REPORTS in the local media, claiming that farmers refusing to sell their land for the development of the Addo Elephant National Park will face expropriation are completely untrue, as are the reports concerning the park's appropriation of fertile dairy farm lands in the Alexandria district.
So says Johan van der Merwe, manager for planning and development at the South African National Parks (SANP).
"We currently have more farms on the market than we need - on a completely willing buyer/willing seller basis."
He also says the SANP met with the farmers in the Alexandria district last week to set their minds at ease that Addo does not want to purchase dairy farms as the vegetation is not appropriate.
"What would we want with the kikuyu grass that dairy cows eat?"
Van der Merwe further indicated that the money raised for the Addo park still had not been calculated fully as the auditors had been swamped in trying to determine the quantum for the Kruger National Park following the floods last month.
It is currently estimated that KNP's infrastructural damage is R76m.
"I want to emphasise however, that despite the fact that Kruger desperately needs money to rebuild its infrastructure, the money raised for the Addo will still all go towards its previously identified purpose."
(Adele Mackenzie)
