Slight change to interprovincial travel in and out of Gauteng — here’s what is allowed

A slight change has been made to the regulations for leisure travel in Gauteng, allowing hunters to cross the province’s border to obtain “meat for consumption”.

Environmental affairs minister Barbara Creecy published the change in a short government gazette for the biodiversity sector this week.

The purpose of the gazette is to iron out the minor details of what is currently permitted by the sector under level 4 lockdown and to suspend the application of the directions for live biodiversity auctions.

Under the new rules, game parks, botanical gardens, zoos and aquariums remain open to the public.

“Interprovincial travel to and from Gauteng is permitted for hunting with the primary purpose of obtaining meat for consumption and culling,” the gazette stated.

The gazette said provisions of the directions for live biodiversity auctions would be suspended until Sunday.

The new rules come after President Cyril Ramaphosa moved the country to adjusted level 4 lockdown for 14 days and prohibited leisure travel in and out of Gauteng due to a surge in Covid-19 cases.

Regulations under adjusted level 4 lockdown are due to be reviewed in the next few days.

This is not the first time an exception has been made for hunters.

In August last year, Creecy announced overnight accommodation for hunters during level 3 lockdown would be permitted, allowing hunters to sleep over at their hunting destinations within the province in which they reside.

“Permitting hunters to sleep over at their hunting destinations, within the province in which they live, is in line with cabinet’s decision to ease restrictions around leisure travel,” she said at the time.