AfriForum acts to correct misleading “Skukuza National Park” entry on Google Maps
AfriForum is taking action to correct misleading information on Google Maps that refers to the Kruger National Park as “Skukuza National Park”. The incorrect entry appears as one of the top search results for “Skukuza” and is linked to the official business information of SANParks, the management authority for the Kruger National Park. This creates the false impression that the park has been renamed.
According to Section 20 of the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act 57 of 2003, only the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment has the legal authority to assign or amend the name of a national park. Schedule 2 of the Act lists all national parks by their official names, including “Kruger National Park”. No notice has been published in the Government Gazette to change this name, meaning that Kruger National Park remains the park’s only lawful and official name.
AfriForum will report this error to Google Maps and request that the incorrect “Skukuza National Park” entry be removed. The organisation has also released a short video showing the public how to report the same error themselves.
“We strongly oppose the reckless and politically motivated attempt to rename the Kruger National Park,” says Marais de Vaal, AfriForum’s Environmental Affairs Advisor. “Changing its name would erase a part of our shared history, harm one of South Africa’s most valuable tourism brands, and undermine the rule of law. The process for any name change is clearly set out in legislation, and no such process has been followed.”
AfriForum will request that the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment issue a public statement clarifying that no new name has been approved for the park and that all such proposals must follow due legal procedure.
Members of the public who want to support the campaign to keep the name of the Kruger National Park are invited to sign AfriForum’s petition at www.keepkruger.co.za.
