ULTIMATE
AFRICA SAFARIS
Ultimate Africa travel and wildlife news archive January 1998 Moi retains Kenyan Presidency, January 4 1998 The chairman of Kenya's electoral commission said on January 3 that President Daniel arap Moi had been re-elected as Kenyan president although an official announcement would have to wait until counting was complete. The December 29 elections were extended for 24 hours by the commission because of a series of administrative and technical failures. New Hovercraft on Lake Kariba, January 4 1998 Hovercraft service on Lake Kariba will begin in the middle of 1998 easing the ferrying tourists to resorts across the lake in rough weather. Hovercraft are better able to ride the rough waters than boats. A locally built hovercraft has been in use on the lake since the middle of 1997. More Flights between Zimbabwe and South Africa, January 4 1998 The number of flights between Zimbabwe and South Africa will increase from 26 to 30 weekly, each way. Provision has also been made for future frequencies to increase to 42 each way. Allocation of the new frequencies to the various airlines operating on the route is to be made by the respective Ministries of Transport. Traffic between Zimbabwe and South Africa has been on the increase recently and includes large numbers of international visitors. The imposition of a £35 visa on Britons visiting Kenya has caused a significant amount of British tourism traffic to divert to Southern Africa." 1997 Kenyan Tourism Numbers Drop, January 11 1998 The Kenyan tourism industry, which had hoped that 1997 would be a year of recovery, recorded 10% - 20% fewer travelers for the year. From August to October numbers were down by 40%. "It has been a disastrous year compared with what we projected," said Dedan Kamau, the chief executive of the Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers. Kenya's focus on mass tourism, the reintroduction of visas for British travelers, and pre election violence through out the country were cited as reasons. Kenyan tourism figures have shown a decline for 3 out of the past 4 years. Tourism in Kenya during 1996 was responsible for 18% of Kenya's foreign exchange and represented 11 percent of the country's gross domestic product. Zimbabwe Development to Change the Zambezi Valley, January 11 1998 Zimbabwe's largest power station will be built on the Sengwa coal fields in Gokwe at a cost of US $1.63 billion. The project will be the country's single largest investment since independence in 1980 and is expected to come on stream in six years. Minister of Transport and Energy Enos Chikowore said last week that the multi-billion-dollar project would see the development of a coal mine at Sengwa in the Zambezi valley near Lake Kariba to fuel the power station. The new station should be able to supply about a third of the country's anticipated energy requirements at the time and just over half of the current demand. Southern African may soon enjoy Cellular Connection, January 11 1998 Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia, Mozambique, and Namibia will benefit from the setting up of an advanced satellite telecommunications network which will enable mobile users and remote villagers to communicate at affordable prices. These 5 countries will be the first beneficiaries of the US $50 million deal to be implemented in two phases by African Continental Telecommunications Ltd (Actel) with the first phase of the project in place by late 1999, with the repositioning of a geo-stationary satellite leased from American Mobile Satellite Corporation (Amsc). How will El Nino affect your Safari? January 11 1998 Rainfall totals throughout the southern Africa region have not been severely affected by El Nino as feared, and it appears as if the rainy season will continue as normal until mid March. Wildlife viewing, which would improve during a drought as animals congregate around remaining surface water supplies, is expected to be quite normal. Temperatures in the Western Cape province have in recent days soared above 40 degrees Celsius, damaging vineyards and filling beaches. Zimbabwe Tourism to Grow, January 18 1998 Zimbabwe expects to earn US $294 million from tourism in 1998 as the country steps up an aggressive international marketing campaign to lure visitors. The fall of the Zimbabwe dollar against most major currencies, late in 1997, is expected to be an added reason why more foreign tourists might come to Zimbabwe. "This appears to be a favorable year for tourism because the threats of an El-Nino induced drought seems to be fading and the country is enjoying a good image overseas because of its peace and security" according to the head of Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, Dr. Gwashure. Tanzanian Tourism Earnings up 21%, January 18 1998 Tanzania earned US $390 million from tourism in 1997, up 21.1 percent over the previous year, according to the Tanzanian Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism. Tourism is the largest single earner of foreign exchange in Tanzania, and provides about 30,000 jobs. Statistics data place Tanzania in second place as a tourist destination in the East African countries, with 326,000 tourist arrivals, as compared with Kenya (700,000 tourists). According to the Tanzania Tourist Board, tourist arrivals in Tanzania rose by 10.5 percent, and receipts by 13.4 percent during 1996, compared with the previous year. UN Health Agency Warns about Travel to Kenya, January 18 1998 The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that travelers to Kenya, where an outbreak of Rift Valley Fever is thought to have killed 300, take precautions against mosquitoes which transmit the virus. Recommended precautions include wearing long-sleeved shirts, long trousers, mosquito repellent and sleeping in a netted bed, according to the Geneva-based WHO. David Heymann, an American epidemiologist who directs WHO's division of emerging diseases, also said that the outbreak was believed to have claimed an estimated 150 lives in Somalia. River Valley Fever, a hemorrhagic disease, is mainly transmitted by mosquitoes but many different species can serve as vectors, according to the Geneva-based WHO. There is no vaccine for humans. Flamingoes Increase in Kenya's Lake Nakuru, January 18 1998 Unofficial data from the bi-annual African water fowl census launched at central Kenya's Lake Nakuru National Park last Sunday indicated a rapid increase in the flamingo population over last year. Although the results are not yet out, participants in the count said the flamingoes numbered more than one million. Only about 5,000 flamingoes had been left at the lake last year after a severe water recession as a result of drought. But the lake's water level has been rising due to the current heavy rains. The birds had migrated to lakes Bogoria and Elmentaita while some flocks had flown to northern Lake Turkana. All these are alkaline lakes located in the Rift Valley. Apart from the flamingoes, pelicans and Egyptian geese have also returned to Lake Nakuru in large numbers. Ex-prisoners Ferry Tourists to Robben Island, January 18 1998 Ex-prisoners of Robben Island have won the commercial bid to ferry tourists to the historical prison island where South African President, Nelson Mandela, spent most of his 27 year imprisonment. Autshumatu Ferries fended off bids from Waterfront Adventures and Waterfront Charters for the tender. The island's interim administration has granted a nine-month contract to Autshumatu Ferries to transport 600 passengers per day. This is in addition to state-owned historical vessels which will ferry about 300 passengers a day. Zimbabwe Express Cuts Costs, January 18 1998 Zimbabwe's largest private commercial airline, Zimbabwe Express Airlines (ZEX), said this week it would introduce an array of cost-cutting measures this year but not compromise on customer care. Zimbabwe Express management has just returned from a month-long secondment to Southwest Airlines, one of the airlines currently dominating American skies. Southwest Airlines was in 1996 voted "America's Most Admired Company" by the United States' authoritative Fortune Magazine. ZEX, a domestic and regional airline, took to the skies just over two years ago, flying two medium-range aircraft - a Boeing 727 and a DC 9 - daily to destinations dotted around Zimbabwe's major cities and tourist resorts, as well as undertaking regional hauls into South Africa. U.S. Issues Kenya Travel Warning, January 25 1998 U.S. health officials are warning travelers to Kenya to protect themselves because of an outbreak of hemorrhagic fever that has killed as many as 300 people. The CDC said it was not recommending that travelers cancel journeys to Kenya. However, it said travelers should use liberal amounts of insect repellent and wear long-sleeved shirts and pants to limit their contact with infected mosquitoes and other biting insects. Rift Valley fever is a viral disease commonly found in sub-Saharan Africa. It is primarily transmitted by infected mosquitoes and other biting insects. A major epidemic of Rift Valley fever in Egypt in 1977-78 caused about 600 deaths. Lions Take to Trees in Face of Flooding, January 25 1998 Torrential rains and flooding which started in October have turned the Kenyan savanna into a mud-bath, and lions, eager to get away from the wet mess, have started climbing trees. The Kenya Tourist Board says lions have taken to the trees in at least four of Kenya’s best-known wildlife parks - the Maasai Mara, Samburu, Nakuru, and Nairobi national parks. Torrential rains continue to pour down and have brought the Kenyan capital to a stand still. Heavy rains flooded streets in the Nairobi causing schools and businesses to close. Throughout the east African nation, communications links -- electricity and telephone lines, roads, and bridges have been destroyed. According to weekend reports, the Nairobi-Mombasa highway was closed indefinitely after a 30-kilometer stretch was damaged by flash floods. 240 kilometers south-east of Nairobi one the road's bridges collapsed. In western Kenya, the Malaba-Tororo (Uganda) highway has also been closed to traffic following the washing away of the Malaba border post bridge. Safaris Suspended in Kenya, January 25 1998 Kenya's tourism sector has been badly affected by the floods. ''We have suspended all safari due to the poor state of the infrastructure,'' said Karl Heinz Strauss, one of the directors of the Kenya Association of Tourist Operators (KATO). According to officials in the Kenyan meteorological department, the heavy rains and floods will be followed by a severe drought starting in June. Adventurous Shark Swim at Cape Town Aquarium, January 25 1998 There is no end of adventure sports to try in southern Africa -- bungee jumping, skydiving, white water rafting and now the Cape Town aquarium is offering swims with the ragged-toothed shark. The aquarium opened its tanks to paying visitors last month. Around 70 tourists between the ages of 12 and 40 have paid US $55 each to spend up to an hour with Maxine, Dee and Floyd, the aquarium's three ragged-toothed sharks. "I was nervous to start with but I got a real adrenaline hit," Lana Abro, 27, said as she pulled herself out of the tank. "I was told not to touch the raggie but we got about half a meter (20 inches) from it. Its eyes followed us everywhere." Eight fatal shark attacks have been reported in South Africa in the last 20 years. "They're far less dangerous than lightning, automobiles and domesticated animals," a shark researcher said of sharks. Zambian Airlines to Make Inaugural Flight, January 25 1998 Zambian Airlines will make its inaugural flight from Lusaka to London in April, 1998. Linton Bell, General Manager of Zambia Express, confirmed the move. He said that the plane will leave Lusaka in the morning for London on April 2 and return to Lusaka the following day. Namibian Ministry Denies Poaching Increase, January 25 1998 Only two poaching cases have been reported in Namibia since the elephant population was placed on Appendix II of the United Nation's Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites). Dr. Malan Lindeque of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism said claims by some environmental groups that poaching had increased in southern Africa after the Cites decision last year, were not true. South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe also lost very few elephants in 1997, Lindeque added. "As far as I know, we only lost two elephants last year. This year we have not lost any elephants." The conference gave Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe a green light to trade in ivory from next year. "The main point is there is no poaching crisis," Lindeque stated. The allegations were also earlier dismissed by the Zimbabwe-based Africa Resources Trust and the South African Wildlife Society. Return to Weekly Update Archive |
