The owner of Skyway Trails alleges the multi-million rand project is his idea.
Campbell Scott claims that MTPA is going ahead with the project and his ideas with another company.
“We identified God’s Window as a favourable site because it ticked all of the boxes being on the main panorama route, tourist route in this area, we engaged with the community, and MTPA. They looked at it favourably and late in 2009 they’ve required as part of the special interest a formal process and again in February 2010 they came back requesting further document in which we submitted,” says Scott.
Copyright protection
Scott has since taken the matter to the Mpumalanga High Court to protect his copyright. He says between 2017 and 2018 there was little engagement with MTPA. He says in 2019 MTPA went on tender without involving him.
“In 2018, they did engage with us. They acknowledge our involvement. It became clear that the triple p and length of this project has dragged out. There is a problem with accountability with the tender process and what have you,” says Scott.
The Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency awarded the multi-million tender project to Mapulana Canyon at a cost of R475-million. MTPA said Scott’s company participated in the tender process and lost. MTPA has denied that Scott came up with the idea. MTPA CEO, Johannes Nobunga says Scott has to prove that he came up with the idea.
“He has to prove that but he can’t prove that. He has come up with the idea because he has always been working with MTPA on this issue of the skywalk. He failed to come with proof that he has a trademark on the concept, and we said on that basis of that because he said we wanted to be paid, we said what cost have you incurred? We are continuing with the building of the skywalk. It’s a ‘tripple p’ project.”
Nobunga says the project is going ahead and it is expected to create employment for the locals.
