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Key tourist sites on Panorama Route remain closed following operational disruptions by employees

The KLCBT has intervened in the issue to have criminal cases opened against the illegal protesters.

Various nature reserves along the Panorama Route in the Lowveld, managed by the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA), remain inaccessible due to operational disruptions by employees.

On Friday, January 17, the MTPA spokesperson, Simphiwe Shungube, announced the closure of various sites and noted that the executive management is in discussion with organised labour and the employees participating in the illegal strike.

The Kruger Lowveld Chamber of Business and Tourism (KLCBT) intervened to have the matter resolved. It released a statement on Sunday, January 19. It said the tourism industry in the Lowveld is suffering as a result of this action and will have no choice other than opening criminal cases if the matter is not resolved by Monday, January 20.

“We had discussions with MTPA’s management earlier in the week to enquire about the issue and remedial steps taken.  We were informed that it is not a labour-related strike and is not initiated by any trade union. In fact, they had discussions with the unions to assist in getting people back to work. The strike is, in fact, by workers who are loyal to some staff that were recently dismissed or suspended.

“Further to this, the MTPA issued a notice to all staff to return to work on Thursday [January 16] or face immediate disciplinary action. We have also suggested to management that criminal cases should be opened against the employees who are instigating the strike action.

“All of us, the KLCBT and MTPA’s management, were convinced that all would be back to normal by Friday, but it is clear that the threat of disciplinary action has not yielded the desired result. We left another message this morning [Sunday] to the chairperson of MTPA’s board, again suggesting that criminal cases should be opened and those individuals should be arrested.

ALSO READ: UPDATE: Most Kruger roads reopened following heavy rains

“This is industrial sabotage by individuals, and if left unattended by the management of the MTPA, they will also be responsible for the losses we all carry.  For this reason, the KLCBT will be entitled to open a case on behalf of our members and the tourism industry.

“Meanwhile, we are hoping that the MTPA management will regard this with the necessary urgency and gravity it deserves.  We thank them for their positive response and co-operation so far.”

Responding to the action the KLCBT seeks to embark on, Shungube said: “As the MTPA, we are guided by the Labour Relations Act. The act guides on actions to be taken in this situation.”

@lowvelder

Tom van der Meulen, a gyrocopter pilot and resident from Hoedspruit, shared this amazing video of the Blyderivierspoort Dam overflowing on his Facebook page on Tuesday, January 14. He had captured this amazing view at about 16:00 the day before. After the rain Limpopo and Mpumalanga had received, this was the sight that greeted him in his gyrocopter. According to Van der Meulen: “It rained between 20mm and 100mm during Sunday night. Most of the rain was next to the mountains.” Watch the video here: The Blyderivierspoort Dam is situated in Mpumalanga and was opened in 1974. It is an arch-gravity dam 71m in height and 240m in length, holding a total capacity of 54 050 000m³, and it has a surface area of 240ha. The Blyde River Canyon empties into the Blyderivierspoort Dam, near the Swadini Resort, with breathtaking views of the escarpment. The Blyde River is dammed at the mouth of the canyon to create the Blyde Dam near Swadini. The Blyde River flows into the Olifants River, which eventually flows into the Massingir Dam in Mozambique. > Video: Supplied/Tom van der Meulen. #blyderivercanyon #blyderivercanyon #damoverflowing #dam #rain #mpumalanga🇿🇦

♬ FEEL THE GROOVE – Queens Road, Fabian Graetz

@lowvelder

The cliché, buckets full of rain, have maintained their character at the Lowveld Botanical Garden in Mbombela. The garden is shaped by the two rivers that converge in it, namely the Crocodile and Nels rivers. Where these two rivers meet in the garden, they form spectacular waterfalls that can be viewed at the Cascades. > Video: Supplied/ Jacques Lombard #botanicalgarden #mbombela #waterfall

♬ original sound – Lowveld Media

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Bertus de Bruyn

Bertus de Bruyn is based in Mbombela, Mpumalanga. De Bruyn has been employed by Caxton since 2009. After a short sabbatical of two years, De Bruyn is back at the place he called home, Caxton, at Lowveld Media. He is currently the digital content manager, but has 14 years of journalism skills, news editor, and acting editor duties behind his name.

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