SANParks.org Forums

The Radios in camps with the chalk board outside being the ONLY means of communication. Very often we would break the news of the birth of a baby in a family by chalking it on the board or leave a message for someone joining us to please bring Varsity results. If you went on a drive and your family had not yet arraived you could leave a message on the huge chalk boards and it was the first thing everyone checked. Wonderful service in the guesthouses where people like Augustyn at the Fish Eagle treated us to napkins folded a different way every night and we would rush back and share all our sightings with him. At the Struben cottage a few Barberton daisies were artistically arranged in a vase when the drinks table was prepared by the male attendant every evening and we always met up with the same people who started to recognise us - it was just awesome!

Remember the times before mobile phones? How often did we hear on national radio "We are looking for Mr Jo Soap. He is traveling between Pofadder and Putsonderwater in a blue Valiant car. If you see him please tell him to urgently contact Mr Koos van der Merwe at the following number...."

Just to To explain my statement , as we have to be so politically correct on this forum - I wish for the days of yesteryear before the KNP became what I call over commercialised - a large proportion of the forum discussions echo my feelings.

There is no need to apologise for being politically correct. It shows consideration and feelings towards the next person.

I suppose the two go hand in hand. The KNP hasn’t really become over commercialised. All that has happened is that the Park has opened up for the rest of the population. If you consider that only a small section of the population had access to the KNP before what you call ‘over commercialized’, then naturally there would be more travelers on the roads. Think about it, 15 chalets for 85% of the population. Do you know what is so sad about this. We ignore this history and restrictions and then say black people do not care about conservation and Kruger is not their thing.

Are you suggesting that we must only cater for the same number of people as yesteryear. So if Central Reservations get a request from me or you they can say this person was in KNP three times in the last year so now we must not allow him to go for the next three years.

Another thing is that we are not the pariah of the world anymore. Now that we are a country without sanctions we have more tourists coming to visit. People of all colour and nationalities are welcome and are enjoying our Parks. This can only be good for conservation as more people get the Kruger magic and want to help conserve it.

Now you have to compete with millions for a booking in the Park whereas before the Park was catering for 10% of South Africans.

Ndolti maybe one day we will meet on the H10 and I will flag you down and tell you look over there in the grass.




Nothing better than sharing a wonderful magical Kruger moment with a fellow nature lover

Always enjoyed the fires that were kept going at the picnic sites. We just had to take a spadefull of coals and we could start our braai. By the way, downloaded to my kindle, your first book and I am looking forward to starting it on my trip overseas in 4 weeks.

One of the greatest gifts, if not the greatest, to us humans

Ndloti, Sharifa has a point. We would have to choose between a verrrrrry long wait, or not at all.

We cannot exclude others without excluding ourselves. We could never get more than 4 nights at any given time. It was worse for those who needed to book in school holidays.

Certain companies paid their way into greater access by donating to the erection of exclusive bushcamps. We now have greater access to these, but there was always the priveledge of wealth. This has now largly been taken over by the concession camps.

I am trying to think if I saw many female rangers. I do not know when they lifted the restriction on woman training to become rangers. Again, this is touched on briefly in Bruce Brydon's book. I know that there were some, but not that many.

There was also one of the worst droughts in the nineties, but I think it might have been 98. Many animlas died as a result.

Grant

We obviously differ in our interpretation of commercialization.

@MM. One of the driest years was 1993.

But what differ from yesteryear is the fact that now people see each other as just another human being, just a number on the visitor's roll. In the past, we all considered each other as a member of the Kruger family and would greet each other as if they were long lost relatives. The communal braais are gone. There one mingled freely and departed as friends and most of the times, after the braai, you went to your bungalow without knowing the name of the person you have spoken to the whole evening.

I now see arrogance, selfishness, greed and a lot of other characteristics which were not there before. I have read about fights between people on one of the game roads, people jogging through other people's campsite, people marking off prime campsites for family that will only arrive a couple of days later and in general intolerance amongst the visitors.

Where are the days when you arrived at Satara with your caravan and in no time flat, the entire camping fraternity were there to welcome and assist you to put up your camp. One hardly had to move a finger, more often than not, one was treated with a cup of coffee and even something to eat.

The facts of the restrictions of time spent in the KNP:

1. The area north of Letaba was closed as from 1 October as the roads were graveled and rains often caused them to be non traversable, as well the threat of Malaria.

2. Restrictions were placed in order for more visitors to be able to visit the KNP, during the winter school holidays a visit was limited to 10 consecutive days and no more than five days in any one camp.

My bit about facilities for other races:

Yes I agree it was wrong and should not have been, then as today the KNP belongs to all South Africans and also to international nature loving visitors, it is one of the last few relatively unspoiled areas in the world.

I can clearly see why the view of those opposing the commercialization of our National parks is misunderstood, opposition to the commercialization has nothing whatsoever to do with racism or any hidden agendas, it has to do with keeping the Parks "simple and wild".

Everyone should please realize that our National Parks are there for the benefit mankind, this does not then mean that it can be overutelized. A line has to be drawn somewhere and according to scientific surveys the Marula Area is already being overutelized.

The 2010/2011 statistics indicate that the bed-nights in the whole of KNP had an occupancy level of 76% the previous year was 81%.

Expansion can not just take place because of the non availability of accommodation during peak periods.

However all the above is off topic and has nothing to do with: Kruger Park During the early 90's.

@ Grantmissy



ndloti commercialization started when the first bungalow was built and the first road laid. Stevenson-Hamilton was dead against tar roads but those that followed him had no problem with it so like you say it is a matter of interpretation.

Dr. Joubert has said on national TV that the latest development will not turn Kruger on its head. Dr Braack does not think it is over commercialization. Kruger also employs many experts and scientist so what information do you have to oppose two former Park Wardens and many scientists.

Is there anything better than telling another visitor of an exciting sighting down the road and to see the excitement on their faces?

BTW, lovely serval Sharifa!

Weltenman

Thanks saraf




Your words not mine. ndloti made a statement about his soul longing for yesteryear and I simply replied that my soul does not and gave the reasons why. I guess you have to experience the indignity of it to understand it.

Anyway Kruger stopped being simple and wild long ago. It has a bank, a post office, a golf course, many rest camps and staff villages, a church, a school, restaurants, swimming pools, hot and cold running water, electricity, power lines across the veld.

I find it ironic that some people that were involved in the developments above now cry foul yet we do EIA’s now and did not do so in the past – just look at Mopani for example.

Soul is about consideration and respect. This is why we strive for understanding. Soul is also about community. We are always on the way.

Rooies, thanks for the year of the drought. It must have been horrible. I know that it destroyed many farmers.