Visitors to the Kruger National Park (KNP) are urged to adhere to signs in the Park and not enter roads that are closed.
‘The KNP team and Management have been working around the clock to ensure that during the tropical cyclone Eloise, all guests are well informed and updated. When we inform the public of closed roads and facilities, it is to ensure that we act proactively to protect guests after having done extensive inspections of the road condition for guest use,’ SANParks posted on Facebook.
‘We have noted with concern that there are guests who are choosing to ignore properly marked closed road signs. Yesterday a vehicle got stuck on the sand bank of S25 with guests who ignored the signs,’ SANParks continued.
‘We urge all guests to work with KNP Management to ensure that all the rules are adhered to for the safety of all our guests. Your cooperation in this regard is of paramount importance for safety reasons!’ the post concluded.
Facebook users shared their reactions to the warning, with some saying offenders should be fined. ‘So it should be….anyone not obeying should be heavily fined…rangers have enough to do without looking after idiots….’ said one user.
However other visitors to the Park commented that some of the roads were in poor condition due to lack of maintenance prior to Tropical Storm Eloise.
‘The condition of the roads in the park were not good at all. This, a week before the cyclone. said one user I can mention certain roads if needed,’ one user said. ‘The maintenance – none seen, many areas the bush/ grass and tree branches did reduce the road-width sometime by more than 2 meters. This in itself is a dangerous situation. Just plain bad management-please train those in charge to actual “manage” Just don’t give covid the blame…or the cyclone.’
Another said some visitors to the Park may enter dangerous roads unknowingly, or that roads are sometimes closed later in the day when motorists are already on it.
‘I think when you go on those roads it is very early and they only close it later said another,’ one person commented. ‘That happened to us end January. We went on the S110 & S25 about 5:30 the morning. We went back to camp at about 9:00 and later at about 10:00 when we wanted to go on those roads again it was closed.’
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Picture: Getaway gallery
