In the African night, the beat of a drum means news...

January 2002

February is Marula Month at Djuma Game Reserve, read more about this amazing tree

Djuma part of bid to save AfriCam.com

Vuyatela had a great New Year's celebration

Bush Lodge sadly bids Kim and Jay farewell and welcomes Chantal

Galago Camp: much celebration for the Arnot family

The best sightings of the month

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This newsletter is archived in the Drumbeat section of our web site

Welcome to Marula Month at Djuma
"The Great Provider"
Few African trees are held in such high esteem by indigenous peoples, for the Marula tree has a multitude of uses in terms of diet and culture. People and a variety of animals seek the oil-rich seeds or "nuts" which are difficult to extract due to the hard shells. They are, however, truly delicious and taste similar to walnuts. The Zulu crush and boil the seeds, skim off the oil and use it as a therapeutic body massage. The Venda people use the oil to preserve meat for up to six months in subtropical conditions. In Namibia the Ovambos mix the oil with red ochre preparing face paint for rituals. The bark contains 10-20% tannin as well as traces of alkaloids it is therefore a coagulant. An infusion of one cup of bark and 3 litres of water, boiled for 3 hours is said to be quite effective in the treatment of diarrhoea and ulcers. The Batswana use an infusion of the fruits to bathe tick-infested livestock; the fruits are generally regarded as a potent insecticide. Placing the fresh, juicy, mashed inner bark on the effected area can effectively treat blister caused by hairy worms. Chewing the leaves is said to alleviate painful heartburn. Due to its many uses and value the Marula tree is usually spared by woodcutters in most rural areas. If one sees Marula trees being cut down, it is a clear indication that the community is under pressure.
In the summer month of February the female tree produce pale green fruit, oval in shape and about 35mm in diameter. These fruit fall and ripen on the ground turning a waxy yellow colour. The abundant crop of fruit, that are high in vitamin C, is the source of juice, jelly and jam as well as the basis for several potent liquors and beers. We would like to celebrate the arrival of this wondrous fruit by inviting our guests to sample the fruit and some of its more interesting derivatives.
We invite you to enjoy the many uses of the Marula tree and learn more about its amazing properties from the rangers and trackers. Savour an "Amapolitan" or a "Marula Royale" courtesy of the cocktail makers, Edward and Jimmy (Vuyatela) and Life (Bush Lodge); not forgetting the "Home-brew" with a "kick like a mule" fondly referred to as "Amarula Armegedon".

Djuma part of bid to save AfriCam.com

"AfriCam is about to go live again, with a new business model. An interactive book has also been launched to track AfriCam's history.

This follows the South African High Court's approval of a bid by a consortium of investors to buy the business of AfriCam.com. The consortium, headed by original founder and Real Time Travel Connection MD Paul Clifford, also includes founder Graham Wallington, former CEO Peter Armitage, “adventurer” Alex Wills and Djuma Game Reserve owners Jurie Moolman, Pippa Moolman and Campbell Scott." ITWeb Jan 2002

Djuma is an industry leader in terms of the utilization of the Internet and it is here that Africam.com (always live, always wild; the immensely popular virtual game reserve) was born. Keep an eye on this space: AfriCam has become a national asset and is one of South Africa's best exports. Our audience reach is enormous and mostly in the USA, a very important and growing tourism market for South Africa.

Vuyatela

New Years Eve
On the return journey from the New Years Eve game drive the route to the lodge was lit by an impressive full moon. The lodge glowed with the light from hundreds of candles decorating the deck and boma where dinner was served. In true South African style our appetites were delighted with venison pate, guinea fowl potjie and chocolate cheesecake to name but a few of the scrumptious dishes. At ten to midnight we drove to an open area on Quarantine with a large bonfire and well stocked bar.. At midnight the champagne corks were popped. The first drive at dawn was an exceptional start to the year.

Bush Lodge

In the camp, we welcome Chantal, our new student from the USA, who will be joining us for 3 months bush experience. It was sad to see Tristan (our previous student who hailed from Australia) leave to complete his studies, but we trust that Chantal will gain as much from the experience as he did.
On a sadder note we say good-bye to our Assistant Managers', Jay and Kim, who have been a major feature at the lodge for over 2 years and are required to leave us due to family obligations. Everyone who met them will agree that their vibrance and love for the bush made for great dinner companions and we wish them well and hope that they return as soon as they are able.
We wish everyone a wonderful 2002 and will keep you updated on developments at Bush Lodge - both animal and otherwise!

Galago Camp

There was great excitement at Galago in January as Jackie Arnot organized 20 family members to join in a family celebration. The reason? Well, Joy Arnot had her 80th birthday and young David Arnot turned 8! To top it all, Malcolm and Jacqui Arnot celebrated their 11th wedding anniversary! Some of the group was sleeping at Vuyatela, which meant some transferring of guests between the two camps for meals and family time. On one such trip, usually taking 15 minutes, a lioness on the hunt was spotted! Needless to say, this transfer took 2,5 hours to complete! In feedback we got from Jackie, she mentions, "I cannot praise Ephraim enough - even the five year old knows what a flying banana is. I think we have a budding game ranger! Again, so many thanks for all the extra touches which made it such a special occasion."
For those of you who do not know what a "flying banana" is, it's a Yellowbilled Hornbill!

Some news for our regular Galago visitors, the rooms have been refurbished in neutral tones and have a much cooler "bush" look about them. The gardens around parking area are in full bloom and add a sparkle to surrounding lush green bush. This emerald landscape may not be lasting long as it has been sweltering hot, peaking at 43C, with very little rain since before Christmas.
We are also looking into creating a kosher satellite kitchen so as to accommodate a wider range of avid bush-wackers. Keep an eye on this space for updates.

Best Sightings

2002 started off with extremely hot, dry weather; drying up the good rains from November and December. Out in the bush, the elephants have moved in to eat the marula fruit which is ripening at the moment and we've enjoyed some great sightings: from large tuskers to breeding herds with their young. Many animals are enjoying the bountiful crop, especially the baboons and Vervet monkeys.

The buffalo herds have also been much in evidence, the largest breeding herd of at least 200 Cape buffalo has been on the property for some time and many of the females have calves.

Three magnificent male lions have been seen following the herd. The Sandypatch female and her three cubs have been seen regularly, young cubs seem to be doing very well as they grow into their ninth month . The most recent sighting was on a wildebeest kill, close to Galago. The other Sandy patch female has not been viewed as frequently and it is believed that she is looking after her new born cubs, we look forward to seeing them soon. We think she has three new cubs, only a few weeks old.

Leopards have been quite elusive, possibly due to some territorial friction, as Xivati male was sighted sporting some new injuries and scars and 3-Spot seemed to lie low for a while.

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Djuma Game Reserve
P. O. Box 338, Hluvukani, 1363, Mpumalanga, South Africa
Tel: (+ 27 13) 735 5118
Fax: (+ 27 13) 735 5070
 

 
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