AFRICA SAFARI NEWS AND EVENTS

There is mounting confusion among ex-South African citizens who have emigrated or now live abroad and hold the citizenship and passport of a new or adopted country. Anyone who has ever been a South African citizen is required to re-enter South Africa on a South African passport, irrespective of how long they have been out of the country. The only exceptions are if the person has formally renounced their South African citizenship. It is expected that this could impact on up to 1 million South Africans now living abroad, mainly in the UK, New Zealand, Australia, USA, Israel, Europe and Ireland. This means that affected travellers will have to apply in good time to the South African consul for a new South African passport. Extracts from the relevant law are reproduced below:

“In terms of the South African Citizenship Amendment Act of 2004, which came into effect on 15 September 2004, it is now an offence for a major South African citizen to enter the Republic or depart making use of the passport of another country.

Furthermore, it is also now an offence for such a citizen, while in South Africa, to use his or her foreign citizenship or nationality to gain advantage or avoid a responsibility or duty.

Essentially, the Amendment Act provides that a South African citizen, who has dual citizenship or nationality, can freely use his or her foreign passport outside South Africa. However, they must use their South African passport to depart from or enter South Africa.

The Department has received a number of enquiries from our ports of entry on whether or not South African citizens who arrive at border posts with foreign passports may be refused to enter or depart from the Republic.

The Department is obliged to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act. However, we acknowledge that many affected South Africans may not yet be aware of the amendments to the Citizenship Act and the implications for themselves.

We have therefore decided that affected South Africans departing or arriving through our ports of entry, attempting to use a foreign passport, will be issued with a warning giving them three months to obtain a South African passport. They will be allowed to depart or enter South Africa.

Accordingly, we would like to advise all South Africans who have dual citizenship and do not have South African passports to apply for their South African passports at their earliest opportunity.”

Further info at: http://home-affairs.pwv.gov.za/sa_citizenship.asp?keywords=dual%20natioanlity

East African environmental watchdogs and wildlife conservationists have protested the Tanzanian government's plan to allow a Dubai-based multi-billionaire to build luxury hotel inside Serengeti National Park in northern Tanzania.

Fears spread among environmental watchdogs in both Tanzania and Kenya soon after the visit of the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E) investor to the Serengeti National Park and convinced the Tanzanian government of his intention to build a 120-room hotel complex inside the wildlife habitat.

Wildlife conservationists say such a huge investment inside the park will disrupt conservation efforts and will degrade the fragile environment inside this famous wildlife park in Africa.

Serengeti National Park, which shares the same ecological setup with the Maasai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya, has been described as sensitive nature conserved site in Africa and needed an international concern.

Serengeti National Park covers 14,763 sq. km, boasting of over three million big mammals roaming inside its wide plains. Over 1.5 million wildebeests roam the park's ecosystem attracting most tourists during their annual migration from one side to the other side of the park.

The Tanzania National Parks Authority, the trustee managers of the key protected wildlife parks in Tanzania, is divided over the project forcing the review of its General Management Plan (GMP), which closed the room for construction of more permanent lodges inside the park.

The program manager of Conservation Development Center (CDC), Mr. Rob Craig, said his center has advised the National Parks Authority to carry out thorough environmental impact assessment of the planned site to avoid obstructing the wildlife migration between Kenya and Tanzania.

Frankfurt Zoological Society, which has been funding wildlife conservation programs in Serengeti National Park for decades, opposes the plan. The head of the group's operations in Africa, Dr. Markus Borner, told reporters he would voice his opposition to the proposed hotel project or any other permanent structures there.

If allowed, the proposed hotel will be the biggest accommodation facility to be constructed inside a wildlife-protected area in East Africa. The current maximum room for lodges currently in operation is 75. Only four permanent, 75-room lodges have been allowed inside Serengeti - Serena Lodge, Sopa Lodge, Seronera Safari Lodge and Lobo Safari Lodge.

Tented and mobile camps are mostly encouraged inside the park with no limitation.

The Tanzanian government has stopped further construction of permanent lodges and hotels inside wildlife parks in northern tourist circuit, except for those investors selecting to build hotels outside the park boundaries.

Outgoing Tanzanian President Mr. Benjamin Mkapa has said his government was seriously looking at better and sustainable use of its natural resources for future generation, and would not allow haphazard construction of permanent tourist facilities inside the wildlife parks.

"It is true we want to make money out of our tourism potential, but we are equally conscious of our tremendous responsibility to protect and conserve world treasures. We will not let our short-term needs for money obscure our long-term commitment to conservation and preservation," Mr. Mkapa said.

MINISTER of environmental affairs and tourism, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, announced his intention to proclaim South Africa's 22nd national park, centred around the Karoo Nature Reserve, in the area surrounding Graaff-Reinet in the Eastern Cape.
Van Schalkwyk said the announcement was made possible by the World Wide Fund for Nature in South Africa (WWF-SA), which donated the 14 500 hectare Karoo Nature Reserve. The donated land is estimated to be worth more than R23 million.
"Our Department will now invest another R6 million over the next three years from our Poverty Relief programme to create jobs and further develop the necessary facilities to make this new park an engine of growth for the region," said Van Schalkwyk. "The Peace Parks Foundation and the SA National Parks Trust have each pledged a further R1 million over the next two years to SANParks for the management of the new park." The minister added that they plan to link the new national park with the Mountain Zebra National Park to create a unique African Karoo wildlife experience and protecting a huge diversity of plant and animal species.
A public consultation process will now be initiated to find a name for the park.

MAPUTO (Reuters) - Botswana, which has the largest elephant population in Africa, will donate 500 animals to Mozambique, conservationists and Mozambican officials say.

Mozambique's national director of conservation areas Afonso Madope said the elephants will be transported by land to the Gorongosa National Park in the central Mozambican province of Sofala after they are captured.

The government plans to repair roads and paths in Gorongosa and develop a tourist park for which an international tender would be made, Madope said.

"Botswana has agreed to donate 500 elephants. We are discussing funding with donors necessary to get the animals into Mozambique," Madope said.

The elephants will be moved the 1,800 km (1,118 miles) trip to Mozambique from Botswana before the end of the year at a cost of $2,000 (1,120 pounds) per animal, he said.

Botswana is believed to be home to more than 100,000 elephants and has previously donated elephants to neighbours such as Angola, keen to rehabilitate national parks wrecked by nearly three decades of civil war.

Wildlife in Gorongosa suffered a massive decline in numbers in the 1980s due to poaching during Mozambique's civil war that ended when the then rebel Mozambique National Resistance (Renamo) signed a peace agreement in 1992.

The last count in 2001 put Gorongosa's elephant population at just 111, down from 7,000 in 1979, government data showed.

The number of impalas, used as meat during the civil war, slumped to only 38 from 10,000 in 1979.

South Africa has won the right to host the Soccer World Cup 2010, when Fifa president, Sepp Blatter. announced the winning bid in Zurich on saturday 15 May, 2004.

Hosting soccer's greatest spectacle is credit to the country's infrastructure, attractions and facilities and follows on South Africa's successful hosting of the Rugby World Cup in 1995 and Cricket World Cup in 2002.

Bucking international trends, South Africa has become the fastest growing tourist destination in the world, with arivals increasing by over 20% per year, with all the major markets showing double digit growth. The country's tourism sector and advanced accommodation structure is rising to this challenge to meet demand.

The reason for this dramatic growth is that more and more people are discovering South Africa as a destination of great sights, great weather and great value. There is a wonderful diversity of experience, from Big 5 luxury safaris to beach resorts, wilderness adventures to sophisticated city vacations, coupled with friendly people and easy access by air from 5 continents.

AIR Botswana is introducing a direct service between Maun, Botswana and Cape Town from October 2004.
The flights will link two of the premier travel destinations within Southern Africa, as Maun is located on the edge of the great Okavango Delta and is Botswana's premier safari region. Cape Town - a top 5 world city destination - is the perfect add-on destination to a safari.

Visitors to Southern Africa, struck by the beauty of the area’s unspoilt wildernesses and wildlife areas, are often left with a desire to put something back into the continent and its peoples.

One of the best ways of ensuring the survival of Africa’s wildlife regions is to invest in the future. Investing in the future means investing in the children who will be tomorrow’s leaders, politicians, businessmen & women, environmentalists, conservationists, wildlife managers, care-givers, doctors, nurses and teachers.

These leaders of tomorrow are today living mostly in overcrowded urban shantytowns on the outskirts of major cities. You will find some of those hungry minds at a little school just outside Cape Town - an institution which is striving to provide an excllent education...READ MORE