KNP reaches out to local businesses

This comes after the South African National Parks (Sanparks) embarked on a week-long series of economic transformation roadshows from Monday, November 22 until November 29. The roadshows were aimed at giving SMMEs insight into business opportunities available at the park as well as providing advice on how to access those opportunities through Sanparks’ supply chain management.

The roadshows included 480 participants from three district municipalities of which business owners from the Mopani District Municipality, including Greater Tzaneen, Ba-Phalaborwa and Maruleng local municipalities, attended the roadshow on Wednesday, November 24 at the Mopani Conference Centre. Attendees heard from various speakers touching on topics including funding opportunities available at the National Development Agency for SMMEs.

The managing executive of the KNP, Gareth Coleman said that for too long Sanparks has not offered adequate opportunities for small businesses which are closer to the park. “The aim is to begin to communicate what opportunities exist within the Kruger National Park. “We needed to get an understanding of what businesses they are and how the services and goods which they provide could fit with what we need as an organisation. We can’t provide solutions, jobs and opportunities for everyone but there are certain ways which we can do much better,” he said.

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Coleman said they understand that their long-term future relies on their ability to ensure that communities that are closer to the park benefits from what is happening in the park. “If we don’t do that conservation is threatened because people will become impatient, again it is not our responsibility to provide all the economic opportunities for everybody who lives in municipalities around us, but we certainly have to do better so this is the first step we are taking to begin to meet small enterprises who are already operating and registered on the central database and if they are not, we can perhaps find ways to assist them,” he said.

He told the Herald that they will be having ongoing programmes over the course of next year with groupings of small businesses whose services and goods which they have begun to match the things that they need as KNP. For SMMEs to be considered they need to meet the following criteria: • The business must be located within a 200km radius of the Kruger National Park. • The business must have been in operation for at least three years. • The owner must be active in the business on a full-time basis. • They must provide an outline of the business they are in so it can be matched against KNP opportunities. Inquiries: Portia.Sambo@sanparks.org or 013 735 4266.