Image: Angoria / Wikimedia Commons
A safety initiative credited with eliminating tourist crime on a key access route to the Kruger National Park is now under threat due to funding delays.
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As reported by Tourism Update, the Ehlanzeni Integrated Security Plan, led by the Kruger Lowveld Chamber of Business and Tourism (KLCBT), may be forced to scale back operations if renewed funding isn’t secured soon.
The plan was launched three years ago after a spate of incidents along the Numbi Road, including the high-profile killing of German tourist during a hijacking attempt in October 2022.
Backed by the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) and 16 other donors, the project brought together private security teams, the South African Police Service, and a central dispatch centre to improve safety on the route and across the broader Mpumalanga Lowveld.
Since these measures were introduced, tourist-related crime has plummeted, Tourism Update reports.. KLCBT CEO Linda Grimbeek confirmed that there have been no incidents on Numbi Road in nearly three years, with 73 arrests made—including the man convicted of murdering Schnarr.
But with monthly operating costs sitting at R300,000, the project can’t continue at its current scale without urgent funding.
Patrols conducted by vetted private security firms have already been put on hold while the TBCSA assesses KLCBT’s proposal for renewed support.
Grimbeek is expected to meet with both the TBCSA and SANParks this week, and is also appealing to the broader tourism sector for interim financial backing.
TBCSA CEO Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa confirmed the proposal is under review but noted that several other tourism safety projects are also in the pipeline.
For now, the region’s tourism stakeholders remain hopeful that funding will be renewed before momentum is lost—and the safety of visitors is once again at risk.
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