Month: November 2018

Sports stars, businesspeople and professional golfers came together this past weekend at the King’s Ballroom in Sun City for the Gary Player Invitational presented by Coca-Cola gala dinner and auction. It was another unforgettable evening as the “Union of Golf and Giving” raised more than R 2 550 000.00 for The Player Foundation’s beneficiaries, WILDLANDS and Wings & Wishes.

WILDLANDS is a leading environmental NPO that believes that working with and investing in disadvantaged communities is one of the most powerful ways to spur sustainable economic growth and development. With the support of the Gary Player Invitational presented by Coca-Cola, WILDLANDS have enabled the livelihood support of thousands of underprivileged women in South Africa through their collection of waste and growing trees.

Wings & Wishes is dedicated to transporting critically and chronically ill children to the lifesaving specialist medical care that they need. Since inception Wings & Wishes have provided 14 665 transport opportunities for sick and underprivileged children. With the support of the Gary Player Invitational presented by Coca-Cola, it is now possible for one sick child to be assisted every day.

The charitable auction is the main fundraiser of the Gary Player Invitational presented by Coca-Cola, with the top bid of the evening fetching R250 000 which will see the auction winner off to Japan to enjoy the ultimate front-row Rugby World Cup Experience in 2019.

Other items included a VIP package to the Nedbank Golf Challenge hosted by Gary Player, FC Bayern Munich – Ultimate Fan Experience, The British Open and 2019 Berenberg Gary Player Invitational, The Gary Player Wildlife collection by world renowned photographer, David Yarrow, and a bespoke sculpture by artist, Donald Greig.

“The generosity of our guests is remarkable. The commitment and kindness shown to the charitable efforts of this tournament and The Player Foundation’s goal of raising $100 million is simply fantastic,” said Marc Player, CEO of Black Knight International.

The evening was made extra memorable with a performance by former Westlife member, Brian McFadden, who made a special stop at the Gary Player Invitational during his solo tour in South Africa.

The Gary Player Invitational presented by Coca-Cola is the final on the annual series of global Gary Player Invitational tournaments played in Abu Dhabi, London, New York and Shanghai all with the purpose of raising funds to bring hope, help and healing in those cities and countries.

Somkhanda Game Reserve covers over 12 000 hectares of land and is a community reserve owned by the Emvokweni Community Trust (ECT) and co-managed with WILDLANDS, a programme of the WILDTRUST. Since its establishment in 2005, it has achieved major milestones and has in the process earned its status of being a ‘Big Five’ reserve. Currently, over 80 community members are employed on a full-time basis and this number is set to increase with the new developments in the pipeline.

In an exciting new development for the reserve, the WILDTRUST, in partnership with the ECT, will be establishing the Somkhanda Community Conservation Centre with a vision of providing a vibrant learning, capacity building and ecotourism space that will underwrite the viability of the reserve for its future generations, ensuring the empowerment and upliftment of the Gumbi people. The WILDTRUST’s vision of a ‘Sustainable future for all’ will be realised as we move together with the community to the next level of this journey.

“Somkhanda is an example of what can be achieved in rural land reform and transformation in South Africa. The project is led by a visionary leadership who want to make a contribution to conservation and at the same time create wealth for their community. We are extremely fortunate and honoured to be associated with this success story and excited to see it develop over the next 10 years,” comments WILDLANDS Executive Director, Dr Roelie Kloppers.

“We are all excited and hopeful that these new developments will take us forward and bring a better life for our community and produce future managers for Somkhanda tourism.  We have no doubt that the WILDLANDS mentorship and management, as we have had it over the past 15 years, will yield positive results for our community,” comments Nathi Gumbi, Emvokweni Community Trust member.

“Following the recent signing of a new 10-year agreement with the ECT, we’re positive that all the important conservation work that has already been achieved on the reserve will continue, cementing it firmly as a signature WILDTRUST biodiversity economy project. This development will promote growth which will see the Gumbi community gain more access to the reserve as well as open more ecotourism and education opportunities,” added WILDLANDS Wildlife Economy Deputy Director, Dave Moldenhauer.

Somkhanda will continue to offer practical and theoretical learning, across a wide range of conservation management and ecological research modules. It will host group tours for academic field trips and youth development as well as volunteer and internship opportunities through an academically stimulating programme that is insightful and dynamic.

This will be led by the WILDTRUST Learning and Development programme to further shape Somkhanda into a sustainable development space. “Through the various training modules we will provide, we will seek to address a shift in values, thinking and knowledge that is crucial in making the changes sustainable in the long term. We believe that this will provide Somkhanda the capacity it requires to lead them into a sustainable future,” said Manqoba Sabela, WILDTRUST Deputy Director – Training.

The WILDTRUST and Emvokweni Community Trust invite you to keep a close watch on this exciting journey – to find out how you can support conservation activities at the reserve, and access volunteer opportunities or available accommodation please email info@wildtrust.co.za or Bookings@wildtrust.co.za