Africa Wild

To be perfectly honest, I don't think that the money making thought is unique
to South Africa. All of our Western Noses countries have been at that point.
It's just some years in the past. But the decisions made then have not been
any better. That's why I so wish that countries like SA, that still have choices
would learn from the mistakes that have been made in overdevelopped countries
and decide to go a different route. Then again it's probably difficult to generate
an income and improve the living standards for many, many poor people...
Argh, dunno, is such a complex topic.

Lisbeth wrote:Sounds rather like the beginning to end to me. I am happy that we are coming this year, because shortly there will be very little left of the Kruger that we know and I feel terribly sad and terribly frustrated....and terribly angry too!!!!!!

Sadly so, Lis, I think you are right.

We are still in the “hook and cook” era in Africa IMO, but many in the 1st world have realized that it’s not always the correct way.

Agreed, complex topic, so I’m going to duck before I get in trouble

I suppose that Mel is right, that all the mistake have been made already, but we were the first to commit them, nobody had taught us what was right and what was wrong. Doing it a second time around is just so darn stupid

We did not listen to our parents either, did we? The only way to learn is and then it is too late

Mel wrote:That's why I so wish that countries like SA, that still have choices
would learn from the mistakes that have been made in overdeveloped countries
and decide to go a different route.

Mel wrote:Then again it's probably difficult to generate
an income and improve the living standards for many, many poor people...
Argh, dunno, is such a complex topic.

Very difficult and the need for improvement is ever increasing.
But two wrongs don't make a right either...
Destroying square kilometres of a sanctuary cannot be the solution. It just cannot be!

Lisbeth wrote:... it is too late

Too late already, Lis and BC. Too late already.

I am afraid it is!!

All nature lovers must be shocked, sacered, saddened, sickened by this! It is all about the commercialization of Kruger. It is about more hotels in Kruger.
The planned and approved Peripheral Development Zone (PDZ) runs around the park and will be a two kilometres wide zone for development of hotels, nothing else.

Very sad news indeed , so our December trip may be our last to Kruger

We will start looking at other parks

While the whole country is falling in disarray and is sliding towards anarchy, the Sanparks heads are proving to be a bunch of strugglers.
The whole organisation is one big bunch of stugglers..
They struggle to speak the truth, struggle to not rob the organisation blind, struggle to not forge signatures, struggle to stay out of court and struggle to live up to the mandate.
While they are struggling to administer that part of the country that was appointed to them to manage, they change rules and regulations the way they see fit just to fit their needs.
The unbelievable hatred against anything that the “whiteman” has “build up” or trying to preserve has led to another more obscure struggle to change all the known ways and values of re- inventing the wheels of conservation.
That causes the visitors to struggle to get the service they deserve. The wild life struggles to get a place to live in dignity. The whole ecology struggles to stay alive.
When are people here going to start being achievers?

What a bunch of strugglers!!

Judging from the minister's earlier brilliant statements, this one shows a similar lack of understanding about what the real reasoning is behind the rezoning...ie SanParks just throws a few words like "rhino", "task force" and "corridor" at her and she signs off.

But remember, her Department rejected the Malelane Hotel's initial EIA, and the hotel should have started being built more than two years ago now.

So it's not all plain sailing for them!