The Portfolio Committee on Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment has congratulated iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority during the sitting held in Cape Town today,08 October 2025.

“The performance of iSimangaliso continues to shine with the Entity successfully achieving all its set targets for the third consecutive year and a clean audit outcome, this reflects the strength and reliability of its systems, a deep-rooted culture of legislative compliance and steadfast commitment to excellence” said Honourable Gantsho, Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee.

The iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority has yet again obtained an unqualified audit (Clean audit) without findings for the 2024/2025 financial year from the Auditor General of South Africa. This comes after a range of robust financial control measures and improvements in the internal control system and processes made by the management of iSimangaliso.

iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority Board Members

The news of this clean audit coincided with the ongoing reflection and celebration of the 25 years of existence of iSimangaliso Wetland Park, after being declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999, in recognition of its superlative natural beauty and unique global values.

The Chief Executive Officer of iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority, Mr Sibusiso Bukhosini is delighted to share the news of the great work that has been done by the Entity. “I would like to appreciate the great work done by the Board of iSimangaliso led by the Chairperson of the Board Inkosi I.M Tembe, iSimangaliso Management, all employees of iSimangaliso and all stakeholders that played a crucial role in ensuring that iSimangaliso achieves a clean audit yet again. Our team has worked tirelessly to protect

the Park's World Heritage values, promote sustainable tourism, and benefit local communities. We are committed to transparency and accountability in our financial reporting and look forward to continued growth and success in the years to come”, said Mr Bukhosini.

iSimangaliso’s strategic plan serves as a roadmap for achieving these objectives, ensuring that iSimangaliso continues to deliver on both its conservation mandate and national development goals. The Park’s outstanding track record of 100% delivery on its Annual Performance Plan (APP) and its consistent unqualified audits, reflects an unwavering commitment to ethical governance and operational excellence. This strategic direction of the Entity aims to ensure that the Park's revenues and profits are reinvested within the Entity to support ongoing sustainable conservation efforts, foster benefit sharing, and promote eco-tourism as the name iSimangaliso suggests, it is truly a place of “Wonders” with plethora of tourism activities on offer.

The Park’s attractiveness as a nature-based tourism destination of international repute is undisputed. It is with the understanding of this strength amongst others, that the Entity is strategically embarking on the Commercialisation Strategy which is now gaining traction. Business opportunities emanating from the existence of the Park will be fairly shared amongst small and big businesses including the local communities. The implementation of the iSimangaliso Commercialisation Strategy will further contribute

iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority Chief Executive Officer Mr Sibusiso Bukhosini

immensely towards improving the finances of the Entity. For any investor to invest money in an organisation there must be good governance. The clean audit obtained by iSimangaliso in the 2022/23, 2023/24, and 2024/25 financial year is a clear demonstration of iSimangaliso’s commitment towards clean governance. This will strengthen the Finance Department so that the Entity maintains and sustains the clean administration status.

iSimangaliso’s contribution in changing the lives of local communities is evidenced by employment opportunities, business resource support and programs implemented over an extended period. When iSimangaliso management focused on the Stakeholder Engagement Strategy over the past 5 years, the conservation responsibility was not compromised; however, emphasis was more on rebuilding the relationship with communities that neighbour the Park. iSimangaliso promoted optimal tourism and related development, benefiting community members living in and adjacent to the Park. The Entity also completed numerous infrastructure projects, enhancing visitor experiences and supporting conservation efforts.

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Statement issued by iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority

For Media Enquiries Contact: Mr Bheki Manzini

Call/WhatsApp: 060 533 2082

Email: bhekimanzini@isimangaliso.com