Cape Town - The Cape Peninsula Civil Conservation non-profit organisation (NPO) has expressed concern over plans to hire baboon rangers for the approaching summer season.
This, after the Cape Peninsula Baboon Management Joint Task Team, consisting of representatives from SANParks, CapeNature, and the City of Cape Town, said processes are under way to secure the services of rangers for December and the upcoming transitioning period starting on January 1.
As things stand, the last day of employment for all baboon rangers, contracted by NCC Environmental Services, is November 30, the civil conservation NPO has noted.
The rangers’ job is to keep troops out of the urban area and in their natural environment as far as possible.
The task team announced on Monday that a Request for Quotation process, to ensure a presence of baboon rangers during the festive season, is under way.
It said the request for quotation is being advertised by the City this week as a temporary measure.
“The second is an interim solution, namely to appoint a contractor for a 12-month period, on a month-tomonth basis.
“The preferred long-term solution that is to be finalised while the above processes are under way, is a partnership with a non-profit organisation that can receive grant funding from the Cape Peninsula Baboon Management Joint Task Team partners, as well as funding and donations from external sources such as affected communities and the general public.
“The NPO is to perform selected operational and other tasks needed in implementing the Baboon Strategic Management Plan.
“This includes the implementation of area-based solutions; education, awareness and communication campaigns; community outreach events; the hosting of a dedicated website and mobile app; ongoing engagement with researchers; and the provision of baboon rangers in support of other management interventions such as population control, strategic fences, and waste management, amongst others,” the task team said.
Cape Peninsula Civil Conservation chairperson, Lynda Silk, said, however, that details of the plan to keep the rangers are problematic.
“A RFQ (Request for Quotation) has been advertised by the City of Cape Town, yet is not at this time available to view in the Procurement Portal.
“Nobody attending the RFQ meeting (yesterday) had received the specification, which made it impossible to ask appropriate questions.
"City of Cape Town said that they would announce in the third week of November who had won the tender for December, which would leave only a week for the service provider to secure staff and prepare practically.
“The RFQ is open, thus people who weren’t at the meeting can quote.
“As things stand, the last day of employment for all the baboon rangers is November 30.
“If NCC were sure at this time that they would be awarded this tender, they might be able to secure their staff for another month’s work, however, one can not reasonably expect staff to wait until just days before they are unemployed to start looking for income for their families. This job security is further undermined in that, from January, whatever is put forward will only be on a month-to-month basis.”
Cape Argus