A game reserve or a private zoo?
In a report tabled in the council meeting, the ANC admitted to its mismanagement of the Krugersdorp Game Reserve during its time in office.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) Caucus does not support the ANC’s handing over of 400 hectares of prime land in the Krugersdorp Game Reserve to a development company.
It has unanimously recorded its disapproval of the proposed construction of an Edutainment Theme Park in the once highly rated pristine ecological facility.
In a report tabled in the 27 March council meeting, the ANC admitted to its mismanagement of the Krugersdorp Game Reserve during its time in office. The DA released a statement to the News about the municipality consequently suffering huge economic losses, a decline in the biological assets and a deterioration in tourist facilities.
“It no longer serves as a marketing draw-card for the city. The mismanagement has brought about the devaluation of this precious municipal asset,” the statement reads.
The DA Caucus recorded its disapproval of the proposed Disney-like Theme Park when it voted against handing over 400 hectares of the 1 600 hectare game reserve to the West Rand Development Agency in a Land Reservation Agreement. The agency would act as a type of middle-man between the proposed developer and Mogale City.
“The agency has already pre-selected Hadassah, a Russian-based company, as the proposed developer of the $3 billion park. However, investigations have revealed that development of Hadassah’s own theme park, Dreamland, situated in Russia, came to a halt in 2017, due to a lack of funding. For this reason the DA questioned the wisdom of the municipality entering into a Land Availability agreement with the company. Such an agreement would see the handing over of the land to the company so that they can develop it.”
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The municipality’s contribution of 400 hectares of the Krugersdorp Game Reserve, as its land equity investment in the project is therefore dubious.
“The ANC government in Mogale City has a dismal record with Land Availability Agreements. Failed, uncompleted projects, such as Heritage Manor and even the Bob van Reenen Stadium, still scar the Mogale landscape.
“The DA fully supports the revitalisation of the Krugersdorp Game Reserve as a development which promotes the prudent and sustained co-existence of a sensitive conservation area and a tourist/ educational facility. It supports a project that will bring income, jobs and a heightened tourism market share to Mogale, but does not support risking the loss of municipal assets and the very essence of the game reserve.”
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