South African National Parks (SANParks) has announced new infrastructure and safety initiatives at its 21 parks ahead of the busy festive season.

The SANParks Festive Season Readiness (SFSR) Plan was announced this week. Its primary goal is to identify and mitigate potential safety and service delivery risks through operational and resource planning.

“The SFSR is a testament to our commitment to our guests' safety and enjoyment. It is designed to proactively identify potential public safety and service delivery risks. Its primary goal is to mitigate these risks through strategic operational and resource planning, ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience for all visitors,” Property Mokoena, Managing Executive for the Parks Division of SANParks, said.

Two of the country’s busiest parks, Table Mountain National Park and the Kruger National Park, will be beefing up resources and working closely with partners in a bid to keep visitors safe.

Table Mountain National Park

Table Mountain National Park is the second busiest tourist attraction in the country after the V&A Waterfront. To increase safety this festive season, SANParks has introduced the Table Mountain National Park Volunteer Safety Services. Speaking at the Western Cape government’s summer readiness seminar, Megan Taplin, Table Mountain National Park Manager said these volunteers are already in the field but the summer programme is a coordinated approach.

Taplin said additional rangers were recently added to the ranger corps. The park also has a sea, air and mountain (SEAM) special operations team with a K9 unit focusing on visitor safety and environmental crime like abalone poaching. This unit received a commitment of R1.94 million for the training of 25 new recruits.

Tourism monitors will also be deployed across the park to be “eyes and ears”, added Taplin.

Table Mountain National Park will work closely with other partners such as the City of Cape Town and law enforcement to ensure safety on the mountain.

“Our fire teams are ready because this is not just tourist season but fire season as well,” Taplin pointed out. Last year, there were 119 fires in the park but no loss of life, major injuries or significant infrastructure damage.

Kruger National Park

The Kruger National Park will also implement several safety initiatives over the festive season. These include an operational plan, to be mobilised in partnership with the South African National Defence Force and South African Police Service (SAPS), until mid-January 2025.

There will be numerous stop-and-search operations during this time. Mbombela traffic officials and SAPS members have been co-opted to assist in the park over the peak season.

Victim support programmes are also already in place and SANParks said it is working closely with the Kruger Lowveld Chamber of Business and Tourism and the Bushbuck Ridge Municipality’s Tourism Safety Forum. In addition, SANParks recently met with consular representatives from the USA, UK, Germany, Ireland, Canada and Australia.

The safety programmes will be supplemented with public awareness and communications campaigns for visitors to the park.

The park’s infrastructure has also been upgraded using additional funds allocated to SANParks. The Skukuza Rest Camp rondavels and the Wild Fig guesthouse have been refurbished and a cashless payment system has been introduced.