SHOCKING AND UNFAIR TREATMENT BY SANPARKD

Although visiting our National Parks is always a wonderful uplifting experience, it is unfortunate that it is under control of an inflexible and unhelpful Administration. Some time ago I booked for a stay of approximately 7 days in the Kruger National Park. On 15/8/2024, three days before our booking commenced in the park (19/8/2024) I had to undergo an emergency angiogram due to heartfailure, after being diagnosed with such on 13/8/2024. We decided to do the decent thing and immediately informed SANParks about my medical emergency and requested them to "cancel" our booking, partly due to my inability to travel to the park witin a day after the operation to take up the booked accommodation My inability to visit the Park was clearly caused by viz major. I requested SANparks to consider refunding me the approximately R7200 I paid for the accommodation. This request was followed up by an email to SANparks shortly after the telephonic cancelation, accompanied by a letter from the Cardiologist and proof from Unitas hospital, Pretoria, confirming the medical procedure that was done on 15/8/2024. Much to my surprise and disgust, I received a very cryptic email from CRMADMIN of SANparks a few days later only informing me that "... your query has now been completed and closed." In an attempt to gain clarity on this unhelpful nonsensical response from SANparks, I forwarded a second email to CRMADMIN requesting to be informed whether my application for a refund had in fact been rejected and if so, to kindly inform me of the reasons for such decision. SANparks is a publuc entity and I am of the view that we as citizens, their loyal customers, deserve fair administrative treatment and consideration. This includes procedural fairness. My medical situation surely had to be considered simpathetically and with an unbiased mindset by SANparks. Despite many later attempts to obtain a response from SANparks or even the email address of the CEO of SANparks, Ms Hapilie Sello, (to enable me to forward this issue to her for her consideration) no response has yet being received. We are dealing here with a faceless, uncaring and unresponsive public entity, one of the, unfortunately, too many in this country! The disregard by SANparks of my medical issue, not wilfully or negligently caused by me, and their failure to do the decent thing to refund me or at least inform me about the reasons for rejecting my reasonable application, leaves me with a bad taste in the mouth. The utter disregard and failure to comply with the provisions of the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act, 3 of 2000,(amongst other legislation including the Constitution of SA) being compelled as public entity to fair administrative actions and to supply reasons for their decisions, leaves much to be desired and is shocking! FELLOW CITIZENS SHOULD BE WARNED that they might receive similar treatment and no sympathy if bookings are cancelled for whatever reasonable reason. Although I accept that customers are obliged to note and adhere to the cancelation policy of SANparks, we as customers can surely demand to be treated fairly in the application of that policy! Having an enrichment attitude and being deaf to reasonable requests, is surely not expected from public entities who, for their very survival, also depends on the goodwill and funding from citizens and other customers.

From a very disgusted and disappointed customer. J F Scheepers Centurion 9/9/2024