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| Pilanesberg National Park | |
|---|---|
 Game animals at Mankwe Dam | |
 Location in the North West province | |
| Location | Pilanesberg,Bojanala Municipality,North West Province,South Africa |
| Nearest city | Sun City,South Africa |
| Coordinates | 25°15′40″S27°06′03″E / 25.26111°S 27.10083°E /-25.26111; 27.10083 |
| Area | 572 square kilometres (221 sq mi) |
| Established | April 1, 1984; 41 years ago (1984-04-01) |
| Administrator | North West Parks and Tourism Board |
| Website | Pilanesberg National Park |
  Pilanesberg National Park (South Africa) Show map of South Africa Pilanesberg National Park (North West (South African province)) Show map of North West (South African province) | |
ThePilanesberg National Park is located north ofRustenburg in theNorth West Province ofSouth Africa.[1] The park owes its existence to a rehabilitation project which started in 1979, and the subsequent Operation Genesis, which introduced game animals of various species.[2] It constitutes the fourth biggest game reserve in South Africa, and has become a popular wildlife destination due to its relative proximity toGauteng.[2] The park is administered by theNorth West Parks and Tourism Board, while concessionaires operate its rest camps, bush lodges and lodges.[2] In the south it borders on theSun City entertainment complex.
The park encompasses the root zone of an ancient (some 1.25 billion year old) extinct volcano, which is now defined by alternating ridges and valleys forming concentric rings. The geological formation rises abruptly in the form of hills 300–600 metres (980–1,970 ft) above the surroundingbushveld plains.[3]
Scattered throughout the park are various sites that are assigned to theIron andStone Ages and illustrate the presence of man during those early periods.
The park was established in 1979 as a conservation project with socio-economic objectives.[2] The construction of the 110 km (68 miles) long game fence, spanning rugged terrain, commenced in the same year. Operation Genesis involved a rehabilitation plan for the farming region and the stocking of some 6,000 game animals of 22 species.[2]
The park has an area of 572 square kilometres (221 sq mi), and visitors can travel through in a standard road vehicle. Most of the 188 km (117 mi) of track is not surfaced or maintained in good condition. The three main tarred drives are Kubu (hippo) in the south, Kgabo (monkey) in the north and Tshwene (baboon) in the east, with Tau (lion) linking the latter two. There are several camps, including Bakgatla and Manyane, serving the park.
For day visitors, there is a restaurant and gift shop at the old Pilanesberg Magistrates Court. Near the centre of the park, there is an artificially constructed lake, the MankweDam. There is oneperennial river and a number of freshwater and saline springs that form smaller dams with animal hides nearby.[3]
The 'Pilanesberg Alkaline Ring Complex' is the park's primary geological feature. This vast circular feature isgeologically ancient, being thering dikes that fed a completely erodedcaldera created by volcanic eruptions some 1.2 BYA. It is one of the largest volcanic complexes of its type in the world, the rare rock types and formations make it a unique geological feature, and a number of rare minerals occur in the park.
The northern section has the highest hills, with Matlhorwe's peaks reaching 1,687 and 1,670 m (5,535 and 5,479 ft) respectively. Somewhat southward are Marutlhare, Ratshwane and Lenong (eagle hill), the latter offering views of the surrounding land from four different lookout points. Bakenkop (1,455 m (4,774 ft)), Thabayadiotso, the "proud mountain", Thaba ya Ditshwene, the "mountain of baboons", Dithabaneng (1,416 m (4,646 ft)) and Nkakane (1,382 m (4,534 ft)) are nestled in the eastern section. The southern hills are Madapya (1,455 m (4,774 ft)), Magare (1,455 m (4,774 ft)), Masebudule (1,455 m (4,774 ft)), Maritane and Bopitikwe.[2]
The Black Rhino Game Reserve is a private reserve found in the north-west section of the Pilanesberg National Park. Wildlife is free to roam between both sections.[4]
The scenic terrain lies in the transition zone betweenKalahari andbushveld, and both types of vegetation are found here. As a result of the park being in a transition zone, there are overlaps in mammals, birds, and vegetation. Distinct vegetation communities can be found in the Pilanesberg. The broad vegetation communities present in the Park have been described as follows:
Today, Pilanesberg National Park accommodates almost every large mammal of southern Africa,[5] and its rich array of southern African wildlife includes theBig Five, the five most dangerous game animals inAfrica. Though the Pilanesberg is not in a location which the Big Five animals would naturally inhabit in any numbers, they have been introduced to the 550 square kilometres of African bushland.
Resident large mammal species includelions,elephants,black rhinos,white rhinos,Cape buffaloes,leopards,cheetahs,plains zebras,giraffes andhippos. TheCape wild dog (Lycaon pictus pictus) was extirpated from the park by poachers, but subsequent reintroduction efforts were successful.[6][7] The reserve is also home tobrown hyenas.[8]
As of December 2010 the total count of large mammals was approximately 10,000. These included:[2]
Other carnivores are present, such ascaracals andbanded mongoose. Native primates arechacma baboon,vervet monkey andmohol bushbaby. Indigenous southern African mammals that are not present arebontebok,blesbok,nyala androan antelope. In addition to mammals some 60crocodiles are resident.[2]
The diversity of birdlife is excellent with over 360 species having been recorded.[5] Though some are migrants, most others are permanent inhabitants. Their food sources vary with some eating carrion or live prey, others eat seeds, fruit or tiny water organisms.
There is a self-guided trail in the Walking Area at the Manyane Complex in the east, which offers environmental education whilst game viewing and bird watching on foot. Also at Manyane, there is a walk-in aviary with over 80 species of indigenous birds.
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Humans have been in the Pilanesberg area since theMiddle Stone Age. Many artefacts from this period can be found throughout the Park. Hunter-gatherers roamed the area well before the firstSetswana-speaking people settled as cattle and grain farmers.
During the later Iron Age period, the ancestors of theTswana people andSotho people occupied the area. They were cattle farmers and pastoralists who also worked copper and iron.
Major Tswana towns were established during the late 18th century. Most of these towns were destroyed during theDifaqane wars that raged in the Pilanesberg/Magaliesberg region in the late 1820s, whenMzilikazi occupied the region. The towns were destroyed and theSouth Ndebele people ruled over the area during the period. ThePilanesberg is named for chief Pilane[10] of the Kgafêla people, who ruled from Bogopane, Mmamodimokwana and eventually Mmasebudule during the 1800s.[11]
In the late nineteenth century, Pilanesberg served as a sanctuary to Mzilikazi’s rebelZulu warriors who passed through the area as they fled the wrath of the Zulu king,Shaka. A mission station was established more or less in the northwestern part of the park, on the farmDriefontein, which lay wedged between a large section of land traditionally owned by the Bakgatla-ba-Kgafela (commonly known as the Bakgatla) tribe. This land constitutes much of the northern region of today's Pilanesberg reserve.
What is now the southern section of the Pilanesberg reserve was originally a set of farms which were sold to and registered in the names of a number ofBoer farmers by theSouth African Republic government in the 1860s. These farmers were responsible for building the Houwater dam - now known as the Mankwe dam - which is the Pilanesberg's largest standing water reservoir. During the 1960s, these farms were re-purchased by the South African government, which, underApartheid policies, re-settled the Bakubung tribe from nearbyVentersdorp onto the farms Wydhoek, Koedoesfontein, and Ledig. These farms, situated on and in the southern part of the Pilanesberg reserve adjacent toSun City, North West, were subsequently delivered toBophuthatswana, a large northwesternbantustan, for administration and control. As a result, the only remaining private property inside the Pilanesberg reserve amounts to 3 small sections (likely graveyards, approximately 3 hectares each in size) as well as a farm (approximately 608 hectares) registered in the name of Catherina Clark, a daughter ofJan Smuts.
A planning committee was established to develop the game reserve, which was to include the whole of the Pilanesberg mountains. However, to facilitate this new designation, people residing in the area had to be re-settled. Following that, all buildings in the area, including the mission church on Driefontein but excluding the magistrate court building, were demolished. (The magistrate court building, a lovelyCape Dutch style structure, burned down in an accidental blaze in the 1980s. It was subsequently partially rebuilt. A new building, the Pilanesberg Centre, was also erected near where the court used to stand.) Additionally, all non-native flora were razed from the region in an attempt to ensure only authentic native plant life would exist in the park.
Following negotiations with the Bophuthatswana government, the Bakgatla tribe, under Chief Tsidimane Pilane, agreed to the inclusion of the mountainous region of their property within the Pilanesberg reserve. The 60 families of the Bakgatla tribe farming and living near the mission station at Driefontein were re-settled under an agreement with the tribal authority. They were moved to a newly planned town on the farm Sandfontein, to the east of the Pilanesberg National Park.
The Bophuthatswana administration also negotiated with the Bakubung tribe to purchase their land within the southern region of the park. The tribe was offered land on adjacent farms Zandrivierspoort, Palmietfontein, and Mahobieskraal, in exchange for portions of the farms Ledig, Koedoesfontein, and Wydhoek, on a hectare-for-hectare basis. As the agricultural value of the new land on offer exceeded that of the old, the Bakubung eventually accepted the offer. (Around the same time,Sun International obtained a ninety-nine-year leasehold over the adjacent farm Doornhoek and built the Sun City complex, which abuts the Pilanesberg reserve, along the common boundary with the farm Ledig.)
It was at this point that work began on Operation Genesis, which involved the reintroduction of long-vanished species after completion of approximately 100 km of fencing around the reserve's perimeter. This reintroduction was still ongoing when the Pilanesberg National Park, was opened in the early 1980s by President Mangope with Chief Pilane present.
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6000 animals were resettled into the park over the course of the early 1980s with Operation Genesis, which was featured on a two-part episode onWild Kingdom in 1981. It was the largest game resettlement program in the history of the country. The 6000 animals were released into the quarantine area of 10 km2 in groups and after a few weeks the fences were dropped. As the purpose of the park was a feeder for other parks no lions or cheetahs were brought in. However, leopards were naturally present as werebrown hyena andmountain reedbuck. Currently, Pilanesberg has the highest concentration of hyena of any game park in the world. Also brought in was a family of elephants. As no mature bulls were brought in as they were too large, the young bulls caused a bit of havoc and killed 17 rhinoceroses. The reason for this was there was no parental care and the young bulls came intoadolescence at too young an age. However, by this time the transport techniques had improved so 6 older bulls were brought in from theKruger National Park. This suppressed theadolescence problem. The young culprits were all shot.
The creation of the Pilanesberg National Park is considered one of the most ambitious programs of its kind to be undertaken anywhere in the world.[5] Operation Genesis is still the largest game translocation undertaken in the world, and as a result, the park now has in excess of 10,000 animals.
In 1990 whenNelson Mandela was released, tourism in South Africa boomed. Camps and lodges were built on the park's perimeter and it became a tourist destination. In response to this, in 1993, the focus was changed from game animals topredators. Lions from theEtosha National Park inNamibia were relocated to this park despite serious concerns from the surrounding communities. Since then, the lions' numbers have been increasing in the park. A similar attempt with cheetahs from Namibia was not equally successful.
Following the attempted forceful reoccupation of Bophuthatswana by various factions in 1994, President Mangope was deposed and Bophuthatswana was reincorporated within the Republic of South Africa, placing the entire Pilanesberg National Park officially within South Africa's borders.
The size of the park was increased from 552 to 57 km2 (213 to 22 sq mi) in May 2004 as part of a workable 10-year plan to establish a corridor between Pilanesberg andMadikwe Game Reserve. The 20 km2 (7.7 sq mi) that was added on the northwestern was the first bit from Pilanesberg's side. On the Madikwe's side, there have already been several additions towards the southeast. There are also several private owners dropping fences from the middle moving towards Pilanesberg and Madikwe. Property, that was selling forSouth African rand30,000/km2 2 years ago[when?], is now selling for South African rand 500,000/km2. Plans are being concluded to add a large piece of land to the park in the next two years. A recent poll conducted by theSouth African Tourism Board found that the Pilanesberg has jumped to the number 1 ranking on the list of most popular public game reserves in South Africa. This comes after many years of trailing theKruger National Park.
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