South Africa’s government is appealing for donations to help fund repairs at the iconic Kruger National Park, following torrential rains and flooding that claimed dozens of lives and caused widespread damage to lodges, camps, and roads.
The cost of rebuilding has initially been estimated at R500 million ($31 million), Minister of Forestry Fisheries and Environment Willie Aucamp told reporters in Cape Town on Thursday. The park’s revenue will also be adversely impacted due to a sharp decline in visitor numbers, he said.
Read: SA declares national disaster in response to deadly floods
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Established in 1898, the Kruger National Park is one of South Africa’s biggest tourist attractions, with more than 2 million people visiting in 2024. The government has declared the flooding a national disaster and the National Treasury will establish a fund into which contributions for rebuilding can be paid.
“We have to treat the recovery of Kruger National Park as business unusual, otherwise it will take five years for it to recover,” said Hapiloe Sello, the chief executive officer of South African National Parks.
Other parts of the eastern Mpumalanga province where the park is situated have also been impacted by the flooding, as has neighbouring Mozambique.
Read: SA closes Kruger Park as deadly floods kill dozens
Meanwhile, South Africa’s southern coastal region is contending with chronic water shortages in several municipalities, with the tourism hub of Knysna particularly badly affected, and wildfires that have razed about 132 000 hectares of land and destroyed homes and other structures.
About R19 million has been spent on fighting the fires since the start of December, with the bulk of the money going toward aerial support, and some 2 600 personnel have been involved, said Alan Winde, the premier of the Western Cape province.
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