been impacted by the commercial split from Isimangaliso Wetland Park Authority.
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife's commercial split from iSimangaliso Wetland Park has put the environmental entity under financial strain.
Ezemvelo reported that its accommodation business has reached its lowest levels in years due to the split between the two organisations. The impact became evident when the entity recently presented its budget to the Tourism and Environmental Affairs portfolio committee, revealing a budget shortfall of close to R50 million for the 2026-2027 financial year as a result.
In February this year, the two entities announced that Ezemvelo would cease to manage the accommodation sites in the park but would continue managing the conservation side of iSimangaliso. ISimangaliso is currently seeking private partners to manage the accommodations. During a meeting with the portfolio committee, the entity revealed that it is under financial pressure due to the split.
Speaking on its revenue budget, Ezemvelo CFO, Liesl Curtis, stated, “Our accommodation is lower now than it has been in prior years, largely because of the loss of Isimangaliso and income from it. We are lower than we had been in 2022 and 2023; remembering those years, we even struggled with Covid and the after-effects of that. So, it’s not really good, but we will have to try and gain it somewhere else.”
