KNP is a national treasure
The Kruger National Park is a national treasure. I was reminded of that during a very happy five days there last week. I was also reminded of why I would not want to live anywhere else in the world and why I sometimes longed for home when we spent four years in South East Asia.
We travelled to the far north, stopping off at the superlative Ranch Resort outside Polokwane for the night, before continuing up to Punda Maria Gate and Sirheni Bushveld Camp. I was struck repeatedly by one of our greatest assets as a country: the charming, friendly, polite and helpful people who served us a every point.
Receptionists and waiters at the Ranch, SA Parks Board Officials, people in shops and petrol stations were uniformly welcoming and all seemed genuinely glad to be of service. South Africa has a huge asset in these people and if they are properly used we can look forward to a significantly more developed and more successful tourist industry in the future.
I used the opportunity to test the political temperature here and there and in the heart of Julius Malema country I mentioned his name. He was well known but no-one liked or supported him. He was referred to by one as a ‘clown;' he was also called a ‘joke'; another person recounted how Ju-Ju came in a motor car to a garage and raced up and down on the forecourt, music blaring, trying to show how important he was. I suspect he might be a little too well known in his home turf to attract as much support as one might expect.
A surprising aspect of Limpopo Province was the excellent condition of the roads everywhere we went. Whatever certain people may have done in helping themselves to public funds and enriching themselves at the expense of the people, it is a fact that hundreds of kilometres of first class roads have been constructed and properly maintained.