This was on the sidelines of the three-day conference which ends tomorrow.

There was a ceremonial signing of the Skukuza Safari Lodge by SANParks Chief Executive Officer, Hapiloe Sello, to the Founder and owner of Karibu Lodges, Nyeleti Mushwana and Tourvest, marking the culmination of this partnership, the first of its kind.

This is a 10-year joint venture for the management of a 125 room Skukuza Safari Lodge and Nombolo Mdluli Conference Centre at the Kruger National Park between Karibu Lodge by Mushwana with a 40% shareholding together with Tourvest, a pioneer in the tourism and hospitality services holding 60% shareholding.

In her address, Mushwana lauded the progresses made by her brainchild from its inception in 2003, with just 20 rooms to the operation it is now, boasting 196 rooms, among its many milestones.

“This moment for Karibu signifies growth and determination.  It means we have been successful in growing the brand by leaps and bounds. It is particularly difficult to make a breakthrough into the leisure market, and now that we have tapped into it, we aim to grow even bigger,” said Mushwana.

In her speech, Sello reflected on what the future holds for SANParks, and highlighted the gains the organisation has made since the inception of democratic governance.

She however did not shy away from the challenges encountered along the way, and called back last year’s theme, which was “Let us have conversations about conservation.

“Since the dawn of democracy, SANParks, like many organisations has covered significant ground in terms of redefining its role in society as part of the reconstruction and development programme the country had its focus on. However, we do acknowledge that despite some wins, we still have a deficit, which need to be cleared, going into the next 30 years and beyond,” Sello said.

“We are not ignorant of the many challenges that we face both from outside and within their boundaries, in our national parks as we celebrate 30 years of success. These challenges, which includes population growth, poverty and unemployment in areas bordering our national parks, wildlife crime, increased competition for the use of scarce natural resources, urbanisation and climate change adaptation,” continued Sello.

On a closing note, Sello drew attention to the need for the furtherance of greater collaboration and a sense of co-ownership by communities adjacent to national parks.

--ChannelAfrica\Linda Kea Moreotsene--