Around 3,000 community members, Traditional Authorities and partners came together at Hoxane Traditional Council on 12 September for the Hoxane Traditional Council Day and Heritage Day celebration.
Hosted by Hosi FCJ Nkuna, the traditional leader of the Hoxane Traditional Council, the gathering provided an opportunity to celebrate Heritage Day, bring communities together and create a platform for engagement between Traditional Authorities and participating organisations. GKEPF joined Kruger National Park and other partners at the event as part of its ongoing work to strengthen relationships with Traditional Authorities and communities.
An important message from the day came from , the Chairperson of the Mpumalanga House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders and the national president of the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa, who spoke about the importance of economic empowerment and communities being actively involved in opportunities connected to conservation.
“Conservation entities must not always give us meat, we also want to be involved in economic empowerment.”
Kgoshi Mokoena also spoke about the importance of self-empowerment within communities.
Education was another focus of the day, with Hosi Nkuna encouraging his communities to prioritise education.
The celebration brought together Kruger National Park, the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Gift of the Givers, Eskom, Buscor and Ligwalagwala FM, as well as Traditional Authorities from Mpumalanga and Limpopo.
For GKEPF, participation in gatherings such as this provides an opportunity to continue building relationships with Traditional Authorities, strengthen social cohesion and create platforms for partners to connect and share conservation messages with communities.
