According to SanParks acting chief executive officer, Hapiloe Sello, the organisation is deeply saddened by the recent spate of attacks on visitors en route to the iconic national park, particularly on the road leading to Numbi Gate south of the park… "and urges tourists with active and future bookings to use other entrance gates to the park".
On behalf of the staff and board of SanParks, she again sent her heartfelt condolences and prayers to the family and friends of the deceased and thanked the government and all South Africans for the outpouring of support following this tragic incident. "We fully appreciate that this incident has brought a lot of apprehension to many of our loyal local and international visitors which could result in cancellations for planned visits to the park and surrounding areas.
"It is thus important for us to remind our loyal visitors that Kruger has a total of 10 gates which tourists can safely enter from. In the south of the park, there are five other entrances namely Paul Kruger, Phabeni and Orpen Gates through the R40 from White River as well as Malelane and Crocodile Bridge through the N4 toll road towards Komatipoort in Mpumalanga province. In the north of the Park, visitors can enter through Phalaborwa, Punda Maria or Pafuri and lastly, Giriyondo Border Post allows access directly from Mozambique
She said with the tourism industry currently in the midst of a post-Covid-19 recovery plan, such incidents undermine the marketing efforts of tourism stakeholders. Sello called on law enforcement agencies to leave nothing to chance in bringing the perpetrators to book. "We also urge members of the adjacent communities to the Kruger National Park to assist with any information that could lead to the arrests of the suspects" concluded Sello.
