According to Dr Dirk Strydom, managing director of Nampo, last week’s heavy rain has continued to have a major impact on access routes around the showgrounds.
Strydom said nearly 30km of gravel roads leading to Nampo Park remained inaccessible after being severely damaged by rain and mud.
Visitors were urged to obey road closures and avoid taking shortcuts through closed-off sections.
“Some people who ignored the instructions got stuck in the mud,” he said.
Strydom added that organisers had worked “terribly hard” to drain excess water from the park and surrounding routes to improve conditions for exhibitors and visitors.
He said the closure of the gravel roads significantly reduced the park’s traffic-handling capacity. Under the current conditions, the entrance network could accommodate only about 18 000 vehicles or visitors a day, yet Wednesday saw a record attendance of more than 24 000 people.
Strydom said one of his wishes was for roads leading to the park to eventually be tarred, especially with Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Dean Macpherson visiting Nampo on Thursday.
“We hope infrastructure investment can eventually help improve access to Nampo Park in future,” he said.
