SANPARKS – GOING PLACES BY FIONA WAKELIN Walking into the office of SANParks CEO Fundisile Mketeni is like a breath of fresh air – and not just an escape from the hot, dry, dusty streets of Pretoria. Mketeni exudes positivity and mental agility, is solutions-driven and the conversation is fast-paced, optimistic and far-ranging – just what you’d expect from the head of “a country within a country”. SANParks has undergone a radical transformation of vision, mission and purpose since 1994 – and has transformed from managing flora and fauna to becoming a major partner in the socio-economic development realm, working closely with various government departments to ensure delivery for all South Africans. Through socio-economic interventions managed by SANParks, rural poverty has become a catalyst for economic development – small businesses, supply chain opportunities and entrepreneurialism are all catalysed by this dynamic organisation.
of productive public–private partnerships (PPPs) that have attracted overseas markets and which has meant we have managed to grow our revenue. “The National Environmental Management of Protected Areas Act (Act 57 of 2003) officially mandated SANParks to create destinations for nature-based tourism in a manner that is not harmful to the environment. This generated the SANParks Commercialisation Strategy in 2000 in a bid to enhance the parks as nature tourism destinations by diversifying tourism offerings in partnership with the private sector.
Pre-1994, in the Parks Board days, the mandate was just to manage animals, plants and people but with the National Parks Act all the old legislation was repealed and a new era was ushered in, balancing conservation with tourism and ensuring that SANParks became “the pride and joy” of all South Africans. At the close of the last financial year, SANParks received six million visitors into its 19 parks.
Through this strategy, SANParks has earned a total income of R816-million through 45 public–private partnerships ranging from cable cars, luxury lodges and restaurants to adventure activities.
What have been some of the highlights over the last 25 years?
“Land claims have presented new opportunities and partnerships, as has the issue of beneficiation with a percentage of our revenue and new concessions going to communities.
“Inclusivity has been one of our major accomplishments. We cannot do it alone and have thus been involved in a number
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25 YEARS OF SUCCESS
“The Tourism Investment Summit in 2017 themed ‘Tourism for all: Transform, Grow and Sustain’, offered 54 new opportunities for investment into sustainable tourism – President Ramaphosa learned from us!
INCLUSIVITY HAS BEEN ONE OF OUR MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS. WE CANNOT DO IT ALONE AND HAVE THUS BEEN INVOLVED IN A NUMBER OF PRODUCTIVE PUBLIC–PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS (PPPS) THAT HAVE ATTRACTED OVERSEAS MARKETS