CONSERVATION ON WHEELS

"A team that has character doesn't need stimulation." – Tom Landy

The KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Board (the Board) is a schedule 3C public entity reporting to the Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs and Rural Development. The Board derives its mandate from the KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Management Act (Act No. 9 of 1997) read in conjunction with the Public Finance Management Act
(Act No. 1 of 1999).

The KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Management Act (Act No. 9 of 1997) also created the KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Services which is the entity required to support the Board members in carrying out their mandate. The Board decided to register the name Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (Ezemvelo) for trading and branding purposes. Ezemvelo directs the management of nature conservation within the province of KwaZulu Natal. It is also responsible for the development and promotion of ecotourism facilities within the protected areas. It currently manages 114 protected areas within 11 demarcated districts. These stretch from Umthamvuna in the South up the North Coast to the Mozambique/Swaziland boarder, and inland to the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park and the Free State border. Our core pillars are Conservation, Ecotourism and Partnership.

Vision
“To be a world renowned leader in the field of biodiversity conversation.”

Mission
“To ensure effective conservation and sustainable use of KwaZulu-Natal’s biodiversity in collaboration with stakeholders for the benefit of present and future generations”.

Integrity
At all times we act morally, ethically and honestly

Respect
We treat stakeholders with patience and politeness and acknowledge and value their rights and those of the environment.

Accountability
We involve stakeholders in the organisation’s activities with a culture of openness and are answerable for the outcome of our actions and activities.

Team Work
Working together to achieve our vision through goals.

Innovation
An adaptable organization that embraces the culture of creativity and learning.

Excellence
We are a progressive organization applying best practices to achieve the highest quality and standards.

Commitment
At all times we undertake our activities with passion, loyalty and dedication.

Productivity
We undertake to produce results timeously, efficiently and effectively. At Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife it has been an honor for us to partner with Valhalla Arts since 2009 in piloting and implementing exciting disability
programmes. We are working closely with Mr. Musa Zulu from Valhalla Arts in ensuring that all our resorts are accessible by all and we also cater for the activities for people with disabilities.

CONSERVATION ON WHEELS

This is a Valhalla Arts and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife initiative to promote visits by people with disabilities to Game Parks and Nature Conservation areas. The initiative also creates awareness of specially adapted modes of transport (including general transport buses and game-drive vehicles at tourist sites) that are available, yet not adequately profiled and thus largely unknown, for the convenience of people with disabilities. KZN Ezemvelo Wildlife has gone to great lengths to create a barrier-free environment for the independence and accessibility of disabled visitors. The rooms where, particularly, wheelchair users are accommodated, are all barrier-free, fully equipped and spacious enough for their free mobility. This initiative demonstrates that the way in which the environment is developed and organised contributes, to a large extent, to the level of independence and equality that people with disabilities enjoy. It is hoped that "Conservation on Wheels" will also inspire young people with disabilities to start carving career paths for themselves in Nature Conservation and its dynamic world.


Bidfreight Port Operations & Disability
The task of designing, supporting and sustaining disability economic empowerment programmes together with taking the lead in raismg awareness of the social needs of people with disabilities are responsibilities for all of us. Government and the Private sector have an important role to play in facilitating the entrenchment of a culture of equal inclusion and participation of people with disabilities in mainstream socio-economic activities. At Bidfreight Port Operations we want to be active players in taking care and playing our part 1n the realisation of this responsibility. People with disabilities are an integral part of our lives. In 2008 Bidfreight Port Operations had the pleasure to invite Mr MUSA E. ZULU of Valhalla Arts to come and give a Motivational Talk at our Annual Company gatherings held in San Lameer, South Coast. The theme of this talk was centred around 'giving people with disabilities their recognition and opportunities particularly in educational support and employment'. Soon after this engagement Bidfreight Ports Operations employed a total of 11 Interns with disabilities for various work opportunities inside our company The idea was to learn about disabilit) integration as we experimented with nev. ideas. Our 11 interns were proudly presented at the inaugural KwaZulu-Natal Disability Economic Employment Programme (DEEP} 'Expo which was held in 2009. It was our pleasure anc learning curve to be involved with this initiative that was launched in partnership with the Department of Economic Development anc Tourism specifically to reach-out to disabled undergraduates and graduates with disabilities in parflcular. This disability outreach programme was wholl) planned, organised and implemented b) Valhalla Arts and INDIMEZULU Trust whose main objective is to support other disablec persons in identifying, accessing anc advancing their education and employmenl opportunities. This working partnership with structures rur by people with disabilities and governmenl has resulted in the birth of a conscious shifl in our mindset towards designing anc supporting a variety of other disability integration programmes.

When cargo is as precious to the owner as it is to us, it is not surprising that we think of our business as the business of people.Thus our ardent and fervent support for the Tributes campaign, because it is in the treatment of people that we see our own excellence.