From left: SANParks CEO Hapiloe Sello, Minister Willie Aucamp and SANParks board member Beryl Ferguson address the media at Parliament, Cape Town, about the floods in Kruger National Park, 22 January 2026. (Photo: Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment) 
The crown jewels of South Africa’s Big Five state reserves face an unthinkable test at the start of the upcoming centenary in May. Instead of hoping to raise gins & tonics to a cloud-free African sunset on 31 May, Kruger National Park is now reckoning with damage that “possibly runs into hundreds of millions”, according to incoming Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Willie Aucamp.
The days-long rains from Mozambique unleashed over Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces have wrecked roads, bridges, water and electrical systems, staff villages and tourist accommodation.
Leaving the park’s northern and southern regions severed from one another, the rains — classified a national disaster — have shut down a stunning 15 camps.
“The incident has placed extraordinary pressure on park management and disaster response systems,” said Minister Aucamp. “The combined scale of infrastructure damage and operational disruption in the recent flooding has exceeded the park’s existing contingency and maintenance budgets.”
Revenue plunge: SA’s ‘entire network of parks at risk’
Between 9 January and 19 January, flood-damaged Kruger recorded a relatively low 24,073 guest entries. That is a 41% decline compared with the same period last year. Yet 80% of South African National Parks’ (SANParks’) operating funds flowed from its own activities, said Aucamp.
Thus, the the devastation in revenue-spinner Kruger was an existential threat to all national parks.
“Prolonged recovery delays risk not only environmental degradation and loss of tourism revenue, but also adverse socioeconomic consequences for surrounding communities and the broader conservation sector,” said Aucamp. “The destruction of [SANParks’] tourism flagship puts the sustainability of the entire network of parks at risk.”
Despite the loss of infrastructure and revenue “no lives were lost. SANParks’ highly effective early warning systems and the swift, coordinated response of park management and emergency services, mean that all guests and staff were safely evacuated”, he added.
‘Independently audited’ Kruger Recovery Fund
Speaking to the press corps at Parliament in Cape Town on Thursday morning, Aucamp announced the establishment of the SANParks Kruger Recovery Fund, to be independently audited by three firms.
“The Kruger Recovery Fund is intended to ensure the long-term sustainability of the park as a national heritage asset [and] economic driver,” he said, suggesting the storm may have been a consequence of climate change.
The fund was a “symbol of South Africa’s commitment to conservation amid climate risks. It will be administered with strong fiduciary oversight and credibility to attract national and international donors.”
The minister also highlighted the support from organisations and individuals, including SANParks’ Honorary Rangers.
The public should only donate through official channels, he said.
“The SANParks’ Kruger Recovery Fund and Honorary Rangers’ Kruger Flood 2026 Fund are the only two legitimate funds authorised to receive donations for the recovery efforts,” he urged.
On Thursday, “various roads” and “all tourism camps and related facilities in the northern part” of the park were still closed.
In the south, Malelane, Numbi and Paul Kruger gates were open under a quota system.
“It is also important to note that Kruger National Park is increasingly a ‘natural disaster nodal point’ due to the confluence of hydrological networks, tourism infrastructure density and transboundary climatic influences,” the minister cautioned.
International appeal for a global icon
A long road to recovery was ahead, said Aucamp, who, after the controversial departure of his DA predecessor, Dr Dion George, begins his tenure with a baptism of fire. It is a defining moment for the DA in the coalition government — for better or for worse.
Aucamp described the park as an “economic lifeline for the region, a symbol of our national heritage and a globally recognised conservation asset. SANParks remains committed to a resilient and adaptive management approach as we navigate these climate-related challenges.”
His call was both an invocation and a confession: “We cannot rebuild without help.” DM
