Reed frogs strike up a dainty symphony of tiny bells. A cool breath rising off the water caresses warm skin.  Soon fire flies will appear weaving their visual magic with a choreography of lights.

The Okavango Delta on a warm summer’s night is an unlikely setting for a murder story. But death is in the air. It comes from afar, and is executed by people who think that what they’re doing is good.

“They kill all of us in Botswana,” Keeditse Bailang says on the subject of a call to boycott tourism to the country. Supported by charitable souls who think they’re protecting the rights of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) Bushmen this campaign will do the exact opposite.   If successful, it will condemn many thousands of Botswana’s people to lives of poverty.

Read the rest of this entry »

A miracle is happening in the settlement of Groenfontein, in the southern Cape of South Africa.  Set against the backdrop of the forbidding Swartberg range, the courage of this small community is literally, and figuratively, climbing mountains.

Eleven years ago the Calitz family arrived with the intention of raising their young family in rural freshness. They soon realised that the reality of life for the people of the valley was completely out of synch with this dream. “Maid, Spade or Fade,” is how Erika Calitz describes the opportunities available for locals. Combined with the emotional legacy of apartheid, these limitations rendered feelings of futility and inadequacy among the inhabitants. As a result dysfunctional behaviour flourished.

It all began with a boy named Alfonso.

Read the rest of this entry »

The concept of Peace Parks (a.k.a Transfrontier Parks) is inspirational and visionary. They illustrate how the environment transcends all human differences, and that its preservation is now a matter of survival for all humankind.

History makes South Africa a fitting country to start the Peace Park ball rolling and it is appropriate that the first one was established between Botswana and South Africa (the Kgaligadi Transfrontier Park). Botswana, an African country, is a symbol of stability and tolerance in the world.

As sports fans know South Africa has been awarded the privilege of hosting the 2010 Soccer World Cup, and it was with this event looming that a recent high-powered conference was held in Johannesburg. With a few exceptions all the Ministers of Tourism from the SADC countries were present, and individuals in the top echelons of their fields made presentations.

What really struck me from the two-day event was the pervasive sentiment from the South African team that 2010 is not only a win for South Africa, but also for all SADC countries. Most importantly, South Africa wants to share this opportunity to showcase the wonderful tourism attractions that all its nearest neighbours offer. There is nothing self-centred about this rationale. On the contrary, it communicates the principles of Ubuntu very well. Ubuntu is a southern African ethic focussing on human relations. It advocates openness and affirmation of others and provides an enabling environment for those around you.

Peace Parks are the brainchild of the late Dr Anton Rupert and now his son, Johann Rupert, is promoting these exciting ventures. All in all, Peace Parks is a truly African initiative and one that sets an example to the World.