tourism
Barry Streek
Discussions are being held about the establishment of the Wild Coast National Park in Pondoland and the creation of the Maluti Drakensberg Transfrontier Park, which will include the Golden Gate and QwaQwa National Parks, says Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Mohammed Valli Moosa.
He also says the decision to place 12 park lodges, including nine in the Kruger National Park, in the hands of the private sector could open the way for black participation in the tourism industry.
“One of the biggest challenges that we face in the tourism sector is the need for black economic empowerment,” he said this week during the review debate on his vote in the National Council of Provinces.
“The ownership patterns in this industry are particularly skewed. Too few black people are involved in senior managerial positions. Too few black people are registered as tour guides. And even fewer black people are owners of tourism enterprises.
“It is therefore not surprising that so few black South Africans are tourists in their own country. This is a state of affairs that needs urgent and concentrated attention.”
Moosa said the Eastern Cape had agreed to the transfer of the Woody Cape Nature Reserve to the South African National Parks (SANP) as part of the Greater Addo National Park project.
“Discussion is now under-way about the establishment of a Wild Coast National Park in Pondoland with the Mkambati provincial reserve as its core.”
The Northern Province had transferred the farm Greefswald, which is situated on the ruins of the great ancient city of Mapungubwe, to the SANP as part of Vhembe/Dongola National Park project.
The Free State was at present considering the incorporation of the QwaQwa National Park, a provincial park, into the Golden Gate National Park. This would add more value to the Maluti Drakensberg Transfrontier Park, “which we hope will become our next World Heritage Site. This project is an example of provincial and regional co-operation as it brings KwaZulu-Natal, Free State and Lesotho together in a common plan for tourism development and conservation,” said Moosa.
“In North West, we are collaborating on the Madikwe tourism corridor. This co-operation extends into the Northern Cape where we have established four tourism projects using poverty alleviation funds,” Moosa said.