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

February 2005

Read about events at Djuma Game Reserve

Vuyatela

Bush Lodge

for more information visit www.djuma.com

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

Fair Trade in Tourism in South Africa (FTTSA) has awarded Djuma the status of Fair Trade in Tourism Trademark User. FTTSA is an independent initiative of IUCN-South Africa, www.iucnsa.org.za. The selection process is an audit of all aspects of the business and its working environment; from Employment Equity policies and Workplace Skills Programs to wider community involvement and a fair and equitable work place where all are treated with dignity. Jennifer Seif of Fair Trade in Tourism wrote the following letter explaining to guests visiting Djuma the reason for our selection to FTTSA.

Dear Guest,
Whilst enjoying your experience at Djuma Game Reserve, you may be pleased to know that your holiday is bringing others rewards too.
Djuma has a long history of being committed to the social, environmental, and economic well-being of its staff and local communities. This commitment has led Djuma to be certified with the Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA) Trademark.
The FTTSA Trademark is the first in the world to endorse fair and responsible tourism practice. It is awarded to tourism businesses that adhere to fair trade criteria, such as: fair-wages and working conditions, fairness in operations, purchasing and distribution of benefits; ethical business practice; and respect for human rights, culture and the environment.
Tourism is now one of the largest employers in the world, accounting for 10.2% of the world's GDP and employing some 200 million people. It is a powerful industry that has the potential to create huge opportunities, as well as risks, for host countries.
FTTSA's mission, through the FTTSA Trademark, is to ensure that tourism does create opportunity, by boosting local economic development and promoting social well-being. And we know we are not alone. Two thirds of the globe's citizens now want companies to go beyond making profit and to contribute to broader societal goals. And some 70% of travelers think it is important that their travel benefits people living in the host destination through jobs and business opportunities.
Djuma has demonstrated that fairness, ethical business practice and environmental respect form the basis for sustainable tourism. This is evident in the many programmes it has developed that champion local socio-economic development, such as its support to Buffelshoek Education Trust in building two local primary schools and a media center for disadvantaged communities.
Djuma has also created a workplace culture based on mutual respect and recognition of individual initiative and excellence.
FTTSA salutes Djuma for its achievements, and hopes that you will feel proud to support an establishment that is developing and sustaining its wider community in turn.
Jennifer Seif
Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa

Greetings from a still, very hot and humid Bush Lodge! January has brought more rain and the bush is thick and green and lush. This means the camp gardens look fantastic as well - and for a rare change we are pruning rather than watering! The daily temperatures are still over the 30C mark, but the evenings are starting to cool down with most nights averaging around 20 degrees making sitting around the fire in the boma a most pleasurable experience. The red-billed hornbills' chicks have finally emerged from their nest after months of diligent feeding and tending by their parents and so now we have a family of four hornbills wandering around the main building looking for titbits and banging on windows throughout the camp. The redheaded weavers also produced a chick and we were delighted to see it emerge from the nest only to realise that it was a cuckoo chick they had reared. (Cuckoos are known for laying their eggs in other bird's nests and leaving all the hard work up to them.) We can only imagine the weaver's surprise at the size of their offspring. A leopard was sighted in the spotlight drinking from the pan during dinner one night and dinner was hastily abandoned as everyone followed her, by vehicle, on her patrol for some time as she marked out her territory. Other less common sightings have included honey badgers and porcupines as well as an unusual run-in between the cheetah family of four and a serval cat. Although much smaller and also outnumbered, the serval managed to convince the cheetahs of its ferocity and avoided a likely death. A small pack of wild dogs have also been sighted around the western boundary of the reserve.
In the camp we have a new student, Sue, who is from Johannesburg and will be with us for a few months. Sue has studied graphic design so she brings a creative touch to the camp. Sean Pattrick has been guiding for us for much of January filling in for Chris and Piet, who each took a well-deserved break. The guides and trackers also travelled to Nelspruit to participate in a training course as part of our continuing training program. Their enthusiasm was contagious afterwards and we are thrilled they learnt so much. Return guests included Tom and Benta, Janice and Steve from the UK who brought their baby Matt along to experience his first safari; as well as Matt and Andrea also from the UK who came back with their respective parents after having such a memorable visit last year.
On a final note we commemorate the life of Ennie Nyathi who was employed at Djuma for many years and sadly passed away in early January after a long illness. Her presence will be sorely missed at Bush Lodge and we extend our deepest sympathies to her family.
Liane and the staff of Bush Lodge

With the South African schools back in full swing, the latter part of January was rather quiet as far as guests were concerned. However, throughout the month we had several very welcome showers, about 65mm in all. The bush is once again lush and green but very few of the dams have shown any rise in water levels. There are only two months left in our rainfall season so we need plenty more to feed the dams and carry us through to the next rainy season. It was also amazing to witness areas just a few kilometers apart having such varying rain tallies. One could literally be driving along on a bone-dry stretch of road approaching a cloud burst, and then getting drenched for a few minutes, only to emerge to rainbows and sunshine! Our new ponchos certainly arrived in time to keep our guests dry!
While things quietened down on the guest front, we were working feverishly getting back on track with maintenance around the camp after the busy festive season. All the woodwork has been treated with varnish and creosote and some new screening fences have been erected at the staff village and back courtyard. There are some lighting additions to the dining area, as well as more electrical points at the buffet area. The dining room chairs have been replaced and new upholstery for the lounge suite will arrive in the next week or so. The bathroom mirrors have also been spruced up with a touch of mosaic work. A huge thanks to Chris Dreyer and his handymen!
Keep an eye open for Mnet's "Carte Blanche", when Derek Watts will interview "Mad Mike and Mark" from Animal Planet. The crew spent the night at Galago and Vuyatela during the interview.
Until next month, hold thumbs for some more rain.
The Galago Team

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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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