South Africa Invests 136.5 Million Rand to Upgrade Infrastructure in Addo Elephant National Park

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 21, the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment announced progress on the infrastructure upgrade at Addo Elephant National Park. South African National Parks has invested a cumulative total of 136.5 million rand to advance the construction of accommodation facilities, sewage networks, power systems, and public service facilities in the park. David Mahlobo, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, inspected the works on site on October 19. Currently, eight newly built family accommodation units have been put into operation, and the upgrade of the park's main sewage network and power infrastructure has been completed.

Addo Elephant National Park is located in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province. The infrastructure renovation covers newly built accommodation buildings, renovation of existing accommodation facilities, and public supporting systems. The first batch of eight family accommodation units has opened to visitors. Subsequent new accommodation units, renovation of existing accommodation units, and the renovation of the guesthouse and swimming pool are scheduled to be completed and opened in December 2026. The park's newly built spa facility has been completed and is in operation.

A community lodge comprising 10 accommodation units is under construction in the park, scheduled for completion in December 2026 and official opening in January 2027. In the same period, a grid-connected solar power station with an installed capacity of 705 kilowatts has been completed and is set to commence operation in January 2027. The solar facility, together with the already upgraded park power supply system, forms the power supporting component of this infrastructure investment.

Road maintenance works in the park are underway, and the renovation of sanitation facilities and hiking trails has also been included in the next phase of works. This investment comprises multiple projects at different stages of construction, including accommodation and municipal network facilities that have been delivered, as well as public buildings and power projects scheduled to be put into use successively between the end of 2026 and early 2027.