Text by Jannie Herbst, Publishing Editor. jannie@leisurewheels.com

Source: This letter was taken from the May 2011 issue of Leisure Wheels

Remember the days when one group member’s bad behaviour or failure to comply with a rule caused an entire group to suffer the consequences? Just think about your army days… or school days.

The teacher would typically say: “Not one of you will go home until the person who wrote this word on the blackboard comes forward!”

Memories of such incidents recently came flooding back when I read the following statement from the Kruger National Park:

“Over the past festive season, we had an increase in poor behaviour ranging from speeding, road kills, littering, playing of loud music, disturbance of wildlife at animal sightings, nude swimming in the pools, day visitors using designated areas for overnight guests only without permission from occupants, and excessive public consumption of alcohol.”

Because of this, day visitors may no longer take liquor into the park. Thankfully, overnight visitors may still do so, but no one may consume liquor in public places such as picnic spots and braai areas.

“We decided to introduce this policy in order to eliminate the growing unacceptable behaviour by visitors who misbehave in the park when they are intoxicated,” continues the KNP’s statement.

One of my guilty pleasures (one that I’m sure I share with many nature lovers) has now been taken away from me because some people – who probably don’t give a hoot about nature anyway and see our national parks as a party venue only – can’t behave themselves.

We recently visited the Debengeni Waterfall near Tzaneen for a photoshoot. A family was trying to have a picnic in the tranquil surroundings, but could hardly converse over the loud music emanating from a minibus taxi parked nearby. The taxi’s sound system made a louder noise than the waterfall! Moreover, empty beer cans were strewn all over the show. So admittedly, the KNP’s concern is legitimate.

But back to my guilty pleasures. How wonderful it was to leave a camp at dusk, surrounded by the sounds of nature greeting a new day. The beautiful sunrise; the sense and smell of nature awakening.

And four hours later, capping this beautiful experience off with a champagne breakfast, consisting of omelettes and bacon, at one of the picnic sites.

Or to head to a beautiful look-out spot just before sunset to enjoy a sundowner with friends as another day bids its spectacular farewell. Now these pleasures are over and out. We now have to pay the penalty for a group of uneducated idiots who view the parks and their picnic spots as party venues only.

In the light of the increasing occurrence of picnic spots turned into “day clubs”, we support the KNP’s decision. After all, preserving nature is the business of the park, and taking the rowdy lot out of the equation will enhance the experience for the rest of us.

But now the KNP has shot itself in the foot: it has announced that two five-star hotels are to be built in the park. A 120-room establishment is planned for the Sabie River inside Skukuza Camp, and another at Malelane.

One of the most unbelievable utterances of the year so far belongs to Dr David Mabunda, who masquerades as chief executive officer of SANParks.

In trolling through a variety of industry websites such as South African Tourism Update and Getaway Blog, I came across a couple of Mabunda’s gems.

Arguing that those opposed to new hotels being built within the confines of the Kruger Park were behind the times, Mabunda said: “Environmentalists are essentially conservative. But we live in the 21st century. Things are different now.” What utter drivel.

Just because we live in the 21st century does not mean it is okay to go ahead willy-nilly and build hotels in what is a national heritage and treasure. Have Mabunda and SANParks stopped to think that it is the very lack of hotels in the Kruger Park that is perhaps one of the reasons why it is such a sought-after destination for South Africans and overseas visitors?

Mabunda goes on to say that “there is no scientific evidence that having a hotel in a protected area has a negative impact on biodiversity.” He also adds that “no species or wilderness qualities have been damaged over 40 years” by the two hotels currently in South African national parks at Paul Kruger Gate and Golden Gate Highlands.

This is followed up by: “In actual fact, hotels in the bush bear the hallmarks of environmental sensitiveness, as opposed to the bling of multi-storied, neon lights and noisy disco entertainment of city hotels.”

This is double-speak, and suggests we should believe that hotels within the park will be bereft of conference facilities and all the other bells and whistles associated with such establishments.

The parting shot from Dr Mabunda is that “people need to realise we are no longer running tourism in parks on gut feel and luck, but on industry standards and knowledge.”

Surely industry standards and knowledge tell SANParks that South Africans, as well as thousands of overseas visitors, love the Kruger National Park just as it is.

The doctrine according to Dr Mabunda is flawed. And to our simple minds, hotels in the Kruger Park – even if they bear the hallmarks of environmental sensitiveness – should be taboo. Fortunately, we have the opportunity to tell Dr Mabunda and SANParks how we feel.