South African National Parks (SANParks), together with Total South Africa and FNB will be hosting the 15th annual SA National Parks Week from November 16 to 20, 2020.
SANParks Chief Executive Officer Fundisile Mketeni said SANParks has postponed the free access week for September to November due to the Covid-19 alert level 2 regulations, which restrict the number of persons allowed within public spaces.
The parks have implemented extra visitor management procedures in the parks to manage visitor volumes in line with regulations to further mitigate the risk of the spread of coronavirus.
"SA National Parks Week is an annual campaign that gives all South African citizens the opportunity to enter most of the parks managed by SANParks for free, with the exclusion of Namaqua National Park and Boulders section at Table Mountain National Park. The free access to parks does not include free access to accommodation facilities and other tourist activities," said Mketeni.
He said every year, SANParks aims to increase the number of travellers that are granted free access to national parks during free that week. "Since we started the programme in 2006, some 551 393 South Africans have been allowed to enter national parks, and we want to see these numbers grow.
“The week in partnership with Total South Africa and FNB is meant to cultivate a sense of pride in South Africa’s natural, cultural and historical heritage and a deeper appreciation of biodiversity. It is important for South Africans to visit and know the importance of national parks," added Mketeni.
He highlighted the growing need for national parks to be relevant, particularly to young people and communities living adjacent to parks.
“Through our Socio-Economic Transformation programmes and our Expanded Public Works Programme, we work closely with communities living adjacent to national parks in order to be more inclusive. We can tackle issues of wildlife crime with their help, afford them more access to parks for cultural use, inform young people about the different career options that parks have to offer and create job opportunities. SANParks hopes to strengthen and enable those communities to reap the benefits of the national parks," he added.