CapeNature: All Nature Reserves in the Western Cape remain closed during alert level three!

CapeNature's 25 Nature Reserves in the Western Cape will remain closed to the public during alert level three of South Africa's risk-adjusted strategy to manage the spread of COVID-19. The public institution with the responsibility for biodiversity conservation in the Western Cape is constantly assessing the situation and is ready to welcome visitors again as soon as the conditions set out in the national lockdown regulations will allow the reopening. All Nature Reserves in the Western Cape managed by CapeNature are closed to the public since 25 March 2020.  We'll keep you posted!

KwaZulu-Natal: Take a virtual tour of the Nelson Mandela Capture Site! [update]

update (05 September 2020) From the 01 September 2020 to 20 September 2020, to celebrate Tourism Month, The Nelson Mandela Capture Site has dropped the cost of all ticket prices by 15%! The Cafe is open!

update (18 August 2020): The Nelson Mandela Capture Site has reopened on 15 August 2020. Only the Cafe is currently still closed!

update (14 June 2020): The Nelson Mandela Capture Site is still closed!

update (12 June 2020): Under alert level three, the Nelson Mandela Capture Site is set to reopen with limited access from 17 June 2020. Before you travel to the Nelson Mandela Capture Site, check the website for the most recent updates.

• Sculpture - open from 17 June 2020
• Visitor Centre - temporarily closed until further notice
• Cafe - temporarily closed until further notice

The Nelson Mandela Capture Site, located near Howick in KwaZulu-Natal, has launched a virtual tour of its new visitor centre and the sculpture while it remains closed to the public due to the spread of the coronavirus. The virtual tour includes video, high quality graphics and content about the Capture Site. It is best seen on a desktop in full screen with audio turned on. Unfortunately the tour is not yet suitable for smartphones. The virtual tour of the Nelson Mandela Capture Site's visitor centre and sculpture was launched on 27 May 2020, marking two months since the site was first closed to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Nelson Mandela Capture Site exhibition from The Capture Site on Vimeo.

Matobo National Park: One of Zimbabwe's oldest buildings has been destroyed by a fire!

The Rhodes Stables, a National Monument and one of the oldest buildings in Zimbabwe, has been burned down by a fire on 31 May 2020. According to the Bulawayo City Council fire brigade, the building was found severely damaged with the wooden mezzanine floor consumed by fire and rafters collapsed, but roofing sheets still intact. The police are yet to establish the cause of the fire.
Rhodes Stables is located in Matobo National Park about 35 km south of Bulawayo in Matabeleland South. It was build in 1897 and is viewed as an important part of the architectural heritage of Zimbabwe. British businessman and mining magnate Cecil John Rhodes, who served as Prime Minister of the Cape Colony from 1890 to 1896, used to shelter his horses in the building. According to the Matobo Conservation Society, the Rhodes Stables was about to be turned into a tourist site.

KwaZulu-Natal: iSimangaliso Wetland Park is getting ready to reopen! [update]

update (08 June 2020): iSimangaliso Wetland Park has been reopened! 

The iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority just announced that the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, situated on the east coast of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, is planning to re-open on 08 June 2020.* The preparation process of getting iSimangaliso Wetland Park ready for opening  commenced on 01 June 2020. Besides staff returning to work, the preparation includes deep cleaning of the offices and public facilities. Additional work will be done by rangers and conservationists, including cutting back of trees and removing logs from roads. Once compliance requirements are met and the park has been declared safe for visitors, iSimangaliso Wetland Park will open for self-drive excursions.

*According to South Africa's Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, Barbara Creecy, the public will be given seven days’ notice of iSimangaliso Wetland Park's reopening for self-drive excursions once compliance requirements are met and the park has been declared safe for visitors.

South Africa: These airports and airlines will operate during alert level three! [update]

update (04 June 2020): Mango just announced that it will resume services for business travel only on 15 June 2020. The airline will offer flights between Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.

The Government of South Africa has allowed limited domestic air travel during alert level three of the country's risk-adjusted strategy to manage the spread of COVID-19. As of 01 June 2020, domestic air travel for business purposes is allowed, subject to restrictions on the number of flights per day and authorisation based on the reason for travel. No catering are allowed during flights and no onboard magazines are provided. The last row of the aircraft is reserved for isolation of suspected cases.
According to the country's Minister of Transport, Fikile Mbalula, the resumption of domestic flights in South Africa will be rolled out in three phases. During phase one, only OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg, King Shaka International Airport (DUR) in Durban, Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town and Lanseria International Airport (HLA) in Johannesburg have the permission to operate. In phase two they will be joined by Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (MQP) in Nelspruit, Polokwane International Airport (PTG) in Polokwane and Bram Fischer International Airport (BFN) in Bloemfontein. Phase three will see the re-opening of Kimberley Airport (KIM) in Kimberley, East London Airport (ELS) in East London, Upington Airport (UTN) in Upington, Mthatha Airport (UTT) in Mthatha and Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ) in Port Elizabeth.

South Africa's flag carrier, South African Airways, announced at the end of May 2020 that it will resume domestic services in mid-June 2020, but the airline's business rescue practitioners (BRP) disagreed with the deciscion and announced that the airline is not preparing to resume flights.
Mango, subsidiary of South African Airways, is "still in the process of making final deliberations and will advise you on a way forward in due course" (Facebook).
Flysafair will resume operations on 15 June 2020 and offers return flights between Johannesburg and Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban, Cape Town and Durban, as well as flights between Lanseria International Airport (HLA) in Johannesburg and Cape Town and Lanseria and Durban.
Airlink will launch a limited scheduled domestic air service from 08 June 2020, with flights on the Johannesburg <> Cape Town and Johannesburg <> Durban trunk routes.
CemAir is set to resume flights between Johannesburg and Cape Town on 05 June 2020 and between Johannesburg and Durban on 08 June 2020.
Comair, which operates scheduled services on domestic routes in South Africa as a British Airways franchisee and also operates as a low-cost carrier under its own kulula.com brand, has entered into voluntary business rescue proceedings and will not resume operations before November 2020.

South African National Parks: Not all National Parks in South Africa reopen from 01 June 2020!

According to the South Africa's Minister of Tourism, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, public and private game farms are allowed to reopen for day visitors from today (01 June 2020) as long as they are open only for self-drive excursion activities. Hiking is also allowed under alert level three. South African National Parks (SANParks) has therefore decided to reopen its open-access national parks namely Golden Gate Highlands National Park, parts of Garden Route National Park and Table Mountain National Park with the exception of Boulders Beach and Cape Point to the public from 01 June 2020. All other National Parks in South Africa managed by SANParks remain closed for the time being.

Tourism during alert level three of South Africa's risk-adjusted strategy to manage the spread of COVID-19

South Africa enters alert level three of its risk-adjusted strategy to manage the spread of COVID-19 today. This applies to the whole of the country, including areas that have been declared as coronavirus hotspots. During alert level 3, all areas of the economy in South Africa will be allowed to reopen. Excluded are high-risk activities, which will remain prohibited.

According to the country's Minister of Tourism, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, the following tourism services are allowed to re-open during alert level three:

• Restaurants for delivery or collection of food. Restaurants with liquor licences are allowed to sell alcohol only for takeout and delivery. In this area there's been an outcry that they must be allowed for onsite consumption. We are in discussions with restaurants so that whatever solution is provided in this regard for seat down doesn't perpetuates the inequality and we are confident that in our next submission to NCCC this will be considered
• professional services - e.g. tourist guides, tour operators, travel agents, tourism information officers are allowed to come back to operations
• Professional Services including training of nature guides and other related services that are able to ensure safe distance.
• public and private game farms have been opened for self-drive excursions
• Hiking to be done in compliance with excising guidelines and not in groups
• Accommodation activities are allowed except for leisure and establishments will no longer require a letter from Minister of Tourism to operate. They are required to ensure that they accommodate those in the permitted services and keep records for inspections by the department
• Hunting activities are also allowed

The following economic activities will remain prohibited under level three and these include:

• Conferences, events, entertainment activities (such as Festivals) are still not permitted. It must be noted that some of the conference venues have been used in the fight against the pandemic and as such are allowed to be operational including being used for distribution points of social relief measures
• casinos not permitted
• leisure travel not permitted

The following tourism-related services are allowed:

• domestic commercial flights which have been opened for business travel
• Car Rentals
• those approved to travel are allowed to use long-distance public transport to do so from 01 June 2020 including inter-provincial travel