Weekly Travel News Recap, 19 April: Rhino Poaching Increased in 2023, Electric Vehicle Sales on the Up, and more

Catch up on all the latest travel news with Drive South Africa.

Each week, our team scours the web for the most interesting, trending, and unusual travel news, conservation news, and motoring news stories. Here are this week’s biggest scoops.

Travel News

• Judge rules on case made by Airlink against SAA. Following accusations by Airlink that a former employee joined the national airline and shared commercially sensitive information with the company, the Johannesburg High Court has ruled that SAA must “delete, destroy and not use any of Airlink’s intellectual property in any way”. Both parties say they are satisfied with the outcome, pending a new court date.

• Airports Company of South Africa rolls out new pre-booking system for airport parking. Visitors to OR Tambo International Airport can now use the Acsa app to pre-book a parking space in Parkade 2. The system will be introduced in Cape Town, Durban, and other cities soon.

• World Travel Market Africa reports 53% increase in attendees at 2024 event. WTM Africa 2024 took place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 9 to 11 April, welcoming a record breaking 53% spike in the number of attendees from 88 different countries. Organisers say this is “a testament to the resilience and rising global appeal of the African tourism industry”.

• City of Cape Town unveils “Six Pillar Content Partnership Programme” at WTM Africa. The City says the new programme aims to “centre Capetonians in the authentic storytelling of the destination” and enhance Cape Town’s global visibility and appeal. The prominent “Cape Town Big Six” partners are the V&A Waterfront, Groot Constantia, Robben Island Museum, Table Mountain Aerial Cableway, Cape Point, and Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden.

• SANParks reopens Wilderness Ebb-and-Flow Rest Camp following severe flooding. The camp was closed as a result of flooding, following over 200 mm of rain in a six hour period last week. However, the following Garden Route National Park attractions remain closed: Half Collared Kingfisher Trail, Gallinule Bird Hide, Brown Hooded Kingfisher Trail, Waterside Boardwalk, Woodville Big Tree, Outeniqua Hiking Trail, and Outeniqua canoeing.

Conservation News

• Rhino poaching in South Africa increased by 10.3% in 2023. The Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment reported that 406 rhinos were killed on state properties in 2023, with a further 93 killed on private land. KwaZulu-Natal’s Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park is still “facing the brunt of poaching cases”.

• South African reptile species under threat from habitat loss, climate change, and poaching. A group of South African herpetologists says that local species like tortoises, chameleons, and vipers are “most at risk of extinction” and that more must be done to protect them. However, it notes that “South Africa’s reptiles probably fare better than those in some other parts of the world because there are many active conservation measures in place”.

• CapeNature reports another first for the Cape mountain zebra genetic rescue project. The organisation says a male Cape mountain zebra named GB42 sired a foal “with genetic material from two of the three genetically distinct stocks” in January, followed by another foal with genes from all three stocks in March. The project aims to “restore the lost genetic diversity of the Cape mountain zebra by mixing genetic stocks that were artificially isolated from each other decades ago”.

Automotive News

• E-tolls are no more, but Sanral still plans to collect outstanding debts. The Gauteng Provincial Government officially deactivated the E-toll system on 12 April, bringing an end to a long saga of public disgruntlement. However, Sanral is adamant that it will collect outstanding e-toll debts.

• Volkswagen Group will invest another R4 billion into its Kariega manufacturing plant. The company says it will upgrade facilities ahead of the planned introduction of a third model to its local production line as early as 2027. It has now invested R10.28 billion since 2011.

• Ford will bring the Mustang Dark Horse 60th anniversary model to South Africa. The brand celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Mustang marque this week and Ford South Africa has confirmed that both the Mustang GT and Mustang Dark Horse will be available locally.

• Department of Transport will introduce new drivers license cards by the end of April. Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga says the department is in the final stages of procuring a new printing machine from France, which will reduce the lead-time for new drivers license cards from 13 days to just nine.

• Year-on-year car sales fall for eighth consecutive month. According to the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa), monthly car sales have been lower year-on-year since July 2023. The organisation cites a “constrained business environment amplified by weak consumer demand”.

• South African electric vehicle sales grew by 85% in 2023. Naamsa says 931 new fully-electric vehicles were sold in South Africa last year, smashing the previous record of 502 units in 2022. There are now over 30 EVs available in the country.

• Toyota launches “hybrid” Fortuner and Hilux in South Africa. The new mild hybrid electric vehicle (MHEV) models make use of a 48 V lithium battery, which adds up to 12 kW of power and 65 Nm of torque to the engine’s own capacity. Most notably, the battery decreases fuel consumption and “delivers better throttle response and linear acceleration”.

Missed out on this week’s Drive South Africa blogs? Catch up on them here.

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Travel News Image Credits: Toyota South Africa, Ford South Africa, Unsplash, Cape Town International Jazz Festival

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