SANParks distributes food parcels to communities

The South African National Parks (SANParks) distributed food and hygiene parcels to over 300 households living in areas surrounding the Addo Elephant National Park in the Eastern Cape on 5 May.

SANParks CEO Fundisile Mketeni was joined by Eastern Cape MEC for Finance, Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism Mlungisi Mvoko for the hand over.

“National parks are not about animals only. Our staff and our neighbours make up a big portion of who we are and what we stand for,” said Mketeni.

According to a statement by SANParks, the impact of the lockdown on the tourism and hospitality industry overall has also affected the national park.

“We therefore saw fit to come on board when the government asked if the entire nation could join hands,” Mketeni added.

A further 800 food hampers were handed over to communities residing around the other national parks in the region which includes the Camdeboo, Karoo and Mountain Zebra National Parks and the Garden Route National Park’s Tsitsikamma, Knysna and Wilderness areas.

The donations form part of SANParks’ response to Covid-19. A total of R6-million will be used to purchase food parcels, hygiene products, education materials and water tanks.

A total of 7 500 families will be supported nationally.

“We all know our parks are situated in highly depressed areas and we, as SANParks, need to do what we can to assist. We know it is not enough, but it’s a small contribution and we will continue to fundraise even hereafter,” Mketeni said.

Notice: Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news

Dear reader,

As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19.

Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).