PennyinSA wrote:All I can say is Eish this is ominous news - next we will have goats and cows grazing alongside antelope and of course like the Makuleke land claim they will allow trophy hunting!!!!
Well Mel, let's give Sanparks some space and time!!
The purchase obviously is not for the sake of conservation
issues and habitat shortfall!!! Why would one invite more of
the labour of love??? Only means more hard work, however,
.........
Just maybe they are creating playground for other with a
differing sense, regarding hotels and hospitality issues!!
Lotsa clarity needed on this one and maybe not such a bad
idea!! From both sides, "Keep Kruger pure" and this should
remain to be a mission statement from all visitors that dwell
there, including staff!!!
Johannesburg - The government has agreed to pay R1bn to settle a land claim against one of South Africa’s most exclusive game lodges, the 5-star Mala Mala reserve in Mpumalanga.
The deal between Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti and multimillionaire Mala Mala owner Michael Rattray could pose a major setback for land reform as it will wipe out a vast chunk of the national Land Claims Commission budget for the year, reported the Sunday Times.
The Mpumalanga community that stands to benefit from the deal said that paying market value would seriously impede land reform and that it was “unfair” of government to offer Rattray so much.
But according to the newspaper, the deal looks set to go ahead. The R1bn deal involves 15 000 people who live in several villages about 5km from the Kruger National Park.
If successful the deal will dwarf all previous land claims. In the past year, government spent a total of R1.6bn nationally to buy land to settle 549 claims and the previous year less than R1bn was spent on 252 claims.