Not impressed with SANParks facility at Hoekwil

Anonymous, George:

I visited the Big Tree at Hoekwil (Woodville) on Sunday 28 August and have the following observations: There was no hand wash (soap) in the toilets.

The automatic dispenser was not working. The plant identification boards are faded and not readable, the hand railing to the wooden walkway near the tree was loose and dangerous, baboon feces around the tree made it unwalkable and was at least a couple of months old.

I just feel that if you are expected to pay an entry fee, adequate provision should be made for users and the required attention to detail. After all, this is what tourists, both local and international, experience. If we are to attract tourists, let us get our act together. This is not up to the usual high standards that SANParks sets for itself.

SANParks responds:

Thank you to the complainant for taking the time to report the anomalies to us. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience and disappointment they suffered while visiting the Woodville Big Tree. The management team of Wilderness always appreciates feedback from guests in order to improve on our tourism facilities and rectify possible flaws in our system.

In the light of the complainant's findings, a meeting was had with the gate officials and the matters highlighted were brought to their attention in order to prevent a recurrence of this in the future.

We will ensure that all aspects relating to the ablution facility are continuously attended to, as well as the general maintenance matters taken care of.

Once again, please accept our apologies for this incident and despite this happening, we hope that the complainant will consider visiting the Wilderness National Park again in the future.