Africa-Press – South-Africa. South Africa, a normally vocal presence in global climate and environment forums, has eroded its influence because of a political fight that led to the firing of its environment minister.
The country, home to some of the world’s biggest populations of endangered animals, has downgraded its participation in a key international forum that regulates trade in wildlife after Dion George’s dismissal.
The decision also disrupted its program at the ongoing COP climate summit in Brazil as he was removed while leading the South African delegation to the event.
The country will only have observer status at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna that starts on 25 November in Uzbekistan, said Narend Singh, the deputy environment minister.
“Dion George did some things we and the cabinet disagreed with,” Singh said on the sidelines of an event in Johannesburg on Friday. While the new minister is taking over the job, the country will curtail its participation at Cites, he said.
Singh’s participation in the event in Samarkand was canceled after South African President Cyril Ramaphos axed George on 12 November.
The Democratic Alliance, of which George is a representative, requested his removal as one of its cabinet ministers in the coalition government.
He has been replaced by the DA’s Willie Aucamp — a change that has laid bare tensions within the country’s second-biggest political party.
The South African cabinet on Thursday said the country would only be an observer at COP, but later retracted the statement that Khumbudzo Ntshaveni, a minister in the presidency, said was issued in error. She did say George hadn’t accurately reflected cabinet’s positions.
Singh said the country’s participation in the COP summit won’t be affected.
George’s party didn’t specify why it had requested his removal other than to say it needed the best possible people in cabinet and for them to work in a collegial manner.
George, contacted shortly before his departure from Brazil on Friday, said some people in his own department had fought against his key initiatives, repeatedly changing a memo on initiatives he was preparing for cabinet.
Those included boosting protection for abalone, an endangered shellfish that’s regularly poached in South Africa. They also pertained to ending captive breeding of lions and maintaining Pretoria’s support for an international ban on trade in ivory and rhino horn.
“I don’t know what they are actually talking about,” he said of the allegations that he was at odds with cabinet positions. He also rejected South African media reports alleging that he was fired because he mistreated his staff.
“I am not a slice of cake, I am not for everyone,” he said.
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