Kruger National Park: Be Careful of what We may Lose

[Richprins]

Thanks, Scips!

But ideas on taxes, stock market?

[Scipio]

That is the easy questions.

As a government entity, written in contract will be tax allowances and exemptions will be written in, under the auspices of job creation, community involvement etc. ( Hey, the new OSV deals comes to mind ) probably 4 to 6 years of tax heaven.

As far as stock is concerned. It is simple. Lets say hotel X can now advertise Kruger, the great icon, the First Wonder of the world, the largest, biggest best as theirs????? It does give an opportunity to increase stock values, play with stocks, especially if you are one of the knowing peeps, you can buy right, sell in time, make many moohlaaaaas. (Sorry, this is the Scips that saw too much greed in his life speaking)

But it will increase stock price in the medium term. Dont think long term, cause the bubble will burst.

[Richprins]

Very interesting! Thank you, young man!

[Richprins]

And where will the concessions be left, do you think? They already struggle?

And their infrastructure reverts to Kruger in a decade or so?

[Scipio]

Current concessions will run their course BUT: This is only my personal opinion.....

In South Africa we have a group of people that are involved in commerce. Names like Kuseni Dlamini, guys that are on boards, in directorships, and I am not saying it is corrupt or anything. It is just these guys due to past systems are the only ones that can do the job. Natural progression from there are a Chairman of SANParks position and Directorship in the Malelane Hotel Stakeholders at the same time. (Now I am specifically excluding the guys that are in such positions due to government links, corruption etc. )

When those concessions run out, who will have the pole position you think. And remember, concession agreements will differ from the theoretical privatisation programme. Putting pressure on the whole system, and specifically concessionholders. A reminder that they were in, before the new vision and mission statement of SANParks to uplift, share and feed the nations. (Nations plural cause there are moe illegal Mozam. and Zim citizens in the areas around Kruger than South Africans. )

Now who, and this is also Crystal Ball stuff as RP puts it, will the roleplayers be?

Protea group? Maybe not cause they are a managing company, but on the other hand they have a connection with the current head of Kruger.
UB Resorts from India? They do have a current consession in Kruger, a foot in the door, and also personal relation with High Government.
Residor, Malelane hotel Stakeholders, yes, and they have links to SANParks and government through directorships and family ties.
Forever Resorts, the guys that baught 90% of another parastatal.

The list goes on and on. But ALL of the major possibles have one thing in common. THEY ARE NOT PROUDLY SOUTH AFRICAN!!!!!!!!!!! I dont think SouthAfrican companies in the industry has enough money for such a deal.

This brings to the front another factor: The theoritical privatisation must have a SA flavour. And who will bring the SA flavour? SA people of influence, government, their families, their connections.....Africa Wins Again.

[Richprins]

Next: Entitlement



This is a very vague term, but applies to Kruger in two ways, one old and new, and one new.

The first one is a sense amongst some Kruger staff that they "own the place", and can do what they want as they know what is best and tourists must not interfere. I experienced this in the '80s already, on a personal level. But that does not make it right, as Kruger belongs to all, and the "bleddie toeriste" actually pay the staff's salaries!


Lately, though, the entitlement has taken a new turn, along with the rest of the country, that being that Kruger was a preserve for white people in the past, and must now serve as a rebuilder of racial inequality.

This is not the job of a National Park, IMO, and too many irregularities occur nationwide under the banner of "redressing the past".

Focus is simply lost on the conservation part.

One example of the mentality was the response by a SANDF officer accosted by a section ranger last year for being AWOL regarding antipoaching, during which the officer stated that "Do you think this is your farm?". I know SANDF is not part of Kruger staff, but this attitude does prevade regarding senior SP management, IMO.

https://africawild-forum.com/viewtopic.php?f=197&t=5323


And it continues: https://africawild-forum.com/viewtopic.php?f=197&t=4978


It is clear that SP is not really for all people, anymore.

Also disturbing was Dr Mabunda's statement (when he was SP CEO) that foreigners should keep their "Western Noses" out of SA business regarding Kruger.

[Richprins]

Fortunately, Kruger is a National Park, so the actual "Property" cannot be sold to a private entity without a further amendment to the NEMPA...or at the very least a huge rigmarole in Parliament. So Kruger is "safe" in that regard. There is no way significantly sized portions of a National Park can be simply deproclaimed, so we and future generations are assured, at least!

Or are we?

Land Claims.


There is an illuminating thread here: viewtopic.php?f=317&t=487


One can read there and see that SP has been using Land Claims as a bugbear to justify commercialisation, self-reliance and community involvement since 2008. In reality, only two land claims have been addressed in that period...minor ones regarding Nkambeni and Mjejane in the South of the Park, with no change in the stipulation that relevant land be retained as conservation land, as per the Land Reform stipulations.


So no crisis at all, and Land Reform is handled by its own large and well-funded National Department, nothing to do with SANParks.


But the POLITICAL landscape has changed drastically over the last two years in SA. The ruling party has declined significantly in support, leaving itself massively reliant upon uneducated and social grant-dependent voting communities in rural provinces such as Mpumalanga and Limpopo...many of these communities neighbouring KNP.


Land restitution is the main policy mantra of the ruling party's chief opposition in these two provinces, whereby "colonial" land should be returned to its "rightful owners" for free, for justice to be done and what not. To date productive farmland and enterprises have been targeted remarkably selectively.


Over the years, SP has rather unusually been upping the community involvement of its programs, culminating in "sustainable conservation" being the absolute predominating policy in its latest 2015 mission statement. New head of SP board and CEO of KNP are also commercialisation experts. This is no coincidence.

Next year we have local municipal elections, and the governing party is becoming increasingly desperate amid various scandals and collapses regarding parastatals. They are also renowned for making fantastic promises come election time, especially placating and awarding tribal chiefs and kings, who do actually instruct their followers on how to vote, a fact!


A scenario:


While SP and by implication SA government have Southern Kruger, the massive money generator, under control with relatively satisfied and placated neighbouring communities (Numbi, Matsulu and Nkhuhlu), the huge communities neighbouring the Central and Northern districts, like Thulamahashe, Acornhoek, Bushbuckridge, Thekamahahle, Namakgale (Phalaborwa), Giyani, Thulamela etc. have received little compensation.

The lower-intensity Central and Northern Regions are a drop in the ocean as far as tourism revenue is concerned. While there are a number of Luxury Lodges there, that rental income will relatively soon dry up as their leases run out...so expendable as election crisis is paramount next year.

Extremely simple to promise local chiefs swathes of land in Kruger in those regions, literally ownership, not costing anyone any money, as the government fiscus is empty, in exchange for votes. Regarding Parliamentary majority approval for this...well, it could be done easily once the ruling party has those secured votes. Even if that does not happen, the chiefs will have their land. And Government will have lost little of the financial income.

And meanwhile tenders and contracts will have been sorted regarding OSV-only tourist access to the lucrative South of the Park, self-drive abolished, Hotels built on the perimiters in the PDZ just outside Kruger but feeding SP, Skukuza Airport operating at full blast, etc.

[Richprins]

Crime:

What the powers that be may not realise, while basking in the legendary tourist turnover of the Park, is that some the core faithful locals who visit partly do so to escape from the crime wave sweeping SA, be it consciously or subconsciously, when thinking of a holiday destination, IMO.

This is one of the most precious attractions the Park has to offer, and needs to be guarded as a matter of extreme priority!

So far so good, but there is no reason to believe that it will not hit home in the future...with some chilling warnings coming from other Parks around the country.

Cases of petty theft have occurred in Kruger over the last few years, whether by staff members or fellow tourists. Management have stated that there were "investigations" and what not, but the point is this should be addressed hard and fast, with continuous report backs and relentless prosecution of offenders, to make a statement, so to speak.

Otherwise, it will just get worse, as offenders are pretty used to lax sentences/prosecution/bribery of officials etc. in the rest of the country. IMO.

There is also an unprecedented influx of "strangers" into the Park, with little control...from visitors to staff villages, contractors, deliveries, SANDF personnel etc.

A quick in and out, even through fences if required, and the right palms are greased. Criminals are becoming more and more audacious, organised, diversified and cunning.


Scenarios:

1. It starts slowly, testing the waters, so to speak, from a syndicate having received requests for cameras. A small camp near the fence, Malelane, for example, is targeted by some hopped up local "footsoldiers". All huts are raided during the night, while tourists are sleeping with doors unlocked. They are perfectly capable of doing that!



Actually, no need to go further, one can get the drift here...

[H. erectus]

Actually quite real RP,...rather concerning in the least,..
That sense of being and secure now taking on rather odd
dimension,.....

[Richprins]

By no means should this reflect on Kruger at the moment, at all!! Nor deter visitors!


Just something to think about!