K2C Road Signage Workshop
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Report on
K2C Road Signage Workshop
held on 12 July 2007
at Forever Resorts Swadini, Hoedspruit
Attendees
The workshop was well attended by representatives from both Limpopo and
Mpumalanga regions and covering most levels of policy and implementation as
well as both government and private level enterprises (see appendix 1 –
attendance register). The presence of National Roads Agencies as well as Dept
of Roads and Transport were able to
Purpose of the Workshop
2 main objectives addressed at the workshop were:
1. To identify and list out all identified problems as regards signage in the
region
2. To list out potential solutions and methods of implementation to the
solutions
3. To create a unique “K2C” form of sign design that will be implemented
throughout the designated region.
List of Problems
The following is a list of problems that were identified by the various participants
Too many signs are being erected which results in the lack of
efficiency of each sign – no traveler can read each and every sign
as they pass at the expected speed limit.
Advertising signs are being placed at extended distances from
the advertised venue eg Agatha Crocodile farm is advertised in
Hoedspruit.
The size of advertisement signs along the road has become a
competitive statement and many are oversized and overbearing
and block out the neighbouring environment that we would prefer
to see.
As so many illegal signs are being erected, there is no uniformity
to size, shape or colour
Due to the lack of clear road names and markers/signs, it is
very difficult to direct a traveler to their required venue, thus all
venues and facilities have resorted to the use of numerous signs as
direction markers to their particular venue. Additionally some
roads have 2 or 3 names known to various people (eg what is
known to the “Hoedspruiters” as the Phalaborwa Rd, will obviously
not be called the “Phalaborwa Road” to those living in Phalaborwa.Towns are also irregularly demarcated (eg such as the lack of
indicators to Hoedspruit from all entry roads into the region)
Due to a presumed lack of man power, various road agencies are
unable to continually control and police the erection of signs
In addition to the above point, the in-accessibility of and lengthy
time involved in following the correct procedures (through a
cumbersome application process) has had a negative impact
on encouraging residents to apply for the legal and acceptable
erection of signs and thus they have simply gone ahead with the
illegal erection of boards.
Signboards are being used as the main form of advertisement
in the region and not only for tourism related venues that are of
benefit to the regional visitor.
There is no current linkage between both provinces (Limpopo
and Mpumalanga) yet both provinces share the same tourists,
tourism regions and tourism routes
The responsibility and maintenance of all the signs was
questioned as there are a number of outdated signs (such as those
advertising the eclipse zone/ closed businesses) as well as
dilapidated signs
Signage on private property (not on road verges) is also often
“guilty” of many of the faults listed above – how can it be dealt
with
Summary breakdown of identified problems and potential solutions
Identified Problems Suggested Solutions
Many of the signs are illegal, a reduction to the legal requirements
of signs will result in less signs. Contractors are currently involved
in removal process of all illegal or unmaintained directional signs
and the same process will continue in September for all
advertisement sign boards
Too Many Signs A concept of “sign zones” was put forward with the intention of
the conservation of landscapes and scenic vistas. The concept of
sign zones entails a system of creating allocated areas in which
signs may be erected, while also creating areas considered “no
sign zones”. These will be dependant on specific landscapes and
scenic vistas that may be selected to be preserved or highlighted.
The legal limit is for 2 signs (1 facing in each direction) to be
placed on the last route numbered road to the location. Any
additional signs to this, or any placed 2 or 3 route numbered
Extended Distances of roads away will also be removed. For information on which roads
Signs have official route numbers (eg N1, R40, R527 etc), the dept of
Roads and Transport can be contacted. Alternatively, these can
also be found in detailed Map Books such as the AA Map Books
etc.Sign sizing is strictly defined according to the National Roads Act
Oversized Signs There are various sizing restriction dependant on the type of sign
being applied for
Uniformity is strictly defined according to the National Roads Act
No Uniformity
and is limited according to the type of sign being erected.
A dual process was suggested that firstly involved the naming of
Lack of clear road signs/ all the roads with single names for the entire K2C region that will
names allow for easier direction giving and a unified form of directional
description.
The biggest problem highlighted with each and every aspect listed
above, is the lack of man power in overseeing, policing and
monitoring each of the solutions or current legislations as has
been described. Various suggestions were made to counteract
this. Thaba Chweu municipality gave successes in their region
through the use of municipal by-laws that resulted in the policing
and management of many of the identified problems being dealt
with and controlled at a municipal level which assists with the
difficulty and tediousness of many of the issues currently being
dealt with and managed from Polokwane. The elected task team
Lack of Man Power is tasked to look into this aspect and view the different by-laws of
each of the municipalities in the region and compare to the
successes in the Thaba Chweu region and possibly follow through
with implementing and encouraging possible changes in each
municipality to identified successful policies or by-laws.
Once the upcoming Biosphere Offices will be completed together
with a full time coordinator as well as a full time Tourism Officer,
the Biosphere will also act as an assistant implementing agency
and will assist with both the policing of signs in the region as well
as the assistance with streamlining the application process to
ensure quicker and more efficient application processes.
It is the experience of many applicants that the current process
can at times take anything from 2 – 3 years to receive approval.
Moses Ngobeni of Limpopo Tourism Dept, reported that the
supposed turn around time is 21 days. Mr Ngobeni will also look
into the current process and supply the workshop attendees with
a report on where the problem is coming in and look into potential
Cumbersome Application
solutions as to how the this delay can be resolved. As an initial
Process
step, he requested that it be made known to the public that all
application forms need to be sent to the provincial tourism
departments first and they send the necessary sections to the
relevant roads dept. Applications sent directly to the roads
department and not put through the correct channels and can
possibly get lost in the system.
The task team will also look into the various by-laws in each
municipality. Thaba Chweu allow no advertisement boards at all
and only directional signs within their jurisdiction. Phalaborwa
Municipality allows a certain amount of advertisement boards
Signboards as main form
which are rented out at a monthly fee and is used for the purpose
of advertisement
of receiving funds into the municipal coffers. The dept of Roads
and Transported reported that signs along national roads that
have photos and descriptive words are illegal and will be removed
when the contractors move in with this allocated project inSeptember. Businesses in the greater region will be encouraged
to use the print media for advertisements and not excessively
large sign boards along the road as is currently the trend.
The workshop in itself was a cornerstone activity and the first of
its kind in bringing both provinces together for the purpose of
creating a unified strategy for the greater region. In addition,
initial steps were created whereby positive points in each province
No current linkages
can be shared with and of benefit to the other province. In
between both provinces
addition, the Task Team will look into furthering this aspect as
well as means of extending further relationships between the two
provinces as well as between the 4 municipalities within the K2C
Region.
It was made clear by the various dept’s present that the
responsibility for all signs fall upon the owners of the advertised
facilities. Signs that are not maintained or are shoddy (peeling,
fading, knocked over etc) need to be replaced/ repaired by the
owners. Facilities with signs that are noticed to be needing
attention will be informed in writing and should the signs not be
corrected or fixed, the sign will be cut down and removed.
Responsibility and Official and approved signs are supplied with a list of pre-
Maintenance approved sign makers whose products and methods have been
pre-approved for the long-life abilities. Should a facility owner
choose to use a non-approved signage company, they do so at
their own risk and will obviously have to bear the costs for early
replacement of their signs should they become degraded.
Approved signs are to be re-evaluated every 5 years and their
quality is assessed. Should it need to be repaired or replaced,
facilities will be informed.
Signs that are erected on private property and face the road
(regardless of the angle to which it faces the road), are applicable
Signage on private
to all rules and restrictions as listed in the National Roads Act and
property
therefore need to fall in line with all issues and problems listed
above.
Design of regionally unique and descriptive signs
A proposed design for regionally unique yet prescriptive signage was proposed
and accepted by the workshop group. Open Africa have been tasked with the
initial stages of putting together a National Strategy that will no only be
applicable to the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere but can also be integrated into
the other Biospheres around the country together with identified tourism regions.
The signs that will be looked at include the standard brown tourism signs
indicating the presence of tourism facilities as well as signs for the naming of the
major roads in the region that are also unique and indicative of the region while
also indicating their inclusion in any of the 2 major series of tourism routes in the
region (ie Kruger to Canyons Birding Route and Open Africa’s Kruger to Canyons
Mega Route which comprises of Vuyani Kaya in the Acornhoek region, the
Panorama Route on the top of the Mountain, the Rixile Route in the Phalaborwa
Region and the “Heart of the K2C Route” in the Hoedspruit Region).Development of a Task Team
A Task Team was put together to target the identified solutions or information
that is required to further the workshop and identified aspects.
The task team consists of:
Chris Nghenabo - Limpopo Dept of Tourism Development
Heidi Smith – Kruger to Canyon News
Shaun Bushney – Thaba Chweu Municipality
Alex Quinn – Department of Roads and Transport
Thonmas Shivambu – R A L (Road Agency – Limpopo)
Jolene Groenewald – Open Africa
Susan Mulaudzi – Limpopo LEDET (Local Economic Development,
Environment and Tourism)
Debby Thomson/ Marie-Tinka Uys – shared responsibility as
representatives of K2C Exco
There are 2 or 3 additional members that were not present at the meeting but
were identified as necessary and potential members of the task team and will be
approached for inclusion in the process.
The tasks that are required to be undertaken by the task team include:
Collation and assessment of the by-laws in each of the K2C
municipalities (Maruleng, Ba-Phalaborwa, Bushbuckridge and Thaba
Chweu) as well as district Municipalites (eg Mopane) as regards
signage policies as well as maintenance and policing options
Listing of the successes within the Thaba Chweu municipalities and
promoting the successful information to the other municipalities
within the region.
Developing a marketing/ communication strategy to inform the
public about the legislation, processes and requirements for
applications and erections of signs in the greater region.
Develop a strategy to create an easier accessibility to application
forms as well as the process for the submission of application
forms.
Develop a partnership strategy between Limpopo and Mpumalanga
relevant departments dealing with signageOpen Africa
Open Africa – an organization involved in the development and promotion of
tourism routes nation wide, have volunteered to fulfill 2 requirements:
Using GIS technology, they will draw up a map indicating potential
and possible sites for the proposed sign zones in areas that will not
be harmful to scenic landscapes and vista’s
Open Africa will investigate and initiate the drawing up of a
National Strategy for the use of individual and identifiable signs for
each region. The strategy will be used for the application towards
unique signage in the K2C and other Biosphere regions for both
road name signs and facility directional signs.
Limpopo – Tourism Planning and Development Department
The tourism department of Limpopo have volunteered to investigate 2 different
aspects
To look into the application process and identify where the
potential problems and hold-ups exist that result in the 2-3 year
delays of formal application forms.
(together with Suzan Mulaudzi of LEDET) To summarise the
important aspects in the National Roads Act Documents that need
to be communicated to regional residents as to the legal
requirements and restrictions for the erection of signs in Limpopo
and Mpumalanga.
K2C EXCO
The K2C Exco have undertaken to look into and follow through with potential
channels that can be initiated at the launch of the Biosphere Centre that will
allow them to work with all relevant departments in both provinces and firstly to
streamline and application process as well as assist with the monitoring and
policing of the signs in the region.Appendix 1: - Workshop Attendees
Name Organisation Cell Phone E Mail
Kruger to Canyons
Debby Thomson 082 940 0651 info@bushveldconnections.co.za
Biosphere
Heidi Smith Kruger to Canyon News 082 800 1300 heidi.lee@mweb.co.za
Kruger to Canyons Birding
Martin Taylor 072 277 7254 k2c@birdlife.org.za
Route
Mark Glanvill Phalaborwa Foundation mrglan@mweb.co.za
Mokoena T L Limpopo LEDET 079 515 6495 MokoenaTL@ledet.gov.za
Mulaudzi Suzan Limpopo LEDET 079 515 6491 MulaudziTS@ledet.gov.za
Marie-Tinka Uys Ottersden/ K2C EXCO 015 795 5488 info@ottersden.co.za
Jenny Newenham K2C EXCO 072 454 7957 ukunga@mweb.co.za
Mirjam de Koning GTZ - MRDP 072 226 7600 mirjam@mtpa.co.za
Maryna Matthee MTPA 013 759 5398 maryna@mtpa.co.za
Jan Bietje 082 689 1754
Thaba Chweu Municipality
Sean Bushney – Safety and Community 072 455 6565 seanbushney@telkomsa.net
Service
Mahapa MS Limpopo LEDET 078 102 4612 mahapams@ledet.gov.za
Cobus du Plessis Open Africa 082 578 8234 cobus@openafrica.org
Jolene
Open Africa 082 566 2604 Jolene@openafrica.org
Groenewald
Imperial Car Hire/ Graskop
Sulette Wood 083 271 6204 swood@imperial.ih.co.za
Tourism
Graskop Tourism & 083 370 2225 wild@iafrica.com
Maria Hough
Information Centre 013 767 1833 inf@absamail.co.za
Hennie Prinsloo Graskop Tourism 013 767 1160 madeleinscoffee@yahoo.com
J Prinsloo Graskop Tourism 013 767 1091 madeleinscoffee@yahoo.com
Thomas Shivambu RAL 082 447 2922
Kekae L W Dept of Roads & Transport 082 864 0134
Corrie van Wyk Moholoholo 015 795 5236 moholorehab@wol.co.za
Mulondo NA Dept of Roads & Transport 082 524 7191
Mudau ZE Limpopo LEDET 073 300 2090 MudauZE@ledet.gov.za
Tivani T V Maruleng Municipality 076 723 9354 virgythek@yahoo.com
Phasa D Maruleng Municipality 015 793 2409
Remember
K2C EXCO 079 874 3275 tzundzu@workmail.co.za
Makhubela
Limpopo Tourism Planning
Moses Ngobeni 015 293 8510/33 NgobeniM@ledet.gov.za
& Development
Limpopo Tourism Planning
Chris Nghenabo 015 293 8510/33 NghenaboC@ledet.gov.za
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