Riverbed cycle challenge in Kgalagadi

[iNdlovu]

Imagine this.......you save up for a year to go to the KTP, finaly you have enough money and you make a booking. Of course this would have to be well in advance. The big day comes and you pack up for family in the old 4x4 and head off to the park, full of anticipation of the week ahead, quiet solitude, early morning game drives, the chances of spotting the famous Kalahari lions. You book into camp in the late afternoon, noticing a more than usual number of people and vehicles at the camps. Aaaaaah, peacefull night around the fire, the southern sky speckled with a trillion diamonds, you listen for the night sounds...perfection.
The next morning you're up early to catch the magic light for some wild life photography and head out of the gate to find the track bumper to bumper with cars, bicycles on their roofs. What is going on here? Cyclists milling around in their brightly coloured gear, filling up water bottles and stretching muscles, the road is closed by a few official looking people. You get out of the car to find out what is going on to be told that you will have to wait until a cycle race gets underway...there goes the window for great photographic oportunities. Advertising banners litter the side of the road. Hundreds of cyclists bunch at the start and eventually off they go, the sprint to get ahead creates a cloud of dust, but it is nothing to the cloud stirred up by the support vehicles, and you sit wide eyed, watching this spectacle dissapearing into the distance.
For the rremainder of the morning you follow a trail of candy wrappers, disgarded by re-energized cyclists, dust and mayhem. You give up and return to camp. This is not what you saved up for a year to witness, vowing never to return to a SanParks reserve.

SP, you are blowing it once again

[iNdlovu]

It certainly is extremely frustrating to a born and bred South African when he gets dictated to by a person living overseas what he may and may not discuss on an issue that directly affects his heritage.

[annie]

I've only just seen this thread here, picked up from my blog post. I just wanted to let everyone know that I have asked various people to contribute to the discussion on my website, including Peter Zietsman of the West Rand Honorary Rangers/HRs (which is organising the event) and Janssen Davies of the national HRs. I've also asked the editor of Ride magazine and the executive of the Pedal Power Association for their comments from the point of view of cyclists - just for a rounded debate. You can continue to follow the comments here: http://www.roxannereid.co.za/1/post/201 ... agadi.html

Thanks to AIKONA and to Lisbeth, who posted its response with the contact details of the HRs involved. I suggest that all those who feel strongly about this event should email their individual comments to Sanparks and the HRs given by Lisbeth above. If you want to address an email to anyone at Sanparks, such as KTP regional manager Dries Engelbrecht, park manager Steven Smith or anyone whose name higher up in the organisation you might know, the form of Sanparks email addresses is always: firstname.surname@sanparks.org (e.g. dries.engelbrecht@sanparks.org)
Finally, thanks for your support on this issue.

[Sprocky]

Thanks for that annie.

Just as a matter of interest, we are no longer AIKONA, but Africa Wild.

[annie]

Sprocky, I meant AIKONA, whose "Dear friends" commentary in an email to members Lisbeth posted earlier.

[Sprocky]

[Richprins]

Agreed, annie! Did you put up the link to this discussion thread on your blog? Doesn't look like my post made it on there!

[annie]

Richprins, I don't see a link from you awaiting approval on my blog. Will you comment again please, and I'll approve it. Thanks

[Peter Betts]

I sent Peter Zietsman a very friendly email this morning...Got a very nice reply saying they are putting out a bulletin explaining...Ja like Mabunda explaining the Hotel, Zuma explaining the R200m.....We can always get the R200m back but we cant geta trashed Klalgadi back...thin edge of the Wedge...Rock Concert next year ....So I told Peter Z ...explain all you like but tht does NOT give HRS the Right to do this at all never mind not being transparent and trying to sneek in under the radar...They are wrong OK we all make mistakes...There is only ONE outcome...can the project and use a Park like Table Mountain, Storms River or Golden Gate all fab Mt Bike unfragile environments...Jeepers I cant believe there are such unexperienced shallow thinkers involved with the Parks!!!

[PRWIN]

they will put out a bulletin explaining , which will then be locked so no one can comment on the reply