South Africa: North West Parks Board to reopen Pilanesberg National Park!

The North West Parks Board, the governmental organisation responsible for the management of protected areas and public nature reserves in South Africa's North West Province, has announced the reopening of Pilanesberg National Park and several other selected Nature Reserves on 12/13 June 2020. In line with South Africa's alert level three regulations, only self-drive excursions for day visitors will be allowed.

The following protected areas and public nature reserves will reopen on 12 June 2020:

• Pilanesberg National Park (Bakubung Gate and Bosele Gate)
• Kgaswane Mountain Reserve

The following protected areas and public nature reserves will reopen on 13 June 2020:

• Mafikeng Game Reserve
• Botsalano Game Reserve

The following Level 3 lockdown rules are to be adhered to at all times when visiting the reserves:

Only self-drive visits will be allowed:

• This means sedan vehicles, LDV, SUV’s and minibuses will be allowed, but no busses or game drive vehicles.
• Visitors are also reminded that the general regulations for transport for alert level three also applies in the reserve and minibuses will only be allowed 70% of loading capacity.
• Visitors are also reminded that cross provincial border traveling is not allowed, that visitors with an address from another/other provinces will not be allowed in terms of the South Africa's alert level three regulations.

Visitors are requested to respect the rules to avoid unnecessary unpleasantness at the gates by:

• At the gates: Keep social distancing, wearing masks, and sanitizing your hands.
• Visitors are also advised to bring your own sanitizing fluid and cloths to sanitize surfaces before touching them.
• Gate times: The gates will open at 06:30 in the morning and closes at 18:00 in the evening;
• Screening: All visitors are required to undergo screening prior to entering the reserve.
• Staff at the gate will assist all occupants of the vehicle to complete a health status form and measure their body temperature.
• Only after this has been completed to the satisfaction of gate staff, and no abnormalities have been found, will visitors be allowed to enter.
• Visitors with a body temperature of more than 37.8 Celcuis will not be permitted to enter the reserve.

Ablutions:

• Ablutions have been cleaned and sanitized. However, for your own health, visitors are also advised to clean and sanitize any surfaces before touching it.

Hides:

• Hides will be opened but will be used at own risk.
• Visitors are urged to sanitize surfaces before touching them, to observe social distancing between groups, and to limit their stay in the hide to 15 minutes or less if other people are queuing outside.

Picnic sites:

• Picnic sites will remain closed during alert level three.
• No open fires are allowed.

Animals:

• Visitors are also alerted to the fact that animals have grown use to the absence of visitors and vehicles to the parks and have freely occupied open areas such as roads. Dung middens can be seen in all the roads.
• Visitors are urged to be alert to animals on the roads or next to roads and allow them their space.

Park rules:

• The normal parks rules still apply.
• Visitors are urged to respect the rules.
• Visitors are also urged to report transgressions of the regulations to park officials.