Cape Vidal Upgrade / Privatetised

May 09, 2008

Zululand OBSERVER

	Cape Vidal upgrade Mark Mattson The iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority announced this week that the tender for the redevelopment of Cape Vidal has entered its final phase. The upgrading of campsites, chalets and day visitor facilities will be undertaken by a public private-community partnership between the Bhanghazi Land Claimants Trust, who are mandatory empowerment partners, and the winning bidder, who will soon be announced. The tender will emphasise public access guarantees, pricing of accommodation to promote access, and economic benefits for the Bhanghazi community - including minimum equity, minority protection, preferred procurement and other specific requirements of the Bhanghazi Land Claimants Trust. The number of jobs will rise from 47 to over 250 and an independent EIA will be undertaken. The EIA will be conducted at the investor's risk and in accordance with the National Environmental Management Act. Environmental education Other recent news from iSimangaliso includes the completion of a 10 day environmental education programme, which saw 33 schools and 495 learners visit the Park. The programme was funded by DEAT under the auspices of its Marine and Coastal Management branch and forms part of iSimangaliso's goal to provide all the Park's 620 000 neighbouring schoolchildren with an opportunity to visit the Park at least once during their school careers. In the current edition of the iSimangaliso News, the Park reports on the significance and scope of its game reintroduction programme, and on its clean up of the old military base on the Nhlozi Peninsula, known in the past as Hell's Gate. Now that the clean up is complete, the area's significant tourism and conservation potential can be developed, and its inclusion into iSimangaliso has greatly enhanced the ecological integrity of the Park. Other reports cover the upgrading of the Park's dredger for the purposes of managing the estuary mouth, the construction of a bird hide at Mafazana Pan on the Eastern Shores, the building of the new eNkovukeni School at Kosi Bay and the awarding of concessions to iSimangaliso-approved dive operators at Sodwana Bay.