Friday 8 January 2016

SOUTH AFRICA: Safety Measures For Use Of Swimming Pools In The Kruger National Park

Kruger National Park Management would like to inform the public about the new rules and conditions which have been put in place for the use of swimming pools inside the Park as from the 17th of December 2015. This is due to the fact that the Park does not have life savers on site to supervise swimmers and to be able to ensure the welfare of pool users, especially kids, at all times.

“We have had cases of children drowning in our pools in the past, solely because there was no parental supervision when such incidents took place. With summer season upon us and the number of people we expect during this festive season, we will strictly apply these conditions in order to minimize possible unwanted cases of tragedy from occurring in our swimming pools” said William Mabasa, KNP’s GM: Communications & Marketing.

The new rules and conditions for the use of KNP swimming pools (camp, day visitors and staff) are as follows:

Swimming pool users in the Day Visitors Areas, Camps and Staff Village must be 16 years of age and above; however the overnight visitors’ children under the age of 16 will be allowed only under parental supervision.
All users will be requested to sign an indemnity form for them to be allowed the use of the swimming pool.
All swimming pools will only open between 09:00 and 16:00.
There have been a few incidents recently wherein day visitors were found making use of the Skukuza Staff Village swimming pool, a practice which is not allowed as the pool concerned can only be used by residents of the village and their guests. Furthermore, guests of staff should be in the company of the relevant resident hosting them, when making use of the pool in the village which will operate only between 09:00 and 18:00.

We also would like to appeal to those who are above 16 years, in particular teens to ensure that they are knowledgeable about the basics of swimming before they make use of the pools. They must also behave appropriately towards others when in or around a swimming pool, and have the ability to swim; to ensure an enjoyable experience in the Park.

No comments: