Madiba Magic!

June 2001

Report on Djuma Game Reserve’s Community Development Projects

Much has happened so far this year, but Mr Mandela's visit to Utha - the local community - to officially open the Nwa Tumberi Creche must surely be the most auspicious and exciting item. Nwa Tumberi Crèche, which Djuma Game Reserve started three years ago, is entirely operated with funds from Djuma and our generous guests. Djuma Game Reserve with its partner, Buffelshoek, was able to convince Mr Mandela to pay our village a visit. The main aim of the exercise was to raise as much money as possible for education in the villages. To that end we established the Buffelshoek Trust - trustees from the community, Buffelshoek and Djuma - and approached the corporate world for donations. Mr Sidney Frankel, of Buffelshoek, was able to convince seven companies to donate a total of R1.6 million! These companies are Societe Generale, Nedcor, SASOL, SICPA, PICTETT, DIDATA and ATS Germany.

Mr Mandela came to visit on the 13th of June and even though he was with us for only an hour, his presence was magic! He has a presence, which defies description, both regal and dignified as well as extremely approachable. The village went ecstatic and still talk about the event as if it was yesterday! The donors came from all over, including a Societe Generale representative from Paris, to meet the man.

We have set up a working committee with the community members and Djuma Game Reserve. Djuma will administer the funds and I am the chairman of this committee. The scope of the Buffelshoek Trust is to help with educational needs in the two communities adjacent to Djuma Game Reserve. Last week we approved our first set of projects:

Shiviti Primary School in Utha will receive a R100 000.00 administration / library / resource centre building, R40 000.00 for renovation of the existing class rooms (excluding the two new classrooms that Djuma and the Phunanani Trust built earlier this year), and R30 000.00 for school desks and chairs

Manyangana High School in Utha will also receive a R100 000.00 administration / library / resource centre building, R17 000.00 for school desks and chairs and R21 000.00 for a photocopier (given the lack of electricity in the village, this includes a power generator)

Hananani Primary School in Dixie will receive two classrooms at a cost of R80 000.00 as well as R10 000.00 for a fence around the school.

Nwa Tumberi Crèche has just won a R150 000.00 NDA grant (three years later!) and will use this to build three classrooms. Given that the government does not support creches' monthly overheads, the Buffelshoek Trust has made available R3 000.00 per month for the running of the crèche.

A crèche will be built in Dixie village; we have R200 000.00 available for that.

So the Madiba magic has worked again!

 

Jurie Moolman

Managing Director