eSwatini: eSwatini Air has finally received its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) [update]

update (01 February 2023): According to statements by Eswatini Air on Facebook, the airline still working on logistics that can only be resumed after the license (AOC) is received. We'll continue to keep you posted!

eSwatini Air, the new flag carrier of the Kingdom of eSwatini, has finally received its Air Operator Certificate (AOC). According to a posting on Facebook, the airline will revert with fares and a schedule for its routes.
If plans are not changing, eSwatini Air will initially offer direct nonstop flights between eSwatini's King Mswati III International Airport (SHO) in Sikhuphe and Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town, King Shaka International Airport (DUR) in Durban and OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg in South Africa as well as Robert G. Mugabe International Airport (HRE) in Harare in Zimbabwe. 

eSwatini Air initially targeted the end of March 2022 to conclude the Air Operator Certificate (AOC), but than postponed it to late May or early June 2022. It than announced that services would be launched in June 2022. In May 2022, eSwatini Air said that operations are set to launch in mid-2022. In August 2022, the Royal Eswatini National Airways Corporation (RENAC) posted on LinkedIn that "the wait will soon be over".

Durban: Fourteen beaches are currently open and safe for swimming!

The eThekwini Municipality, the local government body responsible for governing and managing Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, has released lists of beaches that are currently (as of 29 December 2022) open and safe for swimming, closed for swimming and of swimming pools that are currently open to the public. According to the lists, fourteen beaches in Durban are currently open for swimming, while swimming at nine beaches is prohibited due to water quality. 28 swimming pools in Durban are currently open to the public.

Photo by Finding Dan | Dan Grinwis on Unsplash

The following beaches are open for swimming:
- operating hours 06:00 - 18:30 -

1. Point
2. uShaka
3. Addington
4. South Beach
5. Wedge
6. North Beach
7. Bay of Plenty
8. Anstey's
9. Toti Main
10. Brighton
11. uMdloti Main
12. uMgababa
13. uMhlanga Main
14. Westbrook

Beaches closed for swimming:

1. Bronze
2. Battery
3. Country Club
4. Thekweni
5. Laguna
6. Réunion
7. Warner
8. Winkelespruit
9. Pipeline 

Recreational activities other than swimming at beaches closed for swimming are allowed!  

Garden Route: Mossel Bay obtained a beach wheelchair to allow persons with disabilities to enjoy the beach!

The Mossel Bay Municipality obtained a special beach mat and wheelchair to allow persons with disabilities to enjoy Mossel Bay's beaches. The new equipment is currently only used at Santos Beach, but will be available at Mossel Bay's other four (De Bakke, Hartenbos, Klein Brak & Glentana beaches) Blue Flag beaches early in the new year. This is due to the heavier traffic during the ongoing holiday season, which is notably delaying the transport of the special beach mat and wheelchair between beaches.

Johannesburg: Massive flight delays at OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) due to "fuel issues"! [update #2]

update (29 December 2022): According to the management of OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg, operations at the airport are back to normal.

update (28 December 2022): The management of OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg is encouraging all passengers traveling today to proceed to the airport in accordance with their flight schedules. There has been a rapid reduction in the processing time for delayed flights.

Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) earlier today (28 December 2022) announced that OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg is experiencing challenges with fuel supply from the fuel storage facility to the main hydrant system. This is impacting the refueling of aircrafts, so that domestic and international departures are currently experiencing delays. This left passengers waiting for hours for their flights.
Technicians are onsite and have resolved the issue. They are now monitoring the situation.
According to an update by ACSA on Facebook, the airport is succesfully clearing the backlog of flights that were scheduled to depart this morning. As far as we know, travellers at OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) have received no time frame as to when their flights will be restored. We'll keep you posted!

I have been in contact with ACSA Management & have been assured there is no fuel shortage at OR Tambo Airport but a technical issue at the storage which has been resolved.

Management apologizes for the inconvenience this might have caused; flights will return to normal schedule.

— Cde Fikile Mbalula | ANC SG (@MbalulaFikile) December 28, 2022

Cape Town: Postponement of Cape Town International Jazz Festival 2023!

The organisers of the Cape Town International Jazz Festival in Cape Town, espAfrica, have announced that the event scheduled to have taken place on 17 and 18 March 2023, has been postponed by one year. According to espAfrica, several factors have influenced the postponement, including a series of unavoidable delays and unforeseen challenges, as well as uncertainties around the future of load shedding. The 21st edition of the Cape Town International Jazz Festival is now set to take place in Cape Town on 23 and 24 February 2024.
Ticket holders, who have purchased tickets from Ticketmaster may either retain them as espAfrika will honour the cost of these ticket for the 2024 event or obtain a full refund from Ticketmaster. espAfrika added that no monies from ticket sales were passed to them and therefore the refund procedure needs to be done via Ticketmaster and not by espAfrika.

Durban: Twelve beaches are currently open and safe for swimming! [update]

update (27 December 2022): Umhlanga Main and Umhlanga Bronze beaches have been given the green light to re-open on 25 December. The decision to re-open the beaches was taken after results from the latest rounds of water testing confirmed that the water quality is at an acceptable standard.

The eThekwini Municipality, the local government body responsible for governing and managing Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, has released lists of beaches that are currently (as of 21 December 2022) open and safe for swimming, closed for swimming and of swimming pools that are currently open to the public. According to the lists, twelve beaches in Durban are currently open for swimming, while swimming at eleven beaches is probibted due to water quality. 27 swimming pools in Durban are currently open to the public.

Photo by Weyland Swart on Unsplash

The following beaches are open for swimming:
- operating hours 06:00 - 18:30 -

1. Point
2. uShaka
3. Addington
4. South Beach
5. Wedge
6. North Beach
7. Bay of Plenty
8. Anstey's
9. Toti Main
10. Brighton
11. uMdloti Main
12. uMgababa

Beaches closed for swimming:

1. uMhlanga Main
2. Bronze
3. Westbrook
4. Battery
5. Country Club
6. Thekweni
7. Laguna
8. Réunion
9. Warner
10. Winkelespruit
11. Pipeline

Recreational activities other than swimming at beaches closed for swimming are allowed!  

Zimbabwe: Zimparks increases the entrance fees for Victoria Falls National Park and the Zambezi National Park! [update]

update (30 March 2023): The new fees will become effective from 01 April 2023!

The Zimbabwe and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) has announced that it will raise the entrance fees to Victoria Falls National Park and the Zambezi National Park in the area of the world-famous Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe with effect from 01 January 2023. According to news reports from Zimbabwe, the new entrance fee for Victoria Falls National Park will be US$10/person (up from US$7) for citizens of Zimbabwe, US$30/person (up from US$20) for nationals of the Southern African Development Communtiy (SADC) and US$50/person (up from US$30) for all other international visitors of the National Park. Rates for entering Victoria Falls National Park through the VIP Gate will be US$30/person (citizens of Zimbabwe), US$75/person (SADC nationals) and US$150/person (all other international visitors). The rainforest tour under moonlight will cost citizens of Zimbabwe USD15/person, nationals of the SADC US$70/person and for all other international visitors US$100/person.
The entrance fee for the Zambezi National Park will be US5/person (citizens of Zimbabwe), US$12/person (SADC nationals) and US$15/person (all other Nationalities).
Children above five years of age will pay half the adult fees. Vehicles will be charged between US$5 for small cars and US$20 for buses and lories. Foreign registered vehicles will be charged US$30 each.

Malawi to waive visa fees for travellers from 16 "priority markets"! [update]

update (13 February 2023): According to Malawi Tourism, administrative processes are still being worked on by the Malawi Ministry of Finance who are responsible for all financial issues and taxation. We'll keep you posted!

The Malawian Minister of Tourism, Culture and Wildlife, Dr. Michael Usi, has announced that Malawi is planning to waive visa fees for travellers from selected countries in a bid to boost its tourism industry. The visa fee waiver will apply to tourists coming to Malawi from 16 priority markets including the United Kingdom, the United States of America, the Netherlands, Germany, Australia, Belgium, Italy, France, Poland, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, China, Russia, Canada as well as future markets based on arrival figures by purpose of visit. The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Wildlife and the Malawian Ministry of Home Affairs are working together to implement the visa fee waiver, which is expected to become effective in January 2023. We'll keep you posted!

Durban: Eleven beaches are currently open for swimming!

The eThekwini Municipality, the local government body responsible for governing and managing Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, has released lists of beaches that are currently (as of 15 December 2022) open for swimming, closed for swimming and of swimming pools that are currently open to the public. According to the lists, eleven beaches in Durban are currently open for swimming, while swimming at twelve beaches is probibted due to water quality. 27 swimming pools in Durban are currently open to the public.

Photo by suhailkat on Unsplash

The following beaches are open for swimming:
- operating hours 06:00 - 18:30 -

• Point
• uShaka
• Addington
• South Beach
• Wedge
• North Beach
• Bay of Plenty
• Anstey's
• Toti Main
• Pipeline
• uMdloti Main

Beaches closed for swimming:

• uMhlanga Main
• Bronze
• Westbrook
• Battery
• Country Club
• Thekweni
• Laguna
• Brighton
• Réunion
• Warner
• Winkelespruit
• uMgababa 

Recreational activities other than swimming at beaches closed for swimming are allowed! 

Addo Elephant National Park: SANPArks to close the Darlington Dam Fisherman’s Camp for any activities!

South African National Parks (SANParks) has announced the closure of the Darlington Dam Fisherman’s Camp in Addo Elephant National Park in the Eastern Cape. Effective 09 January 2023, the camp will be closed for any activities (fishing and/or camping). This is in line with the minimum standard requirement for tourism (of there being functional toilets on site) in Addo Elephant National Park which could not be maintained after the toilets that were provided were continuously vandalised over time.
SANParks further announced that groups wanting to host fishing competitions/league events in the interim are advised that they will only be able to do so once they have successfully applied for an event permit through the official channels and if they acknowledge that they will supply their own portable toilets for the duration of their event.
The matter will be given attention in the meantime to find a more suitable, lasting solution. We'll keep you posted!

Zimbabwe: Fastjet to launch daily flights to Kariba and Hwange National Park! [update #2]

update (05 April 2023): Flights to Kariba officially launched on 04 April 2023!

update (17 January 2023): Fastjet (Zimbabwe) is planning to launch flights to Kariba and Hwange National Park on 27 March 2023.

Low-cost carrier Fastjet (Zimbabwe) is planning to launch flights to two new domestic destinations in Zimbabwe. Commencing late March 2023, the airine is set to introduce their new services from RG Mugabe International Airport (HRE) in Harare and Victoria Falls International Airport (VFA) in Victoria Falls to Kariba Airport (KAB) in Kariba and Hwange National Park Airport (HWN) that serves the Hwange National Park. These planned additional routes to the Fastjet’s domestic network will offer seamless connections for travellers from Harare and Victoria Falls to the tourism destinations of Kariba and Hwange National Park, with scheduled flight connections using an Embraer E120, 30-seater turboprop aircraft.

Vivian Ruwuya, Fastjet (Zimbabwe) Chief Commercial Office, further announced that the new flights to Kariba and Hwange National Park will be supported with onward connections on Mack Air / South West Aviation into the Hwange National Park, the lodges of the Kariba eastern basin and the camps and operations in Mana Pools and the lower Zambezi. Mack Air with South West Aviation will be developing a new hub at Kariba, along with their existing hubs in Victoria Falls and Harare to support these seamless connections to and from Fastjet’s services. Fastjets new domestic flights to Kariba and Hwange National Park will be available for booking in the coming days.

• Victoria Falls 13:30 > 14:30 Kariba (direct, daily)
• Kariba 10:20 > 11:20 Victoria Falls (direct, daily)
  

• Victoria Falls 10:30 > 10:55 Hwange (direct, daily)
• Hwange 11:30 > 11:55 Victoria Falls (direct, daily)
  

• Harare 09:00 > 09:50 Kariba (direct, daily)
• Kariba 15:00 > 15:50 Harare (direct, daily)
  

• Harare 08:40 > 10:55 Hwange (one stop, daily | connecting with flight Victoria Falls > Hwange)
• Hwange 11:30 > 16:05 Victoria Falls (one stop, daily | connecting with flight Hwange > Victoria Falls)

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Western Cape: Gamkaberg Nature Reserve temporarily closed!

CapeNature, the public institution with the responsibility for biodiversity conservation in South Africa's Western Cape, has announced that the Gamkaberg Nature Reserve is temporarily closed. This is due to heavy rainfall and flash floods, which caused damage to the Nature Reserve's entrance roads as well as the paths leading to the camps and tourism facilities. According to CapeNature, it is expected that Gamkaberg Nature Reserve will  re-open on 12 January 2023.
The Gamkaberg Nature Reserve (10 430ha) is located 33km south-west of Oudtshoorn and 32km south-east of Calitzdorp. It forms part of the 80 000ha Gamkaberg Conservation Area which is made up of various categories of protected areas, including privately owned stewardship Nature Reserves.

Festive season 2022/23: Kruger National Park to enforce daily gate quotas!

South African National Parks (SANParks) has announced that daily quotas will once again apply at the entrance gates of Kruger National Park from 15 December 2022 until 10 January 2023. Three time slots have been introduced, of which day visitos can choose from. Visitors are urged to make pre-bookings for their visits prior to their arrival and there are three time slots which they can choose from as follows:

• Time slot 1: 05:30 to 07:30
• Time slot 2: 07:30 to 09:30
• Time slot 3: 09:30 onwards

Pre-booked day visitors will get preference over non-booked day visitors at the gate but must ensure that they arrive within their booked time slots. Arriving outside the booked time slot, will be regarded as non-booked and therefore will not receive preference and could be turned away. These bookings can be changed as well through SANParks Reservations offices if need be.
The three different time slots are aimed at improving the spread of vehicles and preventing unnecessary waiting periods at gates. The day visitor quota for Kruger National Park is a management tool to prevent overcrowding the roads and facilities.
SANParks has also made plans for increased visibility of both traffic officials and visitor management personnel to watch speeding, after-hours travelling and general behaviour on the roads. Day visitors are reminded not to bring liquor with them as the alcohol ban on public areas in Kruger National Park is a permanent rule which is always enforced. Visitors are advised to plan their trip carefully, allowing sufficient time to enjoy the bush and to get to your destination. Entrance Gate operating hours will be from 05:30 to 18:30 during December and January.

Visitors should also take note of the following important information:

• Visitors can book up to 80% of the day visitor quota per gate via SANParks Reservations offices.
• Day visitor pre-bookings are subject to a non-refundable booking fee of R50 per adult and R25 per child, which must be paid in advance and is meant to ensure their space because they would have been counted in the number that made the daily quota.
• Day visitors who have pre-booked will still be required to pay conservation fees or use a valid Wild Card to enter Kruger National Park. The conservation fee for residents of South Africa as well as for Zimbabwe and Mozambique nationals (passport required to prove this) is R115 per adult and R57 per child (between ages 2 - 11). For nationals of Eswatini and other SADC countries, the conservation fees are R230 per adult and R115 per child. For all other guests, the standard conservation fees of R460 for adults and R230 for children apply.
• Guests planning to use Wild Cards are requested to ensure the membership is valid before arrival.
• The number and profile of persons (adults and children) on the reservation and actual persons arriving should correspond.
• All guests (drivers and passengers) will be required to identify themselves upon admission (by producing a South African driver's license, identity document or passport); please ensure you are in possession of one of these documents and have them ready.
• Gate Quotas will be strictly applied and guests without pre-bookings could be denied entry if quotas are full.

Traffic accidents: The most dangerous roads in South Africa!

The South African Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has released a list of South Africa's most dangerous roads. The list consists of 24 road sections where 15 or more road crashes have taken place over the past five years. These are the 24 accident hotspots in South Africa: the R573 Moloto Road in KwaMhlanga in Mpumalanga, the R71 near Mankweng in Limpopo, the N2 near Idutywa in the Eastern Cape, the N2 near Mount Ayliff in the Eastern Cape, the N1 near Naboomspruit in Limpopo, the R61 near Mbizana in the Eastern Cape, the N1 near Mokopane in Limpopo, the R30 between Stilfontein and Ventersdorp in the North West, the R61 near Umthatha in the Eastern Cape, the N2 near Pongola in KwaZulu-Natal, the R61 near Mzamba in the Eastern Cape, the N1 near Musina in Limpopo, the N2 near Mount Frere in Eastern Cape, the N4 near Middelburg in Mpumalanga, the N1 near Laingsburg in Western Cape, the N2 near Port Shepstone in KwaZulu-Natal, the N1 near Makhado in Limpopo, the N2 near Libode in the Eastern Cape, the R61 near Libode in Eastern Cape, the N4 near Nelspruit in Mpumalanga, France van Zyl drive near Parow in the Western Cape, the N3 near Harrismith in the Free State, the M35 near Folweni in KwaZulu-Natal and the N2 near Umthatha in Eastern Cape.

In case of an emergency, motorists may call the following numbers. On the N3 the emergency number is 0800 63 4357, on the N4 the emergency number is 0800 87 2264, on the the N1 the emergency number is 0800 029 999 and the Sanral emergency number is 0800 0800 487.

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park: A new Interpretation Centre for the for the ǂKhomani Cultural Landscape World Heritage Site has been opened at Twee Rivieren Rest Camp!

A new Interpretation Centre for the or the ǂKhomani Cultural Landscape World Heritage Site has been opened at Twee Rivieren Rest Camp in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. The centre is currently open to the public from 07:00 until 18:00 every day.
Twee Rivieren is largest rest camp in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and its administrative headquarters. The camp is situated on the banks of the dry Nossob riverbed. Activities and facilities are diverse, as are the animals and plants found both within the camp and in the surrounding areas. Besides the new Interpretation Centre, Twee Rivieren Rest Camp has a reception, shop, fuel, restaurant, information centre and swimming pool. This is the only camp with 24 hrs electricity and cell phone reception in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.

South Africa: South African Airways defers resumption of flights between Johannesburg <> Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)!

South African Airways (SAA) has announced that the launch of its new service to Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) in South Africa's Eastern Cape had been deffered. According to the airline, flights between OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg and Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport (PLZ) in Gqeberha, which was to commence today (12 December 2022), will now be deferred to the new year 2023. The deferral of the restart of this route is due to the regulatory approval process that has taken much longer than anticipated. We'll keep you posted!

"Whilst the airline is disappointed that we could not achieve flying the Ggeberha route in time to meet the December peak season demand, the restart of this route remains a critical part of SAA’s network growth plan and SAA will continue to work to achieve this." (SAA Chief Commercial Officer, Tebogo Tsimane)

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South Africa: Seasonal rainfall & temperature outlook (December 2022 - April 2023)!

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has released the Seasonal Climate Watch for the period December 2022 to April 2023. According to the multi-model rainfall forecast, above-normal rainfall is expected for most parts of South Africa from December 2022 all the way to April 2023. Minimum temperatures are still expected to be mostly above-normal countrywide, however, maximum temperatures are expected to be below-normal over most of South Africa during December 2022 to April 2023.

 

Zimbabwe: Gonarezhou National Park introduces game drives in open-sided 4×4 game drive vehicles!

The management of Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe has announced that, for the first time, game drives in custom-built open-sided 4×4 game drive vehicles will be offered in the National Park to assist those without access to offroad vehicles for game viewing. The new service will be available from 17 December 2022. Over this festive season, two vehicles will be available daily at the main gate (Chipinda Pools), offering drives into Gonarezhou National Park. 

Each vehicle can accommodate a maximum of 9 people but will need a minimum of 6 people on the vehicle to depart. The departure times are 07:00 for a morning drive (duration +/- 3 hours), 15:00 for an evening drive (duration +/- 3 hours) and 08:00 for a full day (including cliffs) returning approx. 17:00. The management of Gonarezhou National Park is encouraging visitors to make a booking in advance, but where people arrive on time, walk-ins are also allowed.

Gonarezhou National Park, Zimbabwe's second largest National Park, is located in the south-eastern part of the country and is managed by the Gonarezhou Conservation Trust (GTC), an innovative new model for protected area management drawn up between the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZPWMA) and the Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS).

Mozambique launches new eVisa system!

Mozambican President Philipe Jacinto Nyusi has launched Mozambique's new online entry visa application system, eVisa, on 05 December 2022. The new system is live at evisa.gov.mz. According to President Nyusi, eVisa will "simplify the procedure of obtaining a visa" and "boost" the tourism sector in Mozambique.
In order to apply for an online visa, the applicant has to register with Mozambique's new eVisa system. Once registered, the necessary documentation for the type of visa required (tourist, business, humanitarian or other) needs to be uploaded to the system at evisa.gov.mz. If the application is approved by the Mozambican authorities, a provisional visa is issued, which is to be presented upon entry into Mozambique, at which time the respective payment is made and the effective visa issued.

screenshot evisa.gov.mz (07 December 2022)

 

Airports Company Zimbabwe introduces (free) Wi-Fi at major international airports in Zimbabwe!

Airports Company of Zimbabwe (ACZ), which currently manages and operates a network of eight airports in Zimbabwe, and Dandemutande, a Zimbabwean Internet connectivity solutions provider, have entered into a partnership to provide Wi-Fi at Zimbabwe's major international airports. The service, named "Uspot" is already functional at RG Mugabe International Airport (HRE) in Harare, and, according to state-owned Zimbabwean newspaper The Herald, will also be introduced at Victoria Falls International Airport (VFA) in Victoria Falls and Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport (BUQ) in Bulawayo. "Uspot" gives users free 100 megabytes of data; additional data has to be paid for. 

@Airports_Zim and @DandemutandeZW have entered into a partnership to provide Wi-Fi at the major airports Victoria Falls, J M Nkomo and R G Mugabe airport.

Uspot gives free 100 megabytes then you pay for additional data.

Brick upon brick we will get there pic.twitter.com/ymN5Ekqugk

— Airports Company Of Zimbabwe 🇿🇼 (@Airports_Zim) December 4, 2022

South Africa: South African Airways returns to Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)!

South African Airways (SAA) is set to return to Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) in South Africa's Eastern Cape. Commencing Monday, 12 December 2022, the airline offers three return flights per day between OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg and Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport (PLZ) in Gqeberha. SAA will operate an Airbus A320 aircraft on this route. The flight schedule is not unknown yet.

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Zambia: Proflight Zambia adds extra scheduled flights on its domestic and regional routes this festive season!

Zambian airline Proflight Zambia has announced that it will be adding extra scheduled flights on its domestic in Zambia and regional routes in Southern Africa this festive season. The airline will introduce additional flights on its service between Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (LUN) in Lusaka and OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg during this period, bringing the frequency up to 21 return flights per week. Proflight Zambia will also recommence direct flights between Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport (NLA) in Ndola and Johannesburg from today (05 December 2022).
Proflight Zambia Director Flight Operations Captain Josias Walubita further announced that extra flights have also been added on all domestic routes operated by Proflight Zambia to increase capacity for the festive period to meet the increased demand.

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Namibia: Dune 7 in the Dorob National Park temporarily closed for renovations! [update]

update (19 January 2023): Dune 7 reopened to the public on 24 December 2022!

The Namibian Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has announced that Dune 7 in the Dorob National Park in Namibia's Erongo Region is temporarily closed until 15 December 2022. According to the Ministry the closure of the recreational area is to allow for upgrade and renovation of ablution facilities and other tourism infrastructure of the area. The closure will also allow the Ministry to clean up the area ahead of the expected influx of people to the coastal areas of the country during the festive season 2022/23.
Dune 7 is the highest dune in Namibia with a height of over 380 meters. The dune is located in the Dorob National Park, which forms the link between the Skeleton Coast National Park in the north and the Namib Naukluft Park in the south along the Namibian Atlantic coast.

Namibia introduces entry fees for Dune 7 in the Dorob National Park! >>

Angola: TAAG expands network in Europa through codeshare with Iberia!

The state-owned flag carrier of Angola, TAAG Angola Airlines, has expanded its network of destinations in Europe and domestic connections in Spain through its codeshare agreement with the flag carrier airline of Spain, Iberia. From now on, TAAG customers and passengers will be able to travel on a codeshare basis to London (United Kingdom), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Rome, Milan (Italy), Geneva, Zurich (Switzerland), Brussels (Belgium) and Porto (Portugal). Domestic destinations in Spain are also included, namely Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Gran Canaria, Vigo, Malaga, Bilbao, Valencia and Seville.
Under the agreement between the two airlines, the Africa <> Europe route (Luanda/ Madrid/Luanda) is operated by TAAG, with the Europe <> Europe connections carried out by Iberia.

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TAZARA: Temporary suspension of passenger train services between Zambia & Tanzania! [update]

update (06 December 2022): TAZARA's interstate passenger train operations between Zambia and Tanzania resumed today.

The Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) has announced the suspension of cross-border passenger services between Zambia and Tanzania due to a train accident involving a freight train. The accident occurred in the early hours of 30 November 2022. The section between Lumumwe and Mpanga in Tanzania, where the accident occurred, has been temporarily closed as rescue operations are underway.
In the meantime, until further notice, TAZARA's passenger services in Tanzania are only be
available between Dar es Salaam and Mlimba, whilst in Zambia the services are only
be available between New Kapiri-Mposhi and Nakonde. We'll keep you posted!

© TAZARA

The Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) is a bi-national railway, jointly owned by the Government of Tanzania and the Government of Zambia on an equal share-holding basis. The 1,860 km-rail runs from Tanzania and East Africa’s major seaport of Dar es Salaam into the heart of Zambia's Central Province, terminating at New Kapiri-Mposhi, where it is further linked by road and rail to Zambia's capital city, Lusaka (about 200 km), Zambia's mining nerve centre, the Copperbelt province (about 100 km) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).   

Cape Town: SANParks tightens security in Table Mountain National Park during the festive season 2022/23!

South African National Parks (SANParks) has announced plans to tighten security inside Table Mountain National Park in Cape Town during the festive season 2022/23. The Sea, Air and Mountain (SEAM) Special Operations Ranger team, the canine unit, members of the Operations Unit, as well as visitor safety rangers, will be deployed to ensure the safety of visitors in the National Park. Following a spate of incidents that have recently occurred, SANParks together with its stakeholders such as the South African Police Services (SAPS), the City of Cape Town Law Enforcement land and marine unit, Metro Search and Rescue, neighbourhood watch groups, the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway, and various friends and safety groups, have shifted its focus to high priority areas, as they embark on their improved mission to combat crime along Table Mountain National Park.

SANParks recommends visitors to plan their journey in such a way as long queues and waiting periods may be expected Table Mountain National Park gates such as the Cape of Good Hope/Cape Point as it is commonly known, Boulders Penguin Colony, and various picnic sites. Users are encouraged to please bring along their SA ID with to qualify for the local tariff. SANParks does accept electronic proof of SA ID as well as certified copies of SA ID or driver's license.