A Crisis Never Imagined
COVID-19 AND THE resulting worldwide lockdown have changed our lives drastically and the economic impact will be with us for years to come. Apart from the more than 200 000 deaths worldwide as I write this, a disastrous impact has been the dramatic drop in demand for fuel, which has led to the worst oil price crisis ever. Coupled with global lockdowns, this is causing losses in revenue amounting to trillions, with commensurate job losses. Newspaper reports proclaiming ‘worst jobs reports in modern history’ are now common in Canada and the USA.
No one can escape the economic hardship, or the fear, which the disease has brought with it. Sadly, behind every statistical human death there is a family and friends facing the loss of a loved-one.
The lockdown curbs the spread of the disease, but with every additional day under some level of lockdown, the country’s financial burden grows, and with it the daily suffering of those without income. Hopefully, by the time you read this, the general stage-5 lockdown will be past. The danger of the virus will remain, but at least some of us won’t have to sit idle while our families and friends grow daily more desperate. We can act in an endeavour to save our ‘own small economies’.
This pandemic has emphasized that the divide between rich and poor in our country is much too great. For too long, far too many have been struggling to survive from day to day. Yes, we’re all to blame for our problems, and this includes underperforming government structures – an issue mostly denied by politicians. There is no quick fix, but hopefully, we will all use the lessons learned under the extreme duress of Covid-19 to change our society for the better.
For the hunting and shooting industry, the impact has been devastating. Apart from revenue and jobs lost, the global recession has glaringly exposed the weaknesses of our currency. These days, almost all the items we use for shooting – rifles, ammo, reloading components and shooting accessories – are imported. Very few local manufacturers exist anymore. During May 2019, the Rand traded at around R13 to R13.50 to the US$. As I write this the Rand is just under R19 to the US$. This difference will have to be absorbed by you and me. Shooting will become much more expensive. Hopefully, this will create opportunities for local entrepreneurs to enter the market, but consumers will be thinking twice before spending money.
Sadly, but inevitably, many professional hunters and outfitters are now trying to find other sources of income – not an easy task, and one that will become more difficult in the days ahead. After holding telephone discussions with people in the industry, I have to ask myself whether some – perhaps many – game ranchers will soon be forced to switch to domestic livestock farming. The blow to the industry resulting from cancellations by foreign hunters alone for the 2020 season has been catastrophic. And let’s face it, not many of us locals will be going hunting soon. Some game farmers may not be able to survive a ‘gap-year’ until the demand for hunting starts to pick up again next season – and it may take longer than that to recover. Inevitably, some game farms will disappear. This is sad, but necessary to ensure a better future for many families.
However, let’s not become too pessimistic. African hunting has always been pretty much a rich man’s game, and the wealthy are seldom as affected by economic crises as the middle and lower income groups are. Quite probably, once the virus is past and air travel is re-opened, foreign hunters will book their hunts as usual.
As for local hunters, one argument I heard was that soon there will be an oversupply of game, available at bargain prices. This may be true in the short term, but it’s too early to speculate on the long term effects. Perhaps, with less game available, hunting will become even more expensive. On the other hand, perhaps some owners of the larger, well-stocked game farms will adapt, and offer locals hunting of a kind that most South Africans prefer – selfcatered rustic camps instead of lodges, and game at ‘biltong-jagter’ prices, with farmers relying on higher turnover to offset lower profit margins. After all, this principle changed the retail industry – all the grand ‘department stores’ like Stuttafords and Greaterman’s disappeared in the face of the ‘warehouse’ type discount stores like Game.
The lockdown has brought several aspects of my own life into sharp focus. The starkest realisation has been that I can spend a lot less money, yet still be happy. I now realize how many unnecessary vehicle trips I’ve been making – the savings in fuel alone can feed a needy family for considerable time. Taking a leisurely motorcycle ride, spending time on the shooting range and going hunting are some of the privileges I’ll appreciate much more in future.
This virus will not disappear with the lifting of lockdown or shifting it to another level – we’ll be dealing with it for weeks and months to come. We can but hope that scientists will soon develop a vaccine to eradicate it. However, the crisis and ensuing economic fallout has taught us to stand together, to help and support each other. Let’s do what we can to support firearms dealers and game farmers who are likewise willing to accommodate a weakened buying public. A human virtue is to protect the weak and vulnerable and to help others even when struggling yourself.