Committee examines jobs in proposed captive lion industry phase-out

The Portfolio Committee on Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment recently discussed commercial captive lion breeding and the proposed phase-out of the industry under a policy decision. Jobs and arrangements for workers during the transition were central to the meeting.

Juliet Khumalo asked what detailed, funded plan existed to reskill affected workers. Committee chairperson Nqabisa Gantsho warned about the effects of a rushed transition on jobs and small businesses, while Andrew de Blocq called for proper process and a just transition.

The ministerial task team's audit covered registered facilities across South Africa, permitted captive lions, legally held stocks of lion derivatives and available labour statistics, using provincial and national datasets.

The report describes minimising labour losses as a guiding principle. Its voluntary exit options are designed to generate employment and absorb as much of the existing workforce as possible.

The proposed worker pathways include reemployment at a repurposed facility, training and employment in an owner's new business, or retraining for similar operations. The programme is voluntary and owner-driven, with preference given to options that keep people employed.