History - Kruger National Park

In 1898 Paul Kruger, the President of the Transvaal Republic, became increasingly alarmed by the declining game numbers in South Africa’s lowveld area and lobbied hard for the establishment of the Sabi Game Reserve. His aim was largely to prevent the area from being chopped up into scores of livestock farms. By 1902 inroads had been made and the 4600 sq kilometres between the Crocodile and Sabie Rivers was proclaimed the Sabi Game Reserve.

It was at that time that James Stevenson-Hamilton was appointed as Sabi’s head ranger with the instruction to make himself ‘thoroughly disagreeable’ to poachers, local tribes and farmers who infringe on the reserve’s natural resources. On the 31 May 1926 the Sabi and Shingwedzi game reserves - along with farm and mining land in between - were merged into the Kruger National Park. 

Today the aim is to preserve all that has been achieved in a way which balances three important factors - the wise conservation of this priceless wildlife heritage, the protection of the interests of the local rural inhabitants in the overall conservation picture and the discreet unobtrusive development of amenities for the park’s visitors, so that people can comfortably enjoy this exquisite South African wildlife reserve - the Kruger National Park.

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