NATIONAL NEWS - South African National Parks (Sanparks) will for the 14th consecutive year give the public free day access to all 21 national parks during the annual SA National Parks Week from Sunday 8 to Sunday 15 September.

In response to requests from the public who are not able to visit the parks during the week, Sanparks has included weekends. The Parks Week forms part of the worldwide National Parks Focus Week campaign.

This applies to Addo Elephant National Park (outside Port Elizabeth), Camdeboo National Park (on the borders of Graaff-Reinet), Garden Route National Park (with its Tsitsikamma, Knysna and Wilderness sections), Karoo National Park (outside Beaufort West) and Mountain Zebra National Park (near Cradock). 

Due to the popularity of Addo Elephant National Park and its proximity to Port Elizabeth, gate quotas of 700 people per day per gate over weekends will apply - so it is advisable that visitors get there early to avoid disappointment.

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Since Sanparks started the Parks Week programme in 2006, a total of 438 361 South Africans have been afforded the opportunity to enter national parks. 

"We want to see these numbers grow. It's important for South Africans to visit and know the importance of national parks. 

"They act as spaces to practise sustainable conservation, as spaces that preserve and celebrate our culture and heritage, and we now see national parks playing the critical role of empowering communities living adjacent to parks through job creation and we continue to explore ways of creating business opportunities particularly for small business owners," says CEO Fundisile Mketeni.

Visit www.sanparks.org for more information.

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