Kruger National Park: AfriForum opposes political stunt of proposed name change
The EFF’s motion to change the name of the Kruger National Park, as well as the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature’s supposed acceptance of it, is, according to AfriForum, cheap politics and proof that political power-hunger in the province outweighs informed or responsible decision-making. Even though the province has no authority to implement the proposed change, AfriForum emphasises that it will oppose all attempts to change the name of one of the most famous national parks in the world.
According to Marais de Vaal, AfriForum’s Advisor for Environmental Affairs, the Kruger National Park was proclaimed as such in terms of the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act and is managed at the national level by SANParks. “The provincial legislature has no authority to change the name of the park. At most, the province can submit a proposal to the Provincial Geographical Names Council (PGNC), after which a comprehensive public participation process must be followed before it can be submitted to the National Geographical Names Council (NGNC) for consideration. Any renaming will be subject to following the prescribed process, including public participation, before the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture makes a final decision.”
De Vaal warns that, although the motion to change the park’s name was accepted in the provincial legislature, the process followed so far does not in any way comply with the legal requirements. “However, if the process is taken further, AfriForum will ensure that the correct process is followed. We will not hesitate to go to court if the legal requirements are ignored,” he explains.
The Kruger National Park and the greater Kruger tourism complex contribute billions of rand to the country’s economy annually through, among other things, tourist spending, concession fees, lodging, transport and activities, as well as through employment and procurement. Renaming the park would have unnecessary costly rebranding implications.
“This will result in serious wasteful expenditure. It will likely confuse international tourists and ultimately damage the country’s reputation as a tourist destination – all while SANParks faces major conservation challenges. The only conclusion that can be drawn is that an effort to change the park’s name is a conceited attempt to gain political advantage.”
AfriForum has also criticised the EFF’s claim that Paul Kruger, President of the former Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR) and the man after whom the park is named, is the “architect of apartheid”. “The EFF’s ignorance of the history of the Kruger National Park and their wilful distortion of facts are clear. The Kruger National Park was created thanks to Kruger’s vision, and he was in no way involved in the establishment of apartheid, a system that was first implemented more than four decades after his death in 1904. To ignore Kruger’s contribution to the establishment of the country’s most important national park and to brand him in this way is opportunistic and blatantly spreading lies,” says De Vaal. “The attempt to change the park’s name is in line with the EFF’s campaign to also remove Afrikaner statues. The removal of a part of the community’s symbols, statues and heritage is a shameless attempt to strip this group of their identity and right to exist.”
“The Kruger National Park belongs to the country and its people – not politicians. AfriForum will fight at all costs to protect the name of the Kruger National Park, its heritage and its economic value,” concludes de Vaal.
Support AfriForum’s campaign to protect the name of the Kruger National Park. Sign the petition here.
