OSVs – Please provide items for agenda for OSV Steering committee
KLCBT will be representing our OSV members in a steering committee next week. Please let me know of any issues or suggestions you may want us to raise at the meeting. We already submitted an extensive    agenda, but would not want to leave out any of the  issues. We have posted our suggestions as well as those from SATSA and MISA on the website, so please have a look and let me know before 12h00 on       Thursday, if we need to add anything.                        linda@klcbt.co.za
For now my points are:
- Late opening of gates for OSVs
- Implementation of safety measures on the Numbi Gate Road
- Structured complaints line and Council to handle disciplinary issues to handle transgressions by OSV or illegal OSV operators
- NPTR permits – what is SANParks doing to apply pressure to get this resolved?
- Post mortem re recent protest action
- List of benefits OSVs do have and what is actually in the pipeline for added benefits?
- Billboards, etc of Do’s and Don’ts in KNP everywhere at gates
- Electronic training progress
- Congestion at gates in the South
Feedback required from previous meeting:
- Bi-Annual face to face meeting with full group has to be arranged
- Tax Invoice still not received for permit fees
- Online pre-booking for all fees – is it open yet? For OSV day permits, pax and activities
- A schedule of regular meetings (next meeting was supposed to happen 2nd week in March. This is now end of July)
Thank you:
- For allowing infants – much appreciated
- For feedback and reasons for not allowing alcohol
INPUT FROM SATSA AND MISA
1. Where are the Tourism Monitor Vehicles? What is the possibility to allow a VHF channel to their control room to call for assistance at congested sightings?
2. There are a lot of road closures in the Park, may we please receive an update of all the roads that are closed, reasons and when can we as an industry expect them to be open and what is the alternative to these road closures?
3. Picnic areas
– Pretorius Kop Day Visitors – needs to be cleaned up, more dustbins to be placed in the picnic area. Grass needs to be cut inside the spot. No gas braais & ice for sale. Would an association’s bid to operate the pick nick spot be considered as we are also community?
– Berg & Dal – no designated area for day visitors. What is the alternative? Would an association’s bid to operate the pick nick spot be considered as we are also community?
– Skukuza Day Visitors – Why must the OSV Industry pay to make use of the boma
– Afsaal – furniture is dilapidated and dust bins not properly closing resulting in a monkey infestation. Menu appalling and very expensive. Food quality low.
4. Please can we have more information on the reasoning behind the implementation of the OSV Register that guides now have to complete. It takes a guide a least 3 minutes to complete this register in the dark presently, so the 15 minute earlier benefit to enter the Park is really now only available to literally to the first 3 vehicles, thereafter all OSV’S have to fall into line.
At the time of the earlier benefit one of the main reason this was granted was so that the open safari vehicles can enter/pay and get away from the general public so to avoid slandering etc. from the general public
5. Please can we be informed under what law mandate the guards at the gates to request the guides PDP & Guiding Cards read in conjunction with the law governing traffic officers and the Tourism act! These laws are specifically implemented with a reason and the Nempa act cannot supersede as was proven in the case of competition commission vs SANParks. What are the implications if a guide does not have the cards on hand? How will this be addressed?
6. Please can the SANParks steering committee let us have feedback on the following matters , that were discussed from 2013 re the request by the Minister Hannekom to self-regulate the tourism industry.
– Proposed designated picnic spot areas for open safari vehicles, this was started and practically finalised in the tenure of Glen Phillips and Lucy Nhlapho.
– The pilot project for management road access which has a number of logistics to be considered and agreed upon, potential sites for OSV sundowners, toilet facilities, parking etc.
– The proposal to allow guides to pick up litter in the Park. This has been approved, in principle, and is dependent on the approval of an indemnity by SANParks legal. If approved, participants will be required to sign the indemnity and be provided with a lapel pin for the guide and magnetic decal for the vehicle.
– Please advise what happened to the implementation for improved gate entry at Phabeni, Numbi and Malalane. This will include special entry lanes for OSVs and expansion of the parking areas. There will also be a separate (and temporary for now) hut with terminals exclusively to service OSVs from the 15 minutes’ early entry up until approximately 10am, during peak times, where after the terminals will then open for all entries to the park.
7. When will KNP have a meeting with the entire osv operators?
8. Is the yellow Osv project stickers compulsory or can all operators print their stickers like the Shalati vehicles?
9. Why are we still experience problems with gates not allowing the 15 minute earlier grace period? Why do we not always get feedback after reporting a matter to the Steercom? Why is correspondence not escalated to more senior management, when specifically requested, especially after a challenge like the gate opening is not addressed in three years?
10. What is the due diligence to be followed when a proposal is not granted? How do we proceed with an application that was rejected? Irrespective of the basis.
12. 123 new tenders was published for activity operators from quad biking to cycling and many more in-between. Why was not one of the current Osv operaters informed or invited to tender?
13. We refer to the high court case of appeal where treasury lost BEE preferential procurement rule. Does this mean that SANParks no longer require BEE status of operators and that current operators have equal opportunity to apply for tenders? Can such a list be made available to operators who already have a vested interest in Kruger National Park?
14. From previous meeting minutes:
• My Acre Site – what is the current status and when will this be made available for operators to use again as per previous meetings with SANParks? The Phabeni operator is far too expensive at R 1 600 per person and a minimum of 10 clients and is not operating unless 10 clients is booked.
• What is the vision and plan to alleviate congestion?
• Benefits to OSV’s in lieu of permit fees
