The South African Forestry Company Limited Safcol is losing millions of rand from timber theft at its Mpumalanga plantations and its nature reserves are being damaged by illegal mining, threatening eco-tourism.
The state forestry company made this admission this week when it briefed the parliamentary portfolio committee on planning, monitoring and evaluation during an oversight visit to its plantations in Sabie.
Safcol said it was losing almost R20m a year through illegal harvesting by organised syndicates.
