In Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, staff from Botswana and South Africa work together to ensure that visitors adhere to park regulations in order to protect the fragile desert environment and its wildlife.
Staff from the Botswana Police, the departments of Wildlife and National Parks and of Immigration conduct joint patrols with staff from South African National Parks and the South African Police Service.
During these patrols vehicles are stopped, passports and permits checked and vehicles opened to verify that no illegal substance is being transported. The patrols make for a safe environment for visitors to Kgalagadi.
The patrols are overseen by the park’s joint management committee and guided by the park’s joint operational strategy. Other joint activities include the management of the park’s predators, the management of the movement of people, goods and services, road maintenance and the upgrade of the boundary fence.
The last vestige of two separate parks was removed in 2009 when the Twee Rivieren/Two Rivers joint access facility was opened. Tourists enter at this facility, jointly manned by customs officials from Botswana and South Africa, to visit the entire park, moving freely across the international border within the boundaries of the park.
Story by Steven Smith
Park Manager: Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park SA South African National Parks (SANParks)
