R18m for new park camp
MORE than R18 million will be spent on the development of the Dawid Kruiper Rest Camp in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.
This was announced recently by the Minister of Environmental Affairs, Edna Molewa, during the launch of the ‡Khomani Cultural Landscape World Heritage site at Andriesvale in the Northern Cape.
Molewa said that R18.1 million had been made available by SANParks for the development of the rest camp, which would be developed in the area between the Heritage Park and the Auob River.
“This is the area in which the community has preferential commercial development rights in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, the so-called V-zone (Voorkeur zone), running between the Heritage Park and the Auob River.”
She added that planning had started for the rest camp which would include 10 tourist accommodation units, a reception building and living quarters, a swimming pool, parking, associated infrastructure, i.e. bulk services (water, electricity and sewer services) and access and internal roads.
“The selection of the site, as well as the concept design for the proposed chalets, was done with input from the Bushmen Council.
The Environmental Impact Assessment process is presently being undertaken and this authorisation is expected to be completed by the end of January next year.
“The tender for construction will then be awarded, with construction set to start in June 2018.”
The new rest camp is expected to open in July 2019.
Molema said that in terms of the management agreement, SANParks would run the rest camp, with 50 percent of the profit going to the ‡Khomani San.
“This model will result in the lowest overheads with highest returns for both parties.”
This week’s event at Andriesvale formed part of the celebrations to acknowledge the inscription of the ‡Khomani Cultural Landscape as South Africa’s 9th World Heritage Site, the 1 073rd World Heritage Site in 167 countries.
The ‡Khomani Cultural Landscape joins the Fossil Hominid Sites of South Africa, Maloti-Drakensberg Park (Transboundary with Lesotho), Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape, Vredefort Dome, Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape, Robben Island Museum, iSimangaliso Wetland Park and the Cape Floral Region Protected Areas as South Africa’s World Heritage Sites.
This inscription took place at the 41st session of the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) World Heritage Committee in Poland in July this year.
Molewa pointed out that the red dunes of the ‡Khomani Cultural Landscape were strongly associated with this unique culture stretching from the Stone Age to the present.