South Africa’s Kruger Park Faces Flood-Repair Funding Gap

South Africa’s iconic Kruger National Park faces a substantial funding shortfall to repair severe flood damage, restricting visitor numbers.

The vast wildlife reserve, a popular international tourist destination and home to critically endangered species such as the black rhinoceros, suffered major damage to roads, bridges and accommodation following torrential rains in January.

Repairs will cost an estimated at 950 million rand ($57 million), Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment David Maynier said during a site visit in August.

The South African National Parks, the state entity that manages the reserve, has set aside 100 million rand and the national government 218 million rand, while there was a 150 million rand insurance settlement, but a gap of 481 million rand remains, he said in response to a parliamentary question.

To date, about 87 million rand has been spent and budgets for another 188 million rand’s worth of projects have been approved.

Visitor numbers reached 1.87 million in the 12 months through March 2025, according to SANParks’ annual report. Some 90,000 guests visited in February this year, down 7,000 from the same month in 2025, reflecting the impact of the floods.

Photograph: A flood-damaged road at Kruger National Park in February 2026; photo credit: Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images