Media Release: Tourism Deputy Minister Fish Mahlalela visits the Godumodumo Dinosaur Centre at the Golden Gate Highlands National Park

Tourism Deputy Minister Fish Mahlalela visited the Golden Gate Highlands National Park on Sunday 26 September 2021 as part of the National Department of Tourism's (NDT) activities to commemorate national Tourism month across the country. This visit comes at an opportune time as the construction of the Godumodumo Dinosaur Centre is at its tail end, The Godumodumo Dinosaur Centre in Golden Gate Highlands National Park is a legacy project that was funded by the NDT through its Tourism Infrastructure Development Fund in 2018.

Deputy Minister: Fish Mahlalela, said: "The MOU between the Department and SANParks has been a strategic partnership that has birthed the incredible Dinosaur Centre and many other significant tourism infrastructure projects at the South African National Parks (SANParks)."

He added, "this partnership has been in existence for decades and it has been successful, especially because our mandates coincide with one another to promote the conservation and preservation of our national heritage but also the elevation of active tourism amongst our local citizens and international compatriots. As a world-class and state-of-the-art interpretive centre, the project will serve as an iconic tourist attraction modelled on the narrative interpretation of the paleontological, archaeological and geological evidence found at the Golden Gate Highlands National Park."

Present at the event, Dumisani Dlamini: Chief Financial Officer at SANParks stated that the Dinosaur Centre is one of many major initiatives that have been funded by the NDT on SANParks, all of which amount to an estimated total of R435 million. Some of our key partnership projects include:

The Southern Most Tip Centre in the Western CapeThe Big Tree Development at our Tsitsikamma National ParkThe Dinosaur Centre we are in todayThe extension of the Addo Elephant Rest Camp in the Eastern CapeThe Agulhas Lighthouse Precinct Development, also in the Western CapeAn innovative Youth Centre soon to launch at the Mapungubwe National ParkThe EPWP program serves to conduct maintenance across our national parks.

He added that the discovery of dinosaur eggs is a marvel in South Africa, and it means even more that these eggs were found at Golden Gate Highlands. SANParks is confident that the centre will provide the most ideal platform to educate visitors especially young learners about dinosaurs and many other interesting attributes of the Golden Gate Highlands.

This massive research facility is at its tail-end phase where visitors and students from all over the world will be able to learn more about the study of archaeology and palaeontology. The construction is on track and we hope to launch the centre as soon as the end of this financial year.

SANParks looks forward to partner with the Department of Tourism on more exciting projects in the future and trusts that this centre will enhance the visitor experience in Golden Gate.

Issued by:South African National Parks - Northern Region CommunicationsMedia enquiries:Sipho Mkhwanazi, SANParks Regional Marketing and Communications Manager

Tel: 012 426 5134 Cell: 083 573 2543 or email: sipho.mkhwanazi(at)sanparks.org

28 September 2021

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Photo credit: GCIS

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