First private concession opens in Kruger

JOCK Safari Lodge, situated between Skukuza and Malelane in the southern Kruger National Park, became the first private concession holder - granted a 20-year concession late last year by South African National Parks (SANParks) - to open its doors to tourists last week. The lodge was officially opened by Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Mohammed Valli Moosa. Lodge spokesperson, Kobus Botha, told TNN that the 12-suite lodge (which sleeps 24) was built practically from scratch, with only about 20% of the original foundation structures remaining. "We were lucky though that we had road infrastructure leading to the camp as many of the other concessions have to build roads as well." Botha says the lodge has 6 000 hectares of surrounding land for its private use and offers game drives and walking safaris. A unique feature is obviously its name and heritage - Jock Safari Lodge lies on the route traversed by Percy Fitzpatrick, and his famous dog, Jock, who was immortalised in his book "Jock of the Bushveld"- and talks are provided on the history of Fitzpatrick and the era of the gold seekers. A statue of Jock confronting a sable antelope is found outside the lodge and the owners of the lodge have displayed several invaluable Percy Fitzpatrick items in the lodge which they obtained from the Fitzpatrick family trust. Co-owner Duncan MacNeillie obtained all the rights to the famous book and plans to create an animated series on Jock, to be distributed internationally. "This will obviously help create an international interest in the lodge," says Botha. Another feature at Jock Safari Lodge is that because it is fenced off, it is able to accommodate families with young children. A family suite has been created at the lodge for this purpose. The five-star property - at a rate of R2 750 per person per night - is not positioned at any market in particular but Botha concedes that the rate dictates that it will appeal more to the international leisure markets with a stronger currency, and possibly the local corporate market. He says that the new lodge has been showcased at all the major international fairs, and that it received an "overwhelming response" from the operators at World Travel Market. According to him, the forward bookings are picking up and Botha is optimistic that recent global events will not affect the lodge's occupancies. "Since I've been operating the Blue Mountain Lodge for years, I've built up a good relationship with the travel trade and they've always supported us well." (Adéle Mackenzie)