Government and SANParks point to the political mandate any time they come up with a new plan, development or strategy.
The Shalati development is a concession and you can read it very clearly in the "KNP Concession Operations Manual" that the aim is economic development.
BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE
The protected areas of South Africa contain some of its most beautiful scenery and outstanding natural landscapes. South African National Parks (SANParks) was established by the National Parks Act (Act No 57 of 1976). The aim is to ensure the protection of areas of national or international biodiversity importance or areas which contains viable and representative samples of South Africa’s natural systems, scenic areas or cultural heritage sites and to protect the ecological integrity of such ecosystems; to prevent exploitation or occupation inconsistent with the protection of the ecological integrity of such areas; to provide spiritual scientific, educational, recreational and tourism opportunities which are environmentally compatible and; to contribute to economic development. The National Environmental Management: Protected Environment Act (Act No. 57 of 2003) was promulgated in 2004 and is now the overarching legislation governing the management of national parks, together with the National Environmental Management Act (Act No. 107 of 1998) and the Biodiversity Act (Act No. 10 of 2004), as well as other relevant national and provincial acts and regulations.
The political changes in South Africa have led to a thorough re-examination of most existing institutions. SANParks have not escaped this scrutiny. Having grown accustomed to domestic and international acclaim, as well as access to large scale government funding, SANParks now find themselves seeking new roles which will justify and secure their future. The Government of South Africa faces a serious dilemma with respect to wildlife conservation: how to reconcile the extensive land and financial resources required by protected areas with the acute social and economic development needs of poor rural people with very limited access to any kind of resources.
Tourism is a key component of Government’s macro-economic strategy to achieve growth, employment and redistribution of wealth in South Africa. National Parks in turn are the cornerstone of the nature based tourism industry in South Africa, and a healthy and vibrant tourism industry therefore requires responsible leveraging of the national parks estate. Concessions are one such mechanism for generating a range of social and economic benefits without compromising the ecological integrity of a national park. These benefits include capital investment, foreign exchange generation, employment creation, and stimulation of support industries and development of small, medium and micro enterprises. In addition it is a means of generating a financial income for SANParks, which in turn may be used for maintaining the conservation estate, expanding it, or subsidising access for those citizens of South Africa who are unable to afford to pay visitor fees.
A concession is an opportunity to build and operate a tourism facility in a national park, with strict regulations governing the conduct of the facility. In many cases an exclusive area is allocated for use. Exclusivity is for two reasons. Firstly it allows for the establishment of a luxury tourism product that caters to a different segment of the market to SANParks, and secondly accountability for any environmental damage is guaranteed.
Klippies!