The Mpumalanga legislature has passed a resolution calling for the Kruger National Park to be renamed Skukuza National Park.
Kruger National Park will have a new name
The motion was tabled by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and supported by the ANC and uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP).
The proposal is aimed at moving away from features named after Paul Kruger, the former South African president associated with colonial-era policies. However, the resolution is symbolic only.
According to the Democratic Alliance (DA), it carries no legal force and cannot initiate the official renaming process.
“No provincial legislature can do so, or could even start such a process. The fact that it is of no legal effect is a very good thing, because changing the name of South Africa’s most attractive and defining tourism drawcard would wipe out decades of tourism goodwill,” DA national spokesperson Willie Aucamp said.
What the law says about name changes
The renaming of national landmarks such as the Kruger National Park falls under the jurisdiction of the South African Geographical Names Council and ultimately requires approval from the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.
Because the park spans more than just Mpumalanga, the provincial legislature has no authority to make such changes.
Aucamp criticised the resolution as a misunderstanding of the law and warned of the costs that would come with any official renaming.
He said every aspect of rebranding — from changing road signs and maps to uniforms, websites, and vehicles — would run into millions of rands.
Tourism groups and political critics argue that changing the name of the Kruger National Park, which is internationally recognised and nearly 100 years old, would harm South Africa’s economy.
The park attracts millions of visitors every year, contributing foreign currency and supporting thousands of jobs in nearby businesses, from hotels and restaurants to tour guides and souvenir shops.
Aucamp stressed that undermining such a key attraction would hurt livelihoods:
“Every foreign and local tourist to the Kruger National Park spends money in a host of associated businesses … killing these small businesses would leave thousands jobless.”
The Kruger National Park became South Africa’s first official national park in 1926, though parts of the area had been under government protection since 1898.
Its international reputation has made it one of the country’s most iconic destinations.
For now, the legislature’s resolution does not change its name, but the debate around renaming shows the political tensions between heritage, identity, and economic realities.