SANParks and the COVID 19 pandemic

[Richprins]

The point is, that would have been fine under Level 3 lockdown, but why now still? The Minister said NO!

[Lisbeth]

Alf, we do not know if it is true what was written on Facebook. It is not excluded that it has been a bit exaggerated.

RP, SANParks is always late. Things that should have been done yesterday, will be done tomorrow

[Richprins]

Media Release: Accommodation Availability Status in SANParks

30 August 2020

Amongst other hospitality establishments, South African National Parks (SANParks) welcomed the lifting of the travel bans as well as accommodation occupancy limitations. However, these changes imply a "new normal" which is governed by strict health and safety protocols that need to be efficiently observed to keep employees and guests safe.

SANParks made an announcement earlier in the month that it intends to reopen its hospitality operations gradually to ensure optimum readiness to accommodate guests in compliance with new regulations and protocols.

In addition to compliance obligations, several other factors have led to the phased reopening of hospitality facilities chiefly that of the continuing refurbishment of accommodation facilities in some parks. The period of the lockdown provided an opportunity to undertake much-needed refurbishments and as with all of South Africa, reopening plans were based on a widely held assumption that tourism facilities would be allowed reopen toward mid-September; hence most refurbishment plans were geared for completion around this period.

Speaking of the impact of maintenance work on reopening tourism facilities; the CEO of SANParks, Mr Fundisile Mketeni said "we have some logistical challenges with regard to our readiness to resume full operations in some parks. In addition to planned maintenance work, it has emerged that the bulk of units that were unoccupied during the lockdown were damaged mainly by primates, squirrels and bats, however, we are moving with speed to repair them".

Providing further detail to the logistical challenges to resuming full operations, Mketeni stated that the recall of staff and their induction on new protocols could only be undertaken over a period of days - further adding to the delays. He emphasised that the induction is in the interests of the health and safety of both guests and staff. Mketeni went on to say "we had an option of staying closed for all business until we were 100% ready, however with the understanding that our loyal guests are yearning to spend time in nature, the compromise was to introduce a phased reopening of our guest facilities. In this manner, some people would have the privilege of visiting our parks while unfortunately several would be disappointed due to the above-stated reasons" concluded Mketeni.

In the last week, operational teams have worked hard to regularise our ability to function optimally and as such we would like to announce that:

The Head Office Reservation Call Centre in Pretoria is now operating at full capacity.
The online booking system has been stabilised and all technical disruptions resolved.
The accommodation in the majority of our parks is now fully operational with the exception of Kruger National Park which is the most impacted by continuing maintenance work, will open in a multi-phased approach between August and December 2020.

Most of the Kruger camps have reopened and are fully operational, however, Skukuza and Lower Sabie will be operating at minimum capacity until 1 October 2020 and 15 December respectively. Biyamiti, Maroela and Orpen remain closed and their estimated reopening dates are as follows;

Biyamiti: 15 October 2020
Maroela: 01 November 2020
Orpen: 07 November 2020

The bulk of guests with affected bookings have been contacted and this will continue until the end of September 2020. These guests are being offered alternative accommodation in other camps within Kruger or assisted in postponing their bookings. Guests who wish to make queries about their bookings are invited to send emails to a dedicated address: Kruger.overbookings@sanparks.org.

Mketeni concluded, "we are aware that trips were planned and paid for a long time ago and others are family traditions, however, due to the real challenges that we face, we urge for patience and tolerance from all guests".

Issued by:
South African National Parks, Kruger National Park

Media enquiries:
Isaac Phaahla
Media Specialist, SANParks
Tel: 013 735 4384, cell 083 673 6974
Email: Isaac.phaahla@sanparks.org

[Richprins]

At last!

Seems the 50% thing is quite fluid?

[Lisbeth]

If a private establishment of any kind worked like that, it would have gone bankrupt a long time ago

......based on a widely held assumption that tourism facilities would be allowed reopen toward mid-September;......

I wonder where he has picked up this rumour

In the last week, operational teams have worked hard to regularise our ability to function optimally

If you had started earlier and been more organized........

When the yearly economical results will appear, it is going be easy to see how much all this delay, made by themselves, has cost They all get paid anyway, opening in a month or three or opening two weeks ago Just have a look in which financial mess all the state-owned companies in SA are No carrot, not result

[Klipspringer]

Still a mystery

Why is Maroela which is camping only camp closed for a long time? I can not immagine any damage or upgrades for safety that would take months to be finished for a camp site

And why are Skukuza and Lower Sabie more affected than other large camps?

[Richprins]

Kruger National Park
@SANParksKNP
Refurbishments underway in KNP to welcome guests in the near future - photographs taken in Lower Sabie Rest Camp and Talamati Bushcamp.
9:06 AM · Sep 4, 2020

[Lisbeth]

This kind of work could easily have been done a long time ago

[Mel]

But it was not essential

[Richprins]

Lockdown through the eyes of a seasoned KNP ranger
On a recent visit to the Kruger National Park (KNP), Skukuza section ranger, Kally Ubisi shared with Lowvelder his experiences of when the park was nearly void of people.
10 hours ago



“When the lockdown began, it felt strange because it was the first time ever for me – I’ve been working in the park for the past 25 years – and then we were told about these changes that were about to happen. I saw the last guests being escorted out and they said they were going to close up the gates and there wouldn’t be any guests.”

He said that was when he realised how hard Covid-19 had hit everything. “I drove around the rest camp and it was like no man’s land; it was quite disturbing. Even when you’re driving around these roads, you go for hours without bumping into anyone. So it was a strange thing for us, but we managed to pull through with the dedication of everyone who were here.

“We wanted to make a difference and we had to keep the wheel turning. And obviously the poaching never stopped, because people thought the rangers were also in lockdown.”

Ubisi said they had some success with arrests toward the end of March and beginning of April, and that was when these people started realising the rangers were still out and about.

Poachers, however, manage to find new ways to infiltrate the KNP, so rangers constantly need to be on the lookout. He mentioned that there was also more to poaching than the mostly rhino-related cases that make the news.

“We have the normal ones that are all over the news, the rhino poaching, and then we have subsistence poaching. This is mainly snares set up on the boundaries, like on the Sabie River.”

The river runs on the boundaries of the Kruger where neighbouring villages also have access to it. Some get water from the river, but others have ulterior motives.

“Some try to cross the river. You can see it’s shallow so you can easily walk across and set up snares on the banks. When the wildlife come down to drink water they get entangled in these snares.

“Some people do it for the pot, but there are others who do it to enrich themselves.

“We had to take drastic actions, but it is an ongoing battle and is not going to stop overnight.”

Animals like pangolins and even lions are on the receiving end of these poaching attempts. Ubisi said they come across these instances and as rangers, it sometimes feels like they have failed the animals that were lost.

“I feel angered by these illicit activities that happen to our wildlife. People come in and kill them as they please; we should be doing something internationally to protect the wildlife.

“It doesn’t always feel like we are making enough of a difference. It is like you take 10 steps forward and six back. You have to do better time and time again.”

His day-to-day activities entails doing admin, meeting researchers and also assisting where he is needed.

“In the park you are like the social worker, the engineer, the psychologist… The people come with problems and they expect you to do something or help them out. You need to be a people’s person. As a ranger, there are all these hats for you to be able to make it through,” he remarked while laughing.

There is cohesion between him and his fellow rangers, and together they work well in getting to all their daily tasks.

When it comes to dealing with guests, Ubisi said visitors can make their lives easier by simply adhering to the rules. Keeping waste from food and drinks in their vehicles, not getting out of their cars – in other words, not committing petty crimes.

“We are here working, currently doing what we do, but ultimately we want to protect this national park so that our great-grandchildren can take over from us.”

In his 25 years, he has worked his way through the ranks. “I’m carrying a baton and I want to hand it to somebody else when I finish my race.”

https://lowvelder.co.za/703366/lockdown ... np-ranger/