Alcohol, Speeding, Littering = Day Visitors

[prings]

As I briefly mentioned in the mining topic, their is a big problem currently in Mapungubwe with day visitors.
Mapungubwe is the most pristine, beautiful & relaxing park one can find. Traffic is minimal and you can enjoy your day of driving and viewing. That is until it is close to gate closure. We stayed at Leokwe camp which is 11k's inside the park. The confluence picnic area that is used by the day visitors is several k's further into the park from Leokwe. On 2 of the evenings that we were there, we drove to the confluence area and back into camp close to gate closing time. The camp has no gate as there is no fence. It seems that certain groups of day visitors think that gate closing time is Grand Prix green flag time from the picnic area for the approx 15k drive. On the 2 occasions we had speeding convoys coming at us.
On one of the afternoons when we drove past the picnic area, one of the covered table areas looked like the day after a rock concert. There were full and empty alcohol bottles & cans on the tables and on the ground in the area. There was 1 man there looking after the mess and the rest of the items of food & personal things. The rest of the group had gone on a drive down the 4x4 road in their quantums and ordinary cars. Later that afternoon as we were heading back to Leokwe by closing time, we witnessed the Funeral Home Convoy racing for the gate.
On one of the other evenings, we drove to the main gate to do a sunset drive. Only about 2 hours earlier we had driven from the main gate to the camp, after coming back in from the western section of the park. We had seen another group of day visitors traveling in convoy heading out. In a one and a half kilometer stretch of the road to the gate, we had 2 x plastic juice bottles, 2 x glass alcohol bottles and 3 alcohol aluminium cans. A total of 7 discards that were not there earlier. I reported it to the gate office, and they sent someone out to pick them up. At least they got 5 of them.

Huge amounts of money has been spent in putting up large no alcohol signs throughout Kruger for ALL members of the outside day visitor community. I am very cautious in saying this, but the only groups of offenders that we observed were from one sector of the outside day visitor community. This is probably the reason for the continued late departures, as they probably get away with it on a regular basis.

[Lorraine]

Maybe they should implement the same day visitor alcohol rule as in Kruger.

I'll drink to that

lp

[iNdlovu]

Those of you that still can, go check this out
http://www.sanparks.org/forums/viewtopi ... 75&t=55516

[Sprocky]

Great post Tony!!!

I love the way you mentioned the Africa Wild forum.

[iNdlovu]

Apparently it was edited because i broke rule # 18
"18. You may only promote causes that are endorsed and supported by the SANParks' Forum Management"

[iNdlovu]

Yup now I have seen it all. A ligit post (OK I mentioned that the post was on the Africa Wild Forum. Instead of a thank you for pointing out a problem, and investigating, they hide behind rules of their forum and lock the thread. Now you tell me if SanParks are interested in sorting out problems in our National parks.

[Lisbeth]

They might even be interested in doing so, but they do not support to be criticized

Any critical post, even in the complaints forum, gets closed immediately.

[Sprocky]

They are seriously missing the plot!!!

[prings]

I have just posted this in Northern Parks on SANParks. Lets see the comments now that the third party has become the number one party!!

[iNdlovu]

Thanks prings, your assistance is appreciated.