South Africa: Dinokeng animal reserve catches up with local customers

Audio 03:36

By: Claire Bargelès Follow

In South Africa, with nearly 560,000 cases of Covid-19 identified, the territory represents half of the continent's infections and is in 5th place among the countries most affected in the world by the pandemic. The pandemic has already killed more than 10,000 people there. Cyril Ramaphosa's government has put in place one of the strictest lockdowns in the world, at the end of March. Since then, he has been gradually released for economic reasons, despite the arrival of the peak of the epidemic. However, South Africa's borders still remain closed, depriving the country of international tourists. The sector must therefore deal with South African tourists, authorized to travel only within their province.

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Located about fifty kilometers north of Pretoria, Dinokeng Park is now very popular with South Africans. After two months of closure at the start of confinement, it comes out of its long sleep and attracts the townspeople of the province, who wish to escape for a few hours and forget the pandemic for a while, like Colin and his friends:

“  There are a lot of restrictions in our lives right now, but at least we can come to Dinokeng, get out of town for a bit, and get some fresh air. You might think it's just a normal day in the reserve until you see other people in masks. "

South Africans are fond of "game drives", these car safaris. But while the government has relaxed restrictions, allowing parks to reopen, local tourists are still prohibited from traveling outside their province.

And in Gauteng, which encompasses the cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria, Dinokeng is the only option to see the "Big Five", the animals for which these parks are famous. Isabella, 12, is going to buy entrance tickets with a big smile:

“  I'm super excited, because it's been a long time since I saw any wild animals! I would love to see a lion and a rhino. But it's already a lot good just to be there.  "

For her mother Estelle, Dinokeng is also a first, when she lives less than 30 minutes by car:

“  This is our first real outing since confinement. We are a little afraid but we must continue to live. We love Kruger Park, but it's good here because it's inside Gauteng.  "

Behind the reception desk, Johannes collects the entrance tickets to the channel:

“  There are really people ... Over a weekend, more than 2,000 visitors. They don't have any other place to go so it's good for us!  "

A craze that makes it possible to make up for the losses caused by the closure of the reserve at the end of March according to its director David Boshoff:

“  At the time, there were no tourists allowed in the park, so no income. And without these revenues, we don't have enough money to properly take care of the park and protect its wildlife. And there has been an increase in poaching, with the setting of traps to catch antelopes in particular.  "

The attraction of this semi-private 20,000 hectare park is also a relief for lodges, such as Mongena. Even if it cannot yet count on international tourists, who represent the majority of its clientele, this establishment has enjoyed great success since its reopening two weeks ago, as its owner Marina Toerien welcomes. :

“  The international market should probably pick up in January, at least we hope so, if all goes well. But in the meantime we can concentrate on the domestic market. Everyone's very keen to get out of their homes right now, and it's an easy day trip destination.  "

Enough to allow the sector to revive a little. It indirectly contributes 8% of South Africa's GDP, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council, and employs 1.5 million people. A significant figure in terms of employment, according to Chiedza Madzima, analyst at Fitch Solutions:

“  It is a key sector because it is very labor intensive. This represents 9.2% of the total number of jobs in the country. I believe that for the next two years the outlook for South African tourism will remain very poor. And even if borders reopen, that doesn't mean the average consumer will have enough money to travel.  "

According to the tourism ministry, the sector has already lost nearly 2.5 billion euros because of the confinement.

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• South Africa
• Tourism

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