travel news review


5 May '99
Botswana and South Africa signed a bilateral agreement earlier this month that will lead to the opening of Africa's first peace park. The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, the first of nine such parks proposed for the southern African region, will cover an area twice the size of Israel, and after purchasing a permit travellers will be able to explore it on both sides of the border unhindered by the usual customs and visa formalities.

From an idea first spawned in 1948, peace parks, also known as transfrontier conservation areas, straddle the borders of 98 countries around the world. They are designed to protect wildlife and natural habitats by sidestepping policy and management differences across borders, avoiding the damage caused by dividing natural systems. As a result, a spirit of cooperation is fostered between governments - thus the moniker 'peace parks'.

6 April '99
The South African government is considering a proposal to resume manufacture of car models dating from the 60s, 70s and 80s. Pretorian entrepreneur John Storey has suggested the cars, which would include models such as the Peugeot 404 of the late 60s and the Mercedes W123 of the 80s, would be more affordable and better suited to African conditions due to their simplicity of design and toughness of manufacture. The proposal is based on the success of South Africa's longest-selling car model, the Nissan 1400, with an engine originally designed in the 50s.

29 March '99
An international conference on malaria held in Durban has heard that pharmaceutical technology is being outpaced on the African continent by the onset of new, drug-resistant strains of malaria. The most common anti-malarial in Africa is currently chloroquine, even though a chloroquine-resistant strain of the disease first appeared in Kenya in 1979. In some places where use of the drug is rampant, infant mortality rates caused by malaria increased 11-fold between 1993 and 1995. Resistance to other medication, including quinine and amodiaquine, is also on the up. Malaria is reported to claim up to one million African victims a year. As a result, new forms of treatment, including genetics, are now under the microscope. One of the more interesting alternatives is artemisine, a plant commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine.

23 December '98
Africa's first theme park, Ratajanga Junction, has opened in Cape Town. The theme in question, for anyone who's interested, is a 19th century diamond mine. The park has everything every other theme park around the world has: rides, laser light shows, movies, dubious food and street entertainment.

16 December '98
Archaeologists in South Africa have unearthed a near-complete skeleton of possibly the world's oldest hominid, or ape-person. The skeleton, believed to be about three million years old, was discovered at Sterkfontein, north of Johannesburg. Archaeologists believe the skeleton will provide some answers to the many unanswered questions of human evolution.

1 July '98
The South African Embassy in Belgium will close shortly. The new South African Mission to the European Union will assume all South African diplomatic services in Brussels.

In the past five weeks a series of shark attacks has made surfing dangerous in waters around the Eastern Cape region. Six people, all surfers, have been attacked by sharks in the region, resulting in the temporary closure of some beaches. It is believed the sharks are coming close to the shore for food - they may have been lured by dive operators attracting them with bait, or they may think the wet-suited surfers are seals or turtles.

15 June '98
Cape Town is once again under threat of increased gang violence following four bomb attacks near the center city last week. Previous violent attacks in Cape Town have generally been between gang members, but in the latest outbreak of violence, businesses and shops have been the target of gang bombs. South African tourism officials fear escalating violence in the city will impact on the city’s image as a top tourism destination.

6 May '98
Plans for a new R30 million (US$6 million) tourist resort, overlooking Kosi Bay lagoon in Maputaland, have been announced recently. Plans for a resort at nearby St Lucia were also announced. This area of South Africa, which borders Mozambique and Swaziland, is one of the countryÆs poorest and it is hoped the tourist development will inject some much needed money into the area.

1 April '98
Despite having a generally high standard of health and health care, South Africa has been identified by the World Health Organization as one of the countries in the world with a high tuberculosis risk. It is estimated more than 10,000 South Africans die from tuberculosis each year and that South Africa has one of the highest rates of new cases reported each year. The risk to travellers is generally low, but for those who consider they may be exposed to the disease, a skin test before and after travel to determine whether exposure has occurred is available.

11 March '98
Construction has started on a new $US500 million road between Maputo, Mozambique and Johannesburg, South Africa. The new road will follow the route of the existing N4 through South Africa, with a significant detour through some of Mpumalanga's most scenic countryside. In Mozambique, the toll road will require the construction of 70km (43mi) of new road between the town of Moamba, roughly 40km (25mi) from Komatipoort to Maputo City. for some time.

4 March '98
Tourists have damaged the world’s oldest known footprints made by anatomically modern humans at Langebaan Lagoon, 120km north of Cape Town. Authorities plan to cut the 117,000-year-old footprints from the ground and re-locate them to the South African Museum in Cape Town, possibly by May. Some tourists have placed their feet into the delicate fossils and held picnics at the site.

25 February '98
Four female backpackers have admitted they invented the story they told police about being mugged at knife-point. The women, from New Zealand and Australia, face charges of perjury and fraud for the false claim. Johannesburg police say tourists are capitalising on high crime rates by making fraudulent claims to police, in order to claim insurance when they return home.

14 Janurary '98
China recently opened an embassy in South Africa, signalling the commencement of diplomatic relations between Pretoria and Beijing and the end of diplomatic relations between Taiwan and South Africa. Beijing demanded Pretoria sever relations with Taipei before it would establish an embassy in South Africa. The Taiwanese Embassy in South Africa closed on 1 January 1998.

1 December '97
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela has turned her Soweto house into a museum, officially opened last Saturday. The museum features photos, posters and awards belonging to the Mandelas acquired during the struggle for equal rights in South Africa.