from FUTHI MBHELE in Durban
KwaZulu Natal Bureau
DURBAN, (CAJ News) – SOUTH Africans are enjoying free access to most of the 21 national parks as part of the National Parks Week.
This is an initiative of the South African National Parks (SANParks), which has presented its 18th annual SA National Parks Week, from September 16 to 24.
The scheme is in partnership with Total South Africa and FNB.
“The week was established in a bid to cultivate a sense of pride in South Africa’s natural, cultural and historical heritage, protected by the national parks system,” Hapiloe Sello, SANParks Chief Executive Officer, explained.
This is also in line with the SANParks vision statement of “A Sustainable National Park System Connecting Society.”
“It’s important for South Africans to visit and know the importance of national parks,” Sello stated.
The official said the parks act as spaces to practice sustainable conservation, as spaces that preserve and celebrate local culture and heritage.
September is Heritage Month in South Africa.
“We now see national parks playing the critical role of empowering communities living adjacent to parks through job creation and we continue to explore ways of creating business opportunities, particularly for small business owners,” Sello said.
She said the initiative aimed to give the public an understanding of the role that SANParks plays as custodian of the country’s natural heritage.
“If we are to create a sense of ownership of the natural heritage of South Africa in all South Africans, then all South Africans must be able to have access to such,” Sello said.
– CAJ News