New SA-Mozambique border
post to ensure ease of access for Tourists
12/06/2005:"Encouraging progress, and
renewed energy to speed up the integration
and development of the park." This was
how Marthinus van Schalkwyk, Minister of Environmental
Affairs and Tourism, described the outcomes
of a meeting on Friday in Victoria Falls ,
Zimbabwe , of the South African, Mozambican
and Zimbabwean Ministers responsible for the
Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park (GLTP).
At the meeting the Ministers discussed the
progress that has been made in developing
the 35000km 2 trans-boundary park, which will
eventually form the core of a trans-frontier
conservation area measuring in excess of 100
000km² – creating Africa's largest animal
kingdom.
The Ministers agreed that the much-anticipated
opening of the new Giriyondo Border Post between
the Kruger National Park (KNP) on the South
African side and the Limpopo National Park
(LNP) in Mozambique , will be amongst the
most important regional conservation developments
in recent times. In the light of this significance
it was recommended that the border post should
officially be opened by the Heads of State,
at a date to be determined by their availability,
but possibly before the end of the year. The
new border post will, for the first time ever,
ensure ease of tourist access within the park
between South Africa and Mozambique .
Other developments which were reported on
in the meeting include renewed efforts to
restore animal migratory routes, centering
on plans to drop a further 30km of fence between
the KNP and LNP by the end of the year. This
will also create opportunities for small businesses
and create employment opportunities for local
communities.
The Ministers also approved plans to translocate
additional game from the Kruger National Park
and Gonarezhou National Park to the Limpopo
National Park , which lost a substantial number
of game during Mozambique 's civil war.
Furthermore, the meeting was briefed that
a total of 170km of road network in the GLTP
has so far been opened and graded, the construction
of bedded lodges and bush camps is underway,
and that the process to improve linkages between
the parks, with specific emphasis on the crossing
point and access road between Gonarezhou National
Park ( GNP) and the KNP will be a key component
of the 2005 Action Plan.
It was agreed that there is a need to improve
the branding and marketing of the GLTP, and
the Joint Management Board has been tasked
to develop a marketing strategy by the end
of the year.
The Ministers expressed their satisfaction
with the GLTP progress thus far, saying that
the dream of seeing the park positively contributing
to poverty alleviation for surrounding communities
was rapidly taking shape, and that the developments
underway, and the implementation of an aggressive
marketing campaign, were bound to result in
increased levels of tourism success.
The meeting also discussed the positioning
of the GLTP to take advantage of the 2010
Soccer World Cup, with further details to
be discussed when Minister Van Schalkwyk hosts
nine of his Southern African counterparts
at a meeting in Johannesburg on Monday (13
June 2005), aimed at discussing a regional
approach to unlock the tourism potential of
Southern Africa's transfrontier parks.
All members of the media are invited to a
media briefing after Monday's meeting at Johannesburg
International Airport 's Holiday Inn Hotel,
starting at 13h15.
