New Picnic Sites, Rustic Camp and Lodge in KTP Planned

[Toko]

Proposed visitor facility development in the new draft management plan (p 61/62):

- Picnic / day visitors site at Dertiende waterhole In planning phase LIL Day visitors site

- Picnic / day visitors site in the Bedinkt area In planning phase LIL Day visitors site

- Rustic camping site south of Mata Mata camp In planning phase Primitive 10 Individual, fully serviced, tourism campsites

- Auob lodge development In planning phase Primitive Development of a lodge (12 x 2 bed units) on the Auob river valley north of Twee Rivieren.



Source: http://www.sanparks.org/assets/docs/con ... t_plan.pdf

[Richprins]

KGNP MP 2016 – 2026
86
10.6.3 Local socio-economic development programme
The purpose of this programme is to play a significant, targeted and effective role in contributing to local economic development, economic empowerment and social development in communities and neighbouring areas. This will be achieved by partnering with local government through the IDP, participating in government programmes such as the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), beneficiation and local and regional procurement. SANParks has established a Socio- Economic Development programme. This programme is aligned to Government’s National Development Plan and the DEA objectives to enhance fair and equitable sharing of benefits from biological resources and to improve the socio- economic benefit flow from biodiversity conservation.

Unusual timing this plan, can't find the dates for tenders etc.?

Local elections should be around July/August...

[PRWIN]

KTP is the only park with a good total occupancy of nearly 90%, so let's milk the goose that lays the golden egg till it is

[Mel]

- Picnic / day visitors site at Dertiende waterhole In planning phase LIL Day visitors site

Only for the convenience of the tourist... They'll obviously demolish Kamqua and move it further north so tourists don't have to suffer
from Kamqua all the way up to Mata when natural needs kick in.

Currently you got Twee Rivieren, then about 40 km to Auchterlonie picnic site, then about 30 km to Kamqua picnic site and from there about 50 km to Mata.
Moving the picnic site from Kamqua to Dertiende will basically provide for pit stop every 40 km.

Crazy, when you consider the little difference in distance but impact on the environment and the nuisance during construction.

- Picnic / day visitors site in the Bedinkt area In planning phase LIL Day visitors site

Basically the same as above... At the moment you got Nossob, then about 70 km to Lijersdraai picnic spot and another roughly 50 km to Union's End picnic spot.
Building an extra picnic area around Bedinkt will break up the distance to about 40 km from Nossob to Bedinkt and 30 km from Bedinkt to Lijersdraai.

- Rustic camping site south of Mata Mata camp In planning phase Primitive 10 Individual, fully serviced, tourism campsites

I assume that is the Craig Lockhardt site that had been proposed in the last EIA... And I think it's a splendid idea to put more pressure on the roads
up in that area. In October we had numerous cars, including 4x4s getting stuck in the sandy stretches up there and obviously also some of the trucks going to Mata Mata. So when someone is stuck and blocks the roads others will just drive around to get ahead (and maybe call re-enforcement to help) which means driving either into the dunes or onto the verges of the riverbed.

But I suppose with the mess created by the good rains in March 2015 it doesn't really matter anymore to have even more extra tracks where they shouldn't be...
Sorry, I'm being cynic here because I'm so upset I could throw up.

- Auob lodge development In planning phase Primitive Development of a lodge (12 x 2 bed units) on the Auob river valley north of Twee Rivieren.

From what I understood that development could be in the Auchterlonie area. And maybe they are eying with the already existing, but non-public development at Gemsbokplein. That site is used for educational purposes like Kids in the Parks. Hence not an all-year-round occupation and impact like a new camp will have.


I don't care that only a tiny percentage of the whole park is used for tourism. Fact is that the existing roads struggle to accommodate the traffic. Fact is also that damage to the dunes will be higher with even more vehicles battling for a view at a sighting. It is true that lot of stretches in the KTP offer opportunities for lots of cars. But there are also a lot of other stretches that do not and I've witnessed behaviour at those places... Not everybody patiently awaits their turn (and not everybody is prepared to give others that opportunity), so they'll just make sure they get to see what they want to see, i.e. driving into the veld.

bamabzonke said it elsewhere: KTP has become a prestige destination for people to brag about going there / having been there... The true KTP supporters are getting fewer and fewer because they either can't afford the prices anymore or can't get accommodation. But I rather not go to the KTP then seeing it more and more destroyed.

[Mel]

Unusual timing this plan, can't find the dates for tenders etc.?

Where to send your comments

Submissions are welcome for five weeks after the release date of the draft management plan
and can be made in writing to:

Manager: Park Management Plans
PO Box 787
Pretoria
0001
Submissions can also be emailed to andre.spies@sanparks.org

[Lisbeth]

How can anyone conceive the idea of a day visitor picnic site in the KTP? You cannot be a day visitor in that park if you want to go further than TR
It just has no sense I am surprised that they have not started talking about asphalting the roads yet

[Lisbeth]

NOTICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL BASIC ASSESSMENT PROCESS
APPLICATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL AUTHORISATION FOR THE PROPOSED DAWID KRUIPER REST CAMP AND PICNIC SITES AT THE
VEERTIENDE AND BEDINKT BOREHOLES WITHIN THE KGALAGADI TRANSFRONTIER PARK, NORTHERN CAPE PROVINCE

National Department of Environmental Affairs: Reference Number: 14/12/16/3/3/1/1826

Notice is hereby given in terms of Regulation 41 of the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations (GN No. R.982, 2014, as amended) and under Chapter 5 of the National Environmental
Management Act (Act 107, 1998) as amended, of the application for environmental authorisation made by South African National Parks (SANParks) (the Applicant) to the National Department
of Environmental Affairs (DEA) for the following activities:

Project Description: SANParks is proposing to establish the David Kruiper Rest Camp (DKRC) (a 28-bed tourism accommodation facility and associated infrastructure) and picnic sites
(ablutions and 10 picnic tables per site) at the Veertiende and Bedinkt boreholes within the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (KTP).


Subject Property / Locality: The proposed DKRC is situated in the Northern Cape, within the ZF Mgcawu Magisterial District and Dawid Kruiper Local Municipality in the Khomani San

Concession Area of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (KTP), on the Farm 643, approx. 10 km north of the Twee Rivieren Rest Camp. The proposed Veertiende Borehole Picnic Site is situated on the Mata Mata Road approx. 83 km from Twee Rivieren and approx. 33 km from the Mata Mata Rest Camp. The proposed Bedinkt Picnic Site is situated on the Nossob Road approx. 35km north of the Nossob Rest Camp.

An application for environmental authorisation has been made to undertake the following listed activities:
 GNR. 983 (LN1) of 2014 (as amended by GNR. 327 of 07 April 2017) Activities: 12(ii)(c) and 27; and
 GNR. 985 (LN3) of 2014 (as amended by GNR. 324 of 07 April 2017) Activities: 4(g)(ii)(aa), 6(g)(ii)(aa), 12(g)(iv) and 14(ii)(c)(g)(ii)(aa).

As such, a Basic Assessment process is required to obtain Environmental Authorisation. Delron Environmental Consultants has been appointed by the project applicant as the independent

Environmental Assessment Practitioner to undertake this process.

Invitation to Participate: Should you wish to be registered as an Interested and Affected Party (I&AP) or comment on the above-mentioned project and application process, please submityour name, contact information and interest in the matter, in writing, to the contact person indicated below, BY NO LATER THAN 6 NOVEMBER 2017.

Contact: Mr. P De Lange at Delron Consulting (Pty) Ltd
P.O. Box 177, Woodlands, 0072, Phone: 082 571 5396, Fax: 086 588 4242
E-mail: pieter@delron.co.za
Date of Publication: 6 October 2017

[Richprins]

I wonder how many lodges and rest camps in Africa are named after people?

I suppose Kruger is!

[Lisbeth]

I did not know who he was until I asked Google

It's the first one in KTP called after someone, as far as I know.

[Mel]

In their greed to milk the cow and make tons of money, they'll kill the Kgalagadi…