South African National Parks

SANParks Marks World Environment Day with a Focus on Climate Change

Kruger National Park (KNP) in partnership with Total South Africa (Total SA) formally handed over on Friday, 19 June 2026, a structural establishment, fencing, personal protective equipment, garden tools, sign boards, production machinery and a three-phase generator; all to the value of R800 000 to Dziphathu Green Tech Bio Briquette Project. Dziphathu focuses on collection and reuse of bio waste material such as leaves and twigs, turning them into reusable products and is found in Bende Mutale, a village outside Pafuri Gate in Limpopo Province: https://shorturl.at/KR6MZ

Incident at Concession Picnic Site in the Kruger National Park

A guest has been fatally wounded at a concession-operated braai picnic area in the vicinity of Phabeni Gate in the Kruger National Park on the evening of Wednesday, 17 June 2026.

Based on the preliminary information available at this stage, a private guide attached to the concession operator allegedly accidentally discharged a firearm, resulting in the fatal injury of a 69-year-old guest from Canada.

The guest was part of a group booked outside the park and only came in for a bush braai offered by a private concession with a valid permit to operate the facility within the park: https://shorturl.at/6gHRk

Healthy Drylands Today Mean A More Resilient Tomorrow

As custodians of South Africa’s national parks, SANParks works to combat desertification and build resilience to drought as part of safeguarding biodiversity and supporting sustainable development. Through science‑based conservation, ecological restoration, and collaborative stewardship, we protect the integrity of our landscapes for the benefit of people, nature, and future generations.

WE'RE HIRING!

Looking for a career that means something? Join the team managing South Africa's most iconic national parks.

Explore our latest vacancies and take the next step: https://buff.ly/3e9MKWw

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Today we celebrate the resilient and inspiring spirit of our young people as they prepare to take over the baton that will see inclusive conservation as a way of life in the future.

We salute you!

SANParks salutes every staff member who participated in the 2026 Comrades Marathon. Your dedication and resilience inspire us all.

The history of Kruger National Park did not begin with its proclamation in 1926.

Long before the park existed, this land was alive with human presence. For 40,000 years, people have been part of this ecosystem — from the San (Bushmen) of the Stone Age, whose rock paintings and artefacts remain etched into the landscape, to Iron Age settlements that took root here as early as 200 AD. By the 12th century, thriving trade in ivory, glass beads, animal skin and meat had woven communities ever more deeply into this remarkable land.

As we mark 100 years of Kruger, we honour not just a century of conservation, but thousands of years of human heritage within these borders.

Minister Aucamp Applauds Arrest of Third Suspect in KNP Murder Case

The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Mr Willie Aucamp, has applauded the swift arrest of a third suspect in connection with the murder of two tourists in the northern region of the Kruger National Park last month. The suspect was arrested on Friday, 12 June 2026 in Zimbabwe through cross border cooperation between South African, Mozambican and Zimbabwean law enforcement agencies: https://shorturl.at/l41HD