DURBAN - A KwaZulu-Natal resident, who has visited the Hluhluwe Game Reserve about 20 times in the past 40 years, has raised concerns about the state of the facilities and management.
This comes after a trip that Ballito resident Gary Hare took with guests from the UK to the Hilltop Camp rondavels last month. Hare told The Mercury that he had visited the camp twice in the past four months. During his first visit, he wrote a letter of complaint, but nothing was done to resolve the issues he had identified.
“It’s just heartbreaking to see what they are doing to the place,” said Hare, adding that he had stopped visiting the reserve because it had become rundown, but had a request from overseas tourists to take them there.
“The game reserve is great, but the facilities have rotted, and it’s a national treasure. I'm reluctant to go there again because it's embarrassing,” said Hare.
Describing their experience, Hare said the area is rundown and poorly maintained.
He noted that the doors to the rondavels have not been varnished for years, the outside walls are mouldy, the Wi-Fi is not working, all air conditioning units are out of order, some toilet doors and window frames are rotten, and locks are missing on reception toilet doors.
Hare further said the reception staff are domineering while the waitresses are poorly trained.
He raised the issue of double payments at the curio shop. “When they pay by credit card, they are told they cannot print a receipt as they have run out of paper. They claim they have no way of proving if the transaction went through.
“They are forceful and hold the goods until the tourist pays in cash, leading to double payments. The poor tourists have no answer to this scam,” said Hare.
He added that the Hilltop Camp hiking path is blocked by overgrowth, staff offer little helpful information about game viewing, some view sites are blocked with bush, intersections on the gravel roads have no direction signs, and the camp pool is out of order.
Hare called on Ezemvelo to answer for the poor maintenance of the facilities.
“Ezemvelo has the privilege of running a national asset that belongs to us, the people of South Africa, and they are failing to manage it effectively. Why are they not maintaining this national treasure properly? As a South African proud of our country, I am very concerned.”
In response, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife shared footage of the chalets taken last week.
Spokesperson Musa Mntambo said while the rondavel doors have not been varnished, they are in good condition. “There is a plan to revamp the rondavels by adding ensuites in the near future,” he said.
He noted that recent guests from the US had been pleased with their experience. “We hosted a group from the US who found it difficult to leave the park. King MisuZulu was recently hosted for two days and had good things to say,” said Mntambo.
He added that the air conditioning units were being repaired, adding that the resort did not have Wi-Fi for a long time, but necessary infrastructure was recently installed and is now operational.
“However, the Wi-Fi has teething problems as it depends on Eskom to function properly. If there is no power outside the park, our Wi-Fi is affected.”
He said if a guest is allocated a room with a fault, the resort is willing to address the issue or transfer the guest to another chalet.
Regarding the trails, Mntambo said the guest did not identify which trails had issues.
He said there are signs on major routes and the reserve has some of the best game guards.
Mntambo clarified that the curio shop referred to was the Vulamehlo Craft Market, which is run by the community and does not fall under Ezemvelo. He said the market has poor network connectivity and some women prefer cash.
“There was one incident where an international guest bought something for R1 500 but the lady mistakenly punched R15 000. This was never intentional and when we discovered it, the transaction was reversed.”
Mntambo said this issue is not unique to Vulamehlo and it is “unfair to allege that the women rob international guests.”
Addressing concerns about staff behaviour, he said: “We encourage our employees to be professional and follow protocols. It would assist us if guests also agree to subject themselves to our standard operating procedures (SOP) when visiting our protected areas as this will enhance their experience.”
According to Mntambo, the restaurant is run by a private company and their staff is well-trained.
“Maybe the guest was served by one of the interns. We apologise if the guests had a bad experience with one waiter, but that does not make all waiters bad,” he said.