Minister Willie Aucamp : Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment
05 January 2026
OPEN LETTER
Kind Attention: Minister Willie Aucamp
Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment
Email: info@parliament.gov.za; willie@aucampstud.com; Tlegoff@dffe.gov.za
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Dear Minister Aucamp,
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I refer to my email of 17 November 2025 regarding the clarification in the form of GC26 (Para 35) of the Child Rights Treaty which stipulates that no child may be exposed to the practice of trophy hunting.
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In this regard, the New Year’s Day 2026 issue of Daily Maverick brought a rude awakening into the lives of many South Africans, including myself, that Chacma Baboons are high on the trophy hunting list. According to the article the trade in these beleaguered relatives of ours is somewhere between 2031 and 5401 over a five-year period. Please correct me if I misunderstand the data.
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It is a sad start to 2026 that we need to add the trophy hunting of baboons to the wildlife crimes committed against Africa’s animals, in stark violation of the UN Development Programme, to which South Africa is a signatory, and whereby: “We envisage a world where… humanity lives in harmony with nature and in which wildlife and other living species are protected”.
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And I wonder how many children were exposed to the brutal hunting of baboons , in stark contravention of GC26: Para 35 whereby no child may be exposed to physical or psychological violence, be it domestic, societal or against an animal. be exposed to physical or psychological violence, be it domestic, societal or against an animal. As mentioned earlier, GC26 is a clarification of the Child Rights Treaty to which South Africa is a signatory.
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It is little wonder that South Africa is a society over-burdened by an insane level of violence.
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Please prove all the nay-sayers wrong when they suggest you are part of the hunting industry. To take a stand for wildlife and to support the signature of South Africa on international agreements, will do more than any word can do to prove your commitment to Africa’s wild animals.
Kind regards,
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​Louise van der Merwe
Editor | Animal Voice
Managing Trustee | The Humane Education Trust
Director | Nature-Based Education, Cape Town, South Africa
Mobile | 082 457 9177
Email | education@naturebased.online | avoice@yebo.co.za
Website | https://www.naturebased.education/ | https://www.animalvoice.org/
17 November 2025
OPEN LETTER
Kind Attention: Minister Willie Aucamp
Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment
Email: info@parliament.gov.za; willie@aucampstud.com; Tlegoff@dffe.gov.za
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Dear Minister Aucamp,
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Please accept my congratulations on your appointment as South Africa’s Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment. I write to draw your attention to an increasingly urgent call for our country to ensure that no child is exposed to the practice of trophy hunting.
As you will be aware, General Comment 26 (paragraph 35) of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child represents a landmark development. It affirms that children must be protected from exposure to physical or psychological violence, including violence inflicted on animals. At the UN’s 95th Session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, Committee Vice-Chair Dr Rinchen Chophel went further, urging the South African delegation to criminalise the practice of allowing children to participate in trophy hunting.
This reflects the overwhelming scientific evidence that exposure of children to violence, whether in the home, in society, or directed at an animal, can have profound and lasting emotional and psychological consequences. The research is extensive, and I have drawn together several perspectives from leading South African academics, in the latest issue of our magazine
Animal Voice. I refer you in particular to page 19 and pages 23–25 of the publication:
https://heyzine.com/flip-book/2d2a7ee13d.html
Bullfighting was also highlighted by Dr Chophel as psychologically harmful to children. In response, Colombia acted swiftly to comply with GC26:35 (see page 21), and Mexico City recently also introduced legislation to end this 500-year-old cultural practice. Morocco has likewise taken steps, announcing an end to the killing of stray dogs at night. This aligns with FIFA’s requirement that candidate host nations comply with international human rights law. Through GC26, animal welfare is now clearly situated within the human-rights domain.
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Furthermore, the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, endorsed by all member nations, including South Africa, envisions “a world where humanity lives in harmony with nature… where wildlife and other living species are protected.” Member states have a shared responsibility to take concrete steps to advance these goals and we, the South African public, depend on you now, to achieve this.
Minister, I would be honoured to offer you the same 40-minute presentation on Animal Sentience that I recently delivered to students at the University of the Western Cape, a presentation that was clearly impactful for them (see pages 4–6 in our online magazine). Should you wish, I would gladly make myself available at your convenience.
Thank you for your attention to this critical matter.
Kind regards,
Louise van der Merwe
Editor | Animal Voice
Managing Trustee | The Humane Education Trust
Director | Nature-Based Education, Cape Town, South Africa
Mobile | 082 457 9177
Email | education@naturebased.online | avoice@yebo.co.za
Website | https://www.naturebased.education/ | https://www.animalvoice.org/
From: Zena Bhana [mailto:ZBhana@dffe.gov.za]
Sent: 20 November 2025 12:10
To: Louise van der Merwe <avoice@yebo.co.za>
Cc: willie@aucampstud.com; info@parliament.gov.za; Traverse Anatole Le Goff <TLeGoff@dffe.gov.za>
Subject: RE: OPEN LETTER: MINISTER WILLIE AUCAMP
Good day,
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On behalf of the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment, Mr Willem Aucamp MP, I acknowledge with thanks receipt of your correspondence.​
We will revert in due course.
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Warm Regards,
Zena Bhana
Office of the Minister: Assistant Appointment and Administrative Secretary
Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment
15th Floor, 120 Plein Street, Cape Town, 8000
E-mail: zbhana@dffe.gov.za
Call Centre: 086 111 2468
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