Extract of the PHASA President’s Report to be delivered by Eduard Katzke at the 2011 Annual General Meeting

When reflecting on 2011, I must admit that it was a year with great challenges. At times, the challenges seemed insurmountable, but with the support of my dedicated team, and you as members, we have established common grounds and new horizons were opened.

I would like to acknowledge that without God’s grace and guidance many of these milestones would not have been attained. I would like to thank my wife Elana and our two siblings for their support. To the Exco of 2011, Adri and the ladies at the PHASA, the “Dagga Boys”,  all members, international stakeholders, sponsors, affiliates, friends and our government officials:  - thank you all for your support.

This report will serve both as my annual 2011 report and a summary of my term which will officially end this year.

My term as PHASA president has been a highlight in my life and rewarded me with a sense of unselfish contribution and advancement of what matters most to me:  Africa and her vast diversity with unequalled nature and intriguing cultures!

I took up this responsibility with the intent to advance and improve and I have focused on four objectives:

1.    Improve governance through improved strategy, administration, member service and finances:

Here our first step was to have a fully functional and “self contained” administration.  This included a fully functional membership administration, industry marketing and representative capacity, systems and policies and financial integrity.  We appointed the best possible CEO for PHASA:  Adri Kitshoff.  

We negotiated “member benefits” from service providers, which has been a sterling success for service providers and members.  

2.    Improve the image and perception of professional hunting:

We had to act positively against the onslaught on our industry by firstly reconciling internally, and re-defining our mission:  PHASA supports the conservation and ecologically sustainable development and use of natural resources, for the benefit of current and future generations, through the promotion of ethical hunting.  

We have developed a slogan and an approach of internal integrity and communication and then embarked on promoting it internally, mobilising our members.  By your positive representation of the industry, we multiply our footprint of the good in the industry.  

Our next step was to take our mission to the mainstream media and public and to market it nationally and internationally. Our message is confined in our slogan as adapted at our 2010 Convention:  Responsible hunting for sustainable life and livelihoods.

3.    Establish and promote the hunting and game industry as a high value, GDP contributing employer:

We had to define, quantify and qualify ourselves and then had to establish ourselves on the national and international platforms and with stakeholders.  

We had to address general perceptions internally as well as externally with those who despise our industry; those that govern us and those that support us.  Hunting and Game farming is an industry. The industry is a value chain that talks the language of capital, investment, foreign currency, key commodities, employer, GDP contributor and a key element of the global village and economy.  Therefore we demand to be recognised as an industry on the same par as manufacturing, mining, agriculture and other industries.
This has led to us engaging with political and industry leadership to state our convincing case.

As outgoing President I urge the next President:  Do not stand down, take up this mandate with vigilance!  

4.    Improve the South African and SADC legislative and regulatory context in which we as an industry operate:

I suspect that our industry is most probably one of the highest regulated in the country.

In negotiations, we had have met with Ministers, MEC’s, DG’s, HOD’s; we have participated in forums, made submissions, etc.  Our key message was that we are an industry with the intent of responsible hunting for sustainable life and livelihoods.  
Ladies and gentlemen, your trust and support is what has driven me and the team to leave no stone unturned to represent you and our industry.  It was a tremendous privilege and growth curve for me.
I thank you one and all and will think of you with my trusty 416 Rigby in my hand while guiding my next hunter into the sunset!

---

EXTRACT OF THE ANNUAL REPORT GIVEN AT THE 34th PHASA ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING, BY THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ADRI KITSHOFF

Dear Delegates,

The following is an extract of my annual report to be presented at the PHASA Annual General Meeting on 16 November, in which I hope to inform and update you of PHASA’s successes and activities during the past year.

Whereas our President will give a general overview of the past year, I will focus more specifically on the administrative, legislative and operational matters of our association. PHASA’s financial results are being published on pages ……. of the Convention manual, of which I will give a detailed report at the AGM.
I firstly want to extend our condolences to all who have lost loved ones during the past year. May the Good Lord with be with you during these challenging times.

I cannot look back on 2011, without firstly acknowledging and expressing my sincere appreciation and thanks to certain individuals. Thank you to our PHASA Exco members for your support and assistance during the past year. I want to extend a special word of thanks to our president. Katte’s  guidance, leadership and belief in teamwork, has strengthened me and has enabled me to have grown tremendously during my first two years at PHASA. Katte, thank you for your trust and belief in me.

Thank you to Marianna for running and growing PHASA’s marketing initiatives; Joan for a job well-done on the financial side;  and Tersia for all her assistance and for making my life so much easier. Thank you to Nonkie for the easy way in which she has slotted in with our team.

•    We have had a strong marketing and awareness drive during the past year.

We have travelled extensively across the country over the past few months in our “Provincial Visits” campaign, through which we had the opportunity to inform our members as well as non-members and Nature Conservation officials firsthand of our activities and PHASA’s role in the hunting industry. Furthermore, members were kept informed by means of our regular e-news flashes, as well as the PHASA magazine. PHASA also has a very active and informative website: www.phasa.co.za.  Although new members have joined after every visit, our membership figures have not increased yet; mainly because of the number of memberships cancelled after we have followed up on individuals and cancelled memberships of those with outstanding balances.  However, we are positive that our membership growth will take effect this year.

PHASA media coverage included appearances on Carte Blanche, 50/50, and KykNet.

We have issued various press releases, which have led to regular radio interviews, as well as magazine and newspaper articles.

Our presentation, “The role the professional hunting plays in South Africa’s economy and conservation efforts”, delivered at the Annual SAWMA Conference (Southern African Wildlife Management Association) was received positively. We also had representation at the International Wildlife Ranching Symposium in Kimberley.

PHASA exhibited in the USA, Germany and locally, and PHASA  has also realised the importance of the electronic media, by creating our own facebook page.

•    We realise the importance of a united front within the industry. I would like to extend a special word of welcome to the representatives of CHASA, SAHGCA, WRSA, Taxidermy Associations and other interested sectors who attend our Convention and AGM.

During this past year we have started to invite representatives from WRSA and the Taxidermists to attend an open session during our Exco meetings, should there be issues where our associations have common grounds to address.

We were also invited to attend the CHASA Board meeting open sessions and our president and I each individually attended a CHASA Board meeting during the course of the year.  

•    On the International Front, PHASA was approached by the President of CIC International, to be the sole organisers of the 2012 CIC General Assembly to be held in Cape Town during May next year.  Full details regarding this event will be discussed during the Convention.

I have accompanied Diethelm Metzger of NAPHA, at the end of August to attend a SCI board meeting in Tucson.  The purpose of the meeting was to make a presentation on behalf of the Southern African organisations. We have proposed that only hunting outfitters who are members of the national organisations of their countries be allowed to exhibit at the SCI Convention.
•    At the African Wildlife Consultative Forum (AWCF) meeting in October, PHASA was a proud signatory to a Memorandum of Understanding, whereby Southern African associations subscribed to comply with a Southern African Cross Border Hunting Policy.  

•    Legislation:

• Department of Environmental Affairs:

We have attended quarterly Wildlife forum meetings, Inter Provincial Professional Hunting and School Director’s meetings, as well as various TOPS and Species Listing workshops.
PHASA has also submitted comments on:
- Norms and Standards for hunting methods;
- Norms and Standards on rhinoceros marking, and hunting of white rhinoceros for trophy purposes.

• Provincial: We had regular attendance at the KZN Hunting Advisory Committee. We also succeeded in scheduling a meeting with Ms Broderick, HOD: Economic Development, Environment and Tourism in Limpopo. A workshop has been scheduled in Limpopo to address some of the challenges experienced in the province.

• SA Police Services:

PHASA has attended various meetings together with other accredited associations, chaired by the Secretariat of Police, as well as a meeting, chaired by Lieutenant General LJ Mothiba from the Division: Visible Policing. We continuously raised our frustration with Section 16A not being implemented. We have been informed during October this year that Section 16A, together with certain sections raised by the Collectors’ Association, will be promulgated and implemented on 2 March 2012.  We have submitted our proposed changes regarding the Regulations to SAPS, and we have also discussed the specific procedures and requirements for the above to be put into place.

• SA Veterinary Council:

At a meeting with the Executive of the SA Veterinary Council on 24 October to discuss the SAVC rule/policy regarding green/dart hunting, the SAVC Executive undertook to refer the outcome of our meeting to their Board.

Outcome:
- The SAVC Executive undertook to provide us with the set of criteria currently used by the Council to review applications for darting to be done by somebody other than a veterinarian;
- The SAVC Executive furthermore requested PHASA to provide the Council with details of proposed changes to “Rule 10” and their policy and what measures could be put into place in order to manage/regulate dart hunting. The Council’s next Board meetings will be held in February and May. PHASA will compile such a document in conjunction with other stakeholders and the applicable government departments.

• SAQA: PHASA attended various workshops regarding “Professional Bodies” and will submit our application to be accredited as the Professional Body for the Professional Hunting Industry when applications open around April next year.

• SABS/Tourism:

We have attended an event organised by the Department of Tourism and the SABS, where Minister Marthinus Van Schalkwyk has launched the Responsible Tourism Standards.
•    Thank you to each and every member who lives out our slogan: “Responsible hunting for sustainable life and livelihoods”
•    I wish you all a blessed festive season and a prosperous and successful 2012.