The Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency (ECPTA) appears to be in turmoil following the abrupt resignation of its chief executive, Vuyani Dayimani, with immediate and the provincial government’s severe cuts to its operating budget.
In an emergency meeting with ECPTA board chairperson Dr Nomakwezi Mzilikazi and other executives this week, worried staff representatives were informed that the agency was facing a dire situation concerning its finances and told what the bosses were doing in trying to salvage the looming crisis.
“The agency for this financial year (2026/27) received a budget of R210 million that was ring-fenced for salaries, amounting to R204 million, and approximately R7 million for operations.
“The board, in realising that the entity would not be able to operate under such constrained budget, wrote to the mother body, the Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEDEAT) for an urgent intervention and indicated that should the entity not be assisted, it will cease operations,” the Public Servants Association (PSA) reported to its members on Thursday.
According to its latest annual report, in 2024/25, the actual amount the agency operated on constituted an equitable share allocation of R213m, conditional grants amounting to R80m, and R24m in own revenue generation, with a total operating budget of R321m.
During the same financial year, ECPTA operated with a budgeted amount of R357m, in contrast to the R436m budget for 2023/24, which was a reduction of 18% mainly due to a decrease in conditional grant funding.
The union said these attempts have not yielded any results as responses are still being awaited.
“To operate, the entity requires around R93m for operations, which at this stage, it does not have,” the PSA reported back.
On Monday, employees were informed by the board that the ECPTA is unable to operate under the circumstances, but that engagements were continuing with the leadership of the DEDEAT, Provincial Treasury, and the Portfolio Committee on Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism.
The PSA also indicated that the board assured staff members that no one would be retrenched and disclosed that Dayimani had resigned with immediate effect, ending his employment on the last day of May, and that it had been accepted, and an interim replacement was appointed until a permanent appointment is made.
The ECPTA manages 15 provincial nature reserves (protected areas), some considered among the world’s most biodiverse, and had nearly 500 employees by the end of March last year.
Dr Vicky Knoetze, DA member of the Eastern Cape provincial legislature, shadow Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism MEC, described Dayimani’s resignation at a time when the agency is already under severe budget pressure as raising serious concerns about the future of conservation and tourism in the Eastern Cape – a sector which is a major driver of the province’s GDP (gross domestic product).
“Dayimani’s resignation must be taken into consideration against the backdrop of an agency that is already financially unstable and was identified as a going concern.
“DEDEAT has confirmed R43.6m in irregular expenditure in 2024/25, linked to the use of conditional grant funding for other purposes, while current-year funds have had to be redirected to cover prior-year obligations,” she said.
Additionally, Knoetze said only 3% of its R225.7m 2026/27 equitable share allocation remains for core business and overheads, after 91% goes to the cost of employment and 6% is ring-fenced for access roads and fencing.
“The ECPTA manages some of the province’s most important environmental and tourism assets. These reserves should be creating jobs, supporting rural communities, attracting visitors, protecting biodiversity, and generating revenue for their own upkeep,” she added.
Knoetze stated that this financial pressure will place further strain on reserve management, infrastructure maintenance, anti-poaching operations, biodiversity protection, visitor safety, tourism marketing, and staff capacity.
She said the DA has already raised serious concerns about the state of provincial reserves and previous assessments identified poor road access, infrastructure collapse, poaching, alien vegetation overgrowth, and operational breakdowns across several reserves.
Knoetze added that DEDEAT MEC Nonkqubela Pieters and the ECPTA board must now provide a clear public plan that explains how the agency will protect frontline conservation work, keep reserves operational, maintain tourism infrastructure, and prevent further decline despite the budget cuts.
Organised labour has requested that an urgent meeting be held with all stakeholders involved to ensure that employees do not lose their jobs during this difficult time, and to engage provincial leadership to preserve the entity and rescue it for the betterment of the province, according to the PSA.
Dayimani could not be reached for comment on Saturday, while Oyanga Ngalika and Ncedo Lisani, spokespersons for DEDEAT and ECPTA, respectively, did not respond to requests sent on Friday, as did Mzilikazi.
Mawethu Rune, chairperson of the provincial legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism, is also yet to respond.
Loyiso Sidimba
iol.co.za