Truitjieskraal & Wolfberg Times (entry/Exit)

[justin]

Cape Nature has introduced some draconian new ‘curfew’ rules for Truitjieskraal and Wolfberg.

The opening times for Truitjieskraal are now 7:30 am - 4 pm.
<See photo>

Brian W got stopped by a Ranger, exiting after 4, and got issued a warning. <see photo>.

Also, Wolfberg seems to have a new rule whereby you have to get a (day) permit before 10 am.

Brian W queried these new rules with CapeNature and received a reply that is just hogwash. Copied below.

I am trying to meet with CapeNature Cederberg Manager Monique Ruthenberg to discuss this. Stay tuned for details.

- Robert Breyer
For MCSA Cape Town
Rock subcommittee
MCSA CT

Reply from Cape Nature:
Dear Mr W

I hope you are well?

Thank you for your email query regarding the reserve’s closing time. We value your feedback and are pleased to provide further insight into our policies, procedures and regulations.

It is standard practice and aligns with conservation legislation for Protected Areas, Nature Reserves and National Parks to implement gate times or hours of operation to ensure their ecological integrity and visitor safety. Matjiesrivier, including the notable Stadsaal and Truitjieskraal sites, is part of a World Heritage Site, underscoring the global importance of preserving its unique natural and cultural values. Adhering to these operational hours helps manage human impact and protect the site’s extraordinary biodiversity and heritage.

Our Operational or Visitor hours, which includes gate hours of 07:30 – 16:00, is not new. These times are in place to support both the ecological health of the reserve and visitor safety. Recently, we have improved onsite capacity and increased our patrols to ensure compliance with these regulations, prompted by increasing incidents of illegal overnight stays. These incidents have unfortunately included littering, unauthorized fires, the use of drones, and other forms of anti-social behavior.

From a scotobiological standpoint, it is essential to limit light pollution in protected areas to preserve the natural behaviors of wildlife. Many species depend on natural light cycles for their activities, and artificial light (car lights, torches, lanterns etc.) can disrupt these patterns, negatively impacting their survival. By ensuring visitor are out the Reserve or Protected area before sunset (or set time in the afternoon as per site rules), we help reduce the potential for such disturbances and allow wildlife to engage in their essential nocturnal activities undisturbed.

Moreover, the reserve's rugged terrain, which includes rocky areas and cliff drops, becomes significantly more hazardous after dark. We aim to prevent accidents and injuries that could arise from navigating these dangerous areas without sufficient light.

Our role as a conservation agency necessitates a balanced approach to managing visitor needs, environmental integrity and safety concerns. The increased patrols and enforcement of site rules or regulations are part of our effort to mitigate the negative impacts of the aforementioned illegal activities, which not only threaten the reserve’s ecological integrity but also compromise the safety of all visitors.

We appreciate your understanding and support in these matters. Our goal remains to protect and preserve the natural beauty and biodiversity of the reserve while ensuring a safe environment for everyone. If you have further questions or require additional information, please feel free to reach out.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

Mogamat Saliem Amlay
Contact Centre Manager

[GClamp]

Thanks for trying to sort this out. What a load of rubbish.

I don't see the reply that Brian got?

[robertbreyer]

This is the reply from CapeNature:

Dear Mr W

I hope you are well?

Thank you for your email query regarding the reserve’s closing time. We value your feedback and are pleased to provide further insight into our policies, procedures and regulations.

It is standard practice and aligns with conservation legislation for Protected Areas, Nature Reserves and National Parks to implement gate times or hours of operation to ensure their ecological integrity and visitor safety. Matjiesrivier, including the notable Stadsaal and Truitjieskraal sites, is part of a World Heritage Site, underscoring the global importance of preserving its unique natural and cultural values. Adhering to these operational hours helps manage human impact and protect the site’s extraordinary biodiversity and heritage.

Our Operational or Visitor hours, which includes gate hours of 07:30 – 16:00, is not new. These times are in place to support both the ecological health of the reserve and visitor safety. Recently, we have improved onsite capacity and increased our patrols to ensure compliance with these regulations, prompted by increasing incidents of illegal overnight stays. These incidents have unfortunately included littering, unauthorized fires, the use of drones, and other forms of anti-social behavior.

From a scotobiological standpoint, it is essential to limit light pollution in protected areas to preserve the natural behaviors of wildlife. Many species depend on natural light cycles for their activities, and artificial light (car lights, torches, lantersn etc.) can disrupt these patterns, negatively impacting their survival. By ensuring visitor are out the Reserve or Protected area before sunset (or set time in the afternoon as per site rules), we help reduce the potential for such disturbances and allow wildlife to engage in their essential nocturnal activities undisturbed.

Moreover, the reserve's rugged terrain, which includes rocky areas and cliff drops, becomes significantly more hazardous after dark. We aim to prevent accidents and injuries that could arise from navigating these dangerous areas without sufficient light.

Our role as a conservation agency necessitates a balanced approach to managing visitor needs, environmental integrity and safety concerns. The increased patrols and enforcement of site rules or regulations are part of our effort to mitigate the negative impacts of the aforementioned illegal activities, which not only threaten the reserve’s ecological integrity but also compromise the safety of all visitors.

We appreciate your understanding and support in these matters. Our goal remains to protect and preserve the natural beauty and biodiversity of the reserve while ensuring a safe environment for everyone. If you have further questions or require additional information, please feel free to reach out.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

Mogamat Saliem Amlay
Contact Centre Manager

[GClamp]

By their own admission, what they are trying to police is after sunset activities. The sun doesn't set at 4pm.

1. I have never seen signs of fires at Truitjies in all my years.
2. Never seen signs of anyone staying there overnight.

It is in a remote area, only accessed by vehicle. The majority of visitors, visit the place once, walk around and leave. For the average person it isn't particularly interesting. The only people regularly using it are climbers. The only people potentially staying overnight is someone with a rooftop tent (or the like) and blocking access to Truitjies is not going to solve anything. You can pull over in many different places in the reserve and camp if you want. So the whole argument is nonsensicle.

What has happened here in my opinion:
- It is an easy revenue maker, for very little effort. (I was stopped for the first time this year by some people at the gate, asking for permits. They looked like some sort of interns. Never seen anyone from Cape Nature in 10 years before)
- The staff need to leave at 4pm and therefore they have no one to check permits after 4pm.
- They are pushing this now, so as to monetise Stadstaal and Truitjies.
- Interestingly, there was somewhere at Rocklands also checking permits earlier this year (first time as well). I think it is a concerted effort to drive revenue.

This whole thing really upsets me. You go out to these places to get away from this stupid bureaucracy and control. Climbers love this place and respect it immensely. Everyone I have ever climbed with has made sure they have their permit and the allure of the place is to get away and relax.

Please let us know, if there is anything we can do to challenge this.

[wildx]

Sadly the tradathon will be a rush... 7:30 walk up and 4pm back.
What a joke.

[dalenevs]

Unfortunately I am aware of climbers that have stayed overnight at Truitjieskraal in the past- so it does happen.

What I am more interested in is the policing around activities at the Arch since that seems to have gotten way out of hand.

[Nic Le Maitre]

By their own admission, what they are trying to police is after sunset activities. The sun doesn't set at 4pm.

1. I have never seen signs of fires at Truitjies in all my years.
2. Never seen signs of anyone staying there overnight.

I've seen both and I'd bet money that more people overnight there than you think.

It is in a remote area, only accessed by vehicle. The majority of visitors, visit the place once, walk around and leave. For the average person it isn't particularly interesting. The only people regularly using it are climbers. The only people potentially staying overnight is someone with a rooftop tent (or the like) and blocking access to Truitjies is not going to solve anything. You can pull over in many different places in the reserve and camp if you want. So the whole argument is nonsensicle.

The Cederberg isn't just a single unit or reserve. It's a patchwork of different areas with different conservation status and some private land, all combined into a larger conservancy. That larger conservancy is also subdivided into sections that have different rules. So just because you can sleep up at Tafelberg doesn't automatically mean that you can camp at Truitjieskraal.

What has happened here in my opinion:
- It is an easy revenue maker, for very little effort. (I was stopped for the first time this year by some people at the gate, asking for permits. They looked like some sort of interns. Never seen anyone from Cape Nature in 10 years before)
- The staff need to leave at 4pm and therefore they have no one to check permits after 4pm.
- They are pushing this now, so as to monetise Stadstaal and Truitjies.
- Interestingly, there was somewhere at Rocklands also checking permits earlier this year (first time as well). I think it is a concerted effort to drive revenue.

This whole thing really upsets me. You go out to these places to get away from this stupid bureaucracy and control. Climbers love this place and respect it immensely. Everyone I have ever climbed with has made sure they have their permit and the allure of the place is to get away and relax.

Please let us know, if there is anything we can do to challenge this.

CapeNature used to receive a subsidy from the Provincial government. That no longer happens (or it has been substantially reduced). So they have to charge entrance fees to make revenue, which allows them to do everything they are mandated to do. Considering the amount of work they have put into Truitjieskraal in terms of paths, signage etc I don't think charging (and enforcing the payment of) an entrance fee is excessive. Especially when the purchase of a Wild Card year pass is possible.

Lastly, there's no way that they can distinguish between climbers (who are actually fairly high impact users) who respect the area, or climbers who don't, or hikers who love the area, or fire making idiots.

[Nic Le Maitre]

Sadly the tradathon will be a rush... 7:30 walk up and 4pm back.
What a joke.

Tradathon is at Wolfberg. Above closure times apply to Truitjieskraal.

It was stated above that you have to buy a day permit for the Wolfberg before 10 am. Which, given the summer time temperatures and the lack of preparedness of the various people I have seen en route to the Cracks/Arch is not a bad thing at all.

[robertbreyer]

So lots of illegal camping going on atTruitjieskraal. A few rotten eggs have really fucked it up for all of us. Newtons' Third Law of Physics.

[mokganjetsi]

camping has always been illegal at Truitjies. how will changing the gate times stop that? they need to do their jobs and police illegal camping and not come up with nonsense like this. I hope MCSA and individuals will object in the strongest terms.

[justin]

Big up to Robert Breyer who met with Cape Nature on behalf of the MCSA and secured the following:


STADSAAL & TRUITJIESKRAAL – ACCESS TIMES:

*Reminder: The Reserve may be closed temporarily due to adverse weather conditions, emergency or operational reasons as per legislative mandates. Get your updates from Reception

*Please Note: Access outside of these times or access without the required permit is an offence and is punishable by a fine or arrest.
Permits are available from: * Please ensure to check office / reception access hours

1) Algeria Office
2) Matjiesriver Office
3) Kromrivier Reception
4) Dwarsrivier Reception
5) Mount Cedar Reception

Winter (1 April – 31 August): 07:30 - 16:00 (exit by 17:00) *
Summer (1 Sept – 30 Nov & 1 Feb – 31 March): 07:30 - 18:00 (exit by 19:00)*
Peak Season (1 December – 31 January): 07:00 - 19:00 (exit by 20:00)*

In Case of Emergency: Fire / Rescue/ other: 082 453 3766

[Thermophage]

Robert is a legend on the negotiations

Thanks for the service

[GClamp]

Thank you Robert!

Really appreciate what you did here

[bad]

Robert, amazing, thanks a million