Author: WILDTRUST

The WILDSERIES Golden Gate Challenge which takes place at the Golden Gate Highlands National Park (GGHNP) in the Free State, will once again welcome runners from all parts of the country from the 21st to the 24^th of October 2021, to celebrate the 10^th anniversary of this unique event. This 3-day staged event explores some of the country’s most beautiful mountain landscape; traversing restricted areas of the park which are rarely open to the public. This year’s event also features a 2-day stage run, the Dino Run (10km) and the 17km Rock run so everyone can experience the majestic trails of the park.

The official volunteer organisation of South African National Parks, the SANParks Honorary Rangers (SHR) have assisted the WILDSERIES Golden Gate Challenge since 2011 with marshalling, water tables and logistics. Working hand-in-hand with the event organiser Wildlands Conservation Trust (WILDTRUST), the SHR have raised more than R 1 000 000 from the proceeds of the annual trail running event, contributing significantly to the maintenance, infrastructure improvements and vulture conservation in the park. The WILDSERIES Golden Gate Challenge is thus a significant source of income for conservation projects in the Golden Gate Highlands National Park, and SANParks as a whole.

Celebrating this 10^th year of the collaboration between WILDLANDS, a programme of the WILDTRUST, and the SHR will be raising funds for a new opportunity to support the revival of eco-tourism in the former QwaQwa National Park (QNP) as a way of expanding the reach and support needed by the local communities through the collective effort of the trail running community and these conservation entities.

Established as a National Park in 1992, the QwaQwa National Park is the historical home of the Bakoena and the Batlokoa people. The name QwaQwa is San and means “Whiter than White” due to the frequent snow on the Drakensberg mountains. The QwaQwa area of the GGHNP has a unique cultural heritage and history, which includes San rock art, traditional sacred sites and graves, historical war and battle sites. Altogether, GGHNP has 65 recorded cultural heritage sites, and is the only national park that specifically promotes the rich Basotho culture.

Biodiversity in the remote QwaQwa section of the park is rich, and SANParks is providing services to ensure clearance of alien invasive species, rehabilitation of wetlands, erosion control, fire management and law enforcement throughout the park, but the infrastructure for eco-tourism opportunities in the QwaQwa section have fallen into disrepair.

SANParks is developing a cultural heritage management plan to assist with its revival, and SHR have committed to assist.  The Welgedacht precinct – an area around the old Welgedacht Farm House in the QwaQwa section – has been rezoned for Low Intensity Leisure purposes, and the plans include a proposed camp site, trails, picnic sites and 4×4 routes. This would allow for self-drive game viewing in the “little Serengeti” area, as well as hiking, cycling and horse trails, star gazing, visiting rock paintings and learning about medicinal plants.

“SANParks Honorary Rangers of KZN Region are committed to help revive the eco-tourism activities in the QwaQwa section of GGHNP. The proceeds from this years’ Golden Gate Challenge will contribute to this revival for the benefit of visitors wanting a unique Wilderness Experience in the stunning but remote part of the Park, and the local residents who call QwaQwa home,” comments Lene Hansen, chairperson of the SHR KZN Region.

The trail running community and nature lovers are called to enter the 10^th edition of the WILDSERIES Golden Gate Challenge to contribute towards these plans to conserve and nurture the biodiversity and conservation of the QwaQwa section of the Golden Gate National Park. Entries are open and will remain open until the limit of 250 runners is reached. The event will be catered, and the local Phoka Coffee Shop will be serving hot drinks and cakes inspired by Basotho culture and heritage. All required protocols to prevent the spread of Covid-19 at the event are in place, and the public are encouraged to get vaccinated to build the required immunity to allow such events as the Golden Gate Challenge to make the significant contribution to nature conservation that they are built for.

South Africa celebrated national Heritage Day on the 24^th of September 2021. Enter today by visiting https://wildtrust.co.za/wildseries/golden-gate-2/ or email events@wildlands.co.za

For more information visit https://wildtrust.co.za/wildseries/

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World Rhino Day is celebrated annually on the 22^nd of September as a way for cause related organisations to highlight the plight and celebrate the gains made by specific Non-Profit Organisations in the protection and conservation of this iconic species.

WILDLANDS, a programme of the WILDTRUST celebrates this auspicious day and has much to account in terms of the successes of the work achieved over the years. Somkhanda Community Game Reserve, owned by Emvokweni Community Trust (Gumbi community in Northern KwaZulu-Natal) is a unique success story of a community owned reserve with black and white rhino populations.

In 2019, Somkhanda became the first Community owned reserve to contribute to the WWF Black Rhino Range Expansion Project (BRREP) which saw 17 black rhino from South Africa being successfully translocated to Liwonde National Park in Malawi. In this historic move, two of the Somkhanda born female black rhinos were contributing to the black rhino populations in Malawi. This was a huge achievement for the Gumbi community and the Emvokweni Community Trust as this realized their vision of devoting their land for conservation. Nathi Gumbi comments, “When the trust decided to dedicate Somkhanda to conservation, we never imagined that we would be contributing towards the expansion of the critically endangered black rhino. We are proud pioneers, and we believe that this will add to our already rich history and heritage.”

In 2020, again Somkhanda made a historical move that saw two orphaned rhinos, Makhosi and Mpilo being re-wilded from a rhino orphanage back to Somkhanda. This was a truly heart-warming, full-circle, story as Mpilo’s mother had been poached and killed for her horn at Somkhanda when Mpilo was just a few months old. Makhosi on the other hand was orphaned through the severe droughts in KwaZulu-Natal in 2016. Mpilo and Makhosi met and bonded at the rhino orphanage and when they came of age, WILDLANDS, together with the Zululand Conservation Trust, Aspinall Foundation, Conservation Solutions, Wildlife ACT and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife collaborated on successfully translocation these two white rhinos back to their natural habitat, giving them an opportunity at a ‘WILD’ life.

Since Makhosi and Mpilo’s release, a film has been created about their re-wilding called COMING HOME. This film was released at the International Wildlife Film Festival (IWFF), held virtually due to Covid-19 in May 2021 where it was viewed in over 18 countries and winning the Audience Award (as the most watched film at the festival) While the film hasn’t been released for public consumption, it has been selected for a number of prestigious conservation film festivals such as the Flickers Rhode Island Film Festival (USA), Golden Movie Awards (USA), Conservation Film Festival (New York) and the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival (New York) Through this film, a California based production company, Andrew Malcolm Films, aims to show the challenges and the success stories of like-minded organisations who are on the frontlines, fighting to conserve and protect Africa’s natural heritage and endangered wildlife species. Soon Mpilo and Makhosi will be celebrating one year back in the WILD.

Watch trailer here: https://vimeo.com/529073902/100ec6fa64

“Saving rhino from extinction is a rallying call to our partners, donors and the communities where we work. We are extremely fortunate to work on the frontlines of rhino conservation and to be able to contribute directly to range expansion and species survival across various reserves and community areas. Our success on this front gives us the belief that we can address wider environmental collapse and the destruction of our rich biodiversity. There is still so much to do, but we draw strength from every ranger working tirelessly in the field, every facilitator raising awareness in their communities and every donor, partner and supporter who contribute to our work. We are incredibly grateful and will not allow greed, wantless destruction and rampant corruption overcome the hard work of many dedicated people working to conserve our rhino and the beautiful places they inhabit.” WILDTRUST CEO, Dr Roelie Kloppers.

We call upon all our supporters to celebrate these successes and continue to help us contribute towards rhino conservation for a ‘thriving and resilient world.’ Support our rangers who are on the frontlines of protecting our wildlife by making a donation to the Wildlife Ranger Challenge https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/somkhanda-game-reserve-wildlands-2021 This link closes on the 30^th September.

Dr Ian Player said, “”We will lose something deep within ourselves if we allow wilderness to be destroyed.”

Happy World Rhino Day.

This year, Somkhanda Community Game Reserve rangers once again joined more 124 ranger teams across Africa in the 2021 Wildlife Ranger Challenge, which was launched in July ahead of World Ranger Day on the 31^st.  The multi-million-dollar fundraising initiative culminated this weekend on the 18^th of September in a 21km run – in full ranger uniform – across the varied and challenging terrain of Africa’s Protected Areas.

View the campaign video: https://www.facebook.com/SomkhandaCommunityGameReserve/videos/580097226675171

This event has had a build-up of activities done by the rangers and their supporters which included push-ups, sit-ups and wildlife quizzes. Through this campaign, TUSK together with Natural State in collaboration with leading Ranger Associations and an independent Steering Committee, hope to raise funds to support thousands of the men and women on the frontline of Africa’s protected areas, safeguarding the continent’s iconic wildlife for years to come.

Before embarking on their run in the afternoon, the Somkhanda team first had a full day rhino dehorning operations.  This was symbolic of the type of pressures our rangers are up against on a regular basis. Poaching incidents were recorded as being on the increase since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, and for this reason, TUSK together with its partners started the Wildlife Ranger Challenge – to assist in raising funds and awareness to keep our rangers employed and sustain their livelihoods, while they protect our wildlife.

Our team was made up of 5 rangers, Sibusiso Mathe, Robert and Sanele Mabaso, Vincent Gumbi as well as Pierre Barau running with his dog Vodka, one of the dogs from the PAMCo K-9 unit. These rangers support part of Somkhanda’s Specialised Anti-poaching unit who face challenges on their day-to-day work on the reserve. “Running the 21km Wildlife Ranger Challenge was exciting as I felt like I was making an added contribution to my daily duties. The fitness exercises leading up to the challenge made me feel like I was prepared and ready to take on other teams taking part across Africa. I was very happy to represent my community and reserve,” comments Sibusiso Mathe, ranger at Somkhanda.

The Somkhanda team finished their 21km race in a time of 03:02:21 which was an incredible effort considering they had been tracking, darting, dehorning and collaring rhino all day. The team showed the same grit, strength, and determination as they do in their daily duties, and their efforts have not gone unnoticed.

WILDTRUST CEO, Dr Roelie Kloppers comments, “The protection of our collective heritage and biodiversity lies in the bravery and determination of our rangers. These men and women are also fathers, mothers, community leaders and the inspiration of the youth from their communities. The WILDTRUST salutes them and we are grateful to TUSK for once again including our Somkhanda team in this fundraising initiative.”

Supporters of the Somkhanda Community Game Reserve can still show their support and donate to these efforts until 30 September 2021. Simply click here and make your contribution https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/somkhanda-game-reserve-wildlands-2021

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WILDLANDS, a programme for the WILDTRUST, together with the Karkloof Conservancy have brought the trail running community, the Three Cranes Challenge for over a decade, raising funds for the protection of the Cranes (Blue, Crowned and Wattled Crane) and its habitat in the Karkloof Valley. While Covid-19 halted the staging of this event in 2021, it is not all doom and gloom.

Through the conservation portion of the participant entry fees of the 2021 event, the WILDSERIES is proud to announce that R55 200 was raised for the Karkloof Conservancy and the work they do for the conservation of the biodiversity of the Karkloof area.

“The biodiversity of the Karkloof is rich and unique. Despite the event not going ahead, we are happy to still be able to contribute towards the conservation of the Mist belt grasslands and other threatened habitats of the Karkloof Nature Reserve. We look forward to staging the Three Cranes Challenge in 2022,” comments WILDTRUST CEO, Dr Roelie Kloppers.

Jacquie Van Der Westhuizen, Vice Chairlady of the Karkloof Conservancy added, “We are proud and privileged to have WILDLANDS as partners for the Three Cranes Challenge. Their commitment to the environment, the Three Cranes event and the biodiversity of the Karkloof, in particular, is truly commendable.  We look forward to hosting a very successful 2022 Three Cranes Challenge in March, which will enable us to continue our work in conserving the Three Cranes. ”

The WILDSERIES team is also excited to announce the date for the 2022 event which will be the 17^th – 20^th March 2022. The event format will remain as a 3-day stage event with a shorter course offered for those who wish to ‘sample’ this world class event. Please look out for the announcement of the opening date for entries soon.

For more information, please email Ngcebok@wildtrust.co.za or visit https://wildtrust.co.za/wildseries/

What’s on:

The Golden Gate Challenge is taking place on 21 – 20 October and entries are still open. To enter please click here http://gg.entrysys.co.za/

Event Format:

3 Day stage event – 29km, 27km and 17km

One Day runs – 10km (R200) and 17km (R300)

Price: R3 400 (R2 800 + R600 Conservation fee)

WILDTRUST through their Blue Port project has entered a “plastic neutral” partnership with Teqal, a quality manufacturer of rigid plastic packaging servicing the Cosmetic, Personal Care and Industrial markets. In an effort to be 100% plastic waste neutral, for every kilogram of plastic Teqal converts into packaging, an equal amount of post-consumer plastic waste (PCPW) is collected from the environment and recycled.

The Blue Port Project is an initiative of WILDOCEANS (a programme of the WILDTRUST), with the aim of creating action-based research and the implementation of strategic interventions to reduce plastic waste in the Durban Port and ultimately restore the Durban Bay to its natural functioning state.

Teqal is a plastic manufacturer based in highly successful Dube Tradeport SEZ in KZN. Thanks to funding received from the incredibly supportive Industrial Development Corporation, Teqal are going through a very high growth. They are already active in using recycled content in their products that are also biodegradable. As a company they are trying to find ways to reduce their environmental footprint – and striving to be plastic neutral is certainly a big stride in that direction.  Until the partnership with WILDTRUST, this goal was not going to be easy to achieve.

Rachel Kramer, Blue Port Project Manager said: “This agreement gives WILDOCEANS an opportunity to have sustainable finance streams which allows progression within these projects by increasing the teams’ operations in the port and continuing long term research and exploring different opportunities. The Blue Port Project is a good case study that illustrates how Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) partnerships can work. This is a good pilot project to see whether it can be upscaled to different projects and to expand within this project as well,” said Kramer.

WILDTRUST CEO Dr Roelie Kloppers expressed his excitement about the partnership saying that this is an interesting spin on tackling plastic pollution. “Quite often when we talk about recycling, the responsibility always seems to be on the consumer where there is very little responsibility on the producer. So, it’s good to see that producers are taking accountability and investing in projects like this that make the impact on the environment more neutral.”

Director of Teqal, Sean Kirkham said: “The consumer is becoming more educated about the problems linked to plastic pollution and are beginning to push brands to push suppliers to be more environmentally conscious. We are now leading the pack in driving the message of being waste neutral. Government has also played a part in putting legislation in place that lets producers and retail companies know that they are also responsible for the plastic waste that they sell.”

“Plastic is highly recyclable and highly reusable. If we can get to a point where we make sure that the plastic is reused and recycled, we can continue to get the benefits of the solution it provides in packaging – but do it in a way that is sustainable. As a converter of plastic, it is important that we contribute to this initiative,” said Renee Kirkham, CFO of Teqal.

“I wish more people would tap into organisations like the WILDTRUST and do more to help the environment,” said Kirkham. “I would urge everyone – recyclers, converters, retailers and consumers to really look carefully at what it is they’re doing and make sure that their contributions to this sustainable environmental initiative is channelled into areas and organisations like the WILDTRUST.”

Sunday, 1 August marked the first annual MPA Day celebration with a series of well-coordinated events reaching more than a million people across the globe. Organised by an alliance of ocean-conservation partners, MPA Day highlighted the value of these unique areas, not only to the ecosystem, but to the surrounding communities as well.

“Leading the MPA Day Alliance has been the most rewarding thing that I have done for many years,” said Dr Judy Mann, Conservation Strategist at SAAMBR (South African Association for Marine Biological Research). “Our weekly meetings were filled with lively discussions and great ideas that were translated into actions through our incredible team. Despite working without a budget, everyone was committed to achieving the goal of raising South Africans awareness of MPAs. Through these activities, we exceeded my greatest hopes for the day – and 2021 was just the start! I’d like to extend an enormous heartfelt ‘thank-you’ to the team.”

What’s the role of MPAs?

South Africa has 41 MPAs which make up only 5.4% of the ocean and coast around our beautiful country. In the same way that nature and game reserves protect the terrestrial plants and animals, MPAs serve to protect the ocean’s inhabitants, several which are threatened with extinction. MPAs play a significant role in the protection of spawning and nursery areas that allow for resource recovery to counteract rampant overfishing. They provide safe havens for marine life to thrive, maturing into adulthood.

The result of well-managed MPAs is valuable support for adjacent fisheries and assistance in job creation; the facilitation of healthy marine animals; improved ecological resilience to climate change; and the provision of vital information that contributes towards research.

However, this can only be achieved if there’s more awareness about MPAs and the vital role they play. To accomplish this, the MPA Alliance – including SAAMBR, Two Oceans Aquarium, Flow Communications, Olivia Jones Communications, Dyer Island Conservation Trust and WILDOCEANS (a programme of the WILDTRUST) – established MPA Day which consisted of a series of enlightening events.

What happened on MPA Day?

Around 200 people tuned into the MPA Day webinar, with live crossings to four of South Africa’s MPAs. Conservationists discussed the MPA ecosystems, as well as the historical and traditional significance of the areas. Several of the MPAs – including Aliwal Shoal on the KZN South Coast – also hosted various events and activities for local visitors, both new and returning.

uShaka Marine World in Durban and Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town put on some magnificent displays, clothing company AQTIVwear sponsored a clean-up of Mouille Point in the Table Mountain MPA and schools were not forgotten with great interactive lessons with Sodwana Bay Primary pupils. The MPA Day was brought to a close with an interactive Twitter chat (@MPAsSA1) hosted by members of the MPA Day Alliance, with the generous support from a number of important influencers. Using this platform, they discussed MPAs and answered fun questions about the significance of these important ocean ‘game reserves’.

The MPA Day fun continues

To capture the moment, a photography competition is running with the submission deadline extended to 31 August 2021, and the winners will be announced on 24 September, 2021. The competition is open to photographers of all ages and skill levels looking to showcase their talent and win some amazing prizes, including entrance tickets to various attractions, specialist tours, cruises, books and an A1 acrylic print from ORMS. Photographs can be taken in any of the South African MPAs and be submitted in three categories (three photos permitted per category):

1. Scenery: Photos of sunrises, sunsets or other scenic shots, above or below the water.

2. Creatures: Photos of marine and estuary wildlife, big or small, above or below the water.

3. Activities: Photos of friends and family enjoying activities in MPAs such as hiking, surfing, diving and snorkelling (permission must be granted).

Submit entries by clicking on: https://bit.ly/37uOQwe

The Youth4MPAs – in partnership with WILDOCEANS, supported by World Surf League PURE, The Pew Charitable Trusts and Oceans 5 – are bringing together African youth from all walks of life to engage with global marine experts in the first-ever virtual African Youth Summit on 19 and 20 August. The summit seeks to mobilise African youth by encouraging them to take ownership of the global 30×30 MPA target with an African perspective. Register now at www.africanyouthsummit.com.

“MPA Day was really just a way to kickstart an ongoing awareness drive that fosters a lifelong appreciation for our oceans,” said Helen Lockhart, Communications & Sustainability Manager at Two Oceans Aquarium. “The reality is, without our contribution towards ocean conservation, the majority of marine life faces an uncertain future. And without a healthy marine ecosystem, we too face an uncertain future. MPA Day comes at a critical time for future generations and we look forward to more proactive engagements like this!”

And the discussions will continue on social media. Simply follow MPA Day on Facebook: MPASouthAfrica, Twitter: @MPAsSA1 and Instagram: @marineprotectedareassa.

For more information about South Africa’s MPAs, visit https://www.marineprotectedareas.org.za/

WILDLANDS, a programme of the WILDTRUST announced, 6 months ago, that they had secured a Rapid Action Grant through the IUCN Save Our Species African Wildlife initiative, co-funded by the European Union (EU) EU website. Through this funding, the reserve was set off on a journey to rapidly transform the technology used by the game rangers, boosting the protection of this protected area and its species.

Through this funding, the anti-poaching unit on Somkhanda have been upskilled and trained to use the Vulcan EarthRanger system for their monitoring and patrolling duties. This smart new technology integrates and displays all historical, real-time data, spatial information, and other threats available from the protected area, on a handheld GPS-enabled mobile device. The EarthRanger system empowers the reserve managers and rangers to take immediate, proactive actions to prevent and mitigate threat incidents.

Since this system introduction, the reserve’s security has been rapidly improved, with no black- or white rhino poached in this period. 10 members of the Anti-Poaching Unit have been routinely monitoring black and white rhino, wild dog and lion during patrols and have recorded 100% of data using Earthranger technology.

Meiring Prinsloo, Somkhanda’s Reserve Manager commented, “The support from the IUCN Save our Species African Wildlife initiative has been critical in ensuring reserve integrity and the continued payment of the salaries for the Anti-Poaching Unit. This support has had a very positive spin off as it directly supports over 300 community members from the local community. The new technology has made a huge difference in the unit’s monitoring ability, especially of the black rhino.”

As the world continues to suffer the negative impacts of Covid-19 and decreased international tourism activity, Somkhanda Game Reserve has reported no job losses for anti-poaching personnel. The number of key positions were maintained throughout the reporting period and 100% of patrols are recorded using Earthranger technology, informing 100% of responsive actions. As a result of the grant funding for the introduction of the Vulcan System, poaching incursions decrease by 50% from 20 per month to 10 per month. All the individuals of the listed target species have been observed and recorded on a regular basis and observations have been recorded successfully on the newly introduced Earthranger platform.

After nearly three years of operating on Somkhanda Community Game Reserve, Wild Connection, an adventure tourism operator, will hand over tourism operations to the local community. During their time at Somkhanda, Wild Connection did an incredible job of building the reserve into a premier community-based tourism destination, and in training and capacitating local tourism and hospitality staff. Their departure is testimony to the amazing work done in skills transfer and the empowerment of local business. Wild Connection will cease operations on reserve on the 31^st of July 2021 and move to a new destination. We wish them all the best and thank them for the amazing work done on Somkhanda.

In preparation for the community to take over tourism operations, all facilities will be closed during August 2021. Please keep an eye on our socials for news on the newly established Somkhanda Tourism and Hospitality Pty (Ltd) that will re-launch in August with some exciting news and specials. The local Gumbi community is extremely excited to play a larger role in managing tourism on the reserve and look forward to hosting you in our unique community-owned Big 5 Game Reserve. We are extremely grateful for the continued support from our NGO partners who believe in our vision and continue to support conservation and community development.

“This is truly the fulfilment of a shared vision, to see the community not just passively benefitting from the biodiversity economy but taking the lead and actively managing their resources for the greater benefit of society. We hope the Gumbi people will inspire many more communities across the country to follow their example,” says Dr Roelie Kloppers, WILDTRUST CEO.

The Comrades Marathon Centenary Hope Challenge virtual event took place on the 13^th of June 2021 following the cancellation of the road race due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Bearing the campaign theme of Ithemba or Hope, thousands of runners from across the globe took to the streets in the hope to run for more than themselves and support the CMA Amabeadibeadi charities. The WILDTRUST, was once again part of the six charities that benefit from this event, raising funds for its community and conservation projects across South Africa.

The WILDTRUST set a target to raise R1 million for its various projects which include restoration, climate change mitigation, conservation, youth empowerment and community upliftment through training and development. While the target seemed ambitious, especially considering the event was hosted virtually, the Trust is excited to announce that through over 300 individual donations from event entries and our WILDTRUST Race4Charity runners, a total of over R400 000 was raised for our work.

The WILDTRUST wishes to shine a spotlight on Grant Cummings who single-handedly raised a whopping R367 469 through his extensive network of supporters. Grant is a seasoned Green Number Comrades runner who has completed both the up and down runs with silver medals. Grant has a deep passion for fundraising and has raised over R1 million for various causes over the years which he humbly attributes to his extremely supportive wife and generous friends, family, and business networks.

“I had set out to raise R430 850, which also happens to be my Green Number (43085) plus a zero. This target seemed insurmountable, but I am truly grateful to my sponsors and supporters, for helping me raise more during this campaign then during any other campaign in which I’ve been involved. None of this achievement would have been possible without them and my number one supporter, my wife, Tenley Cummings. We are already planning for 2022, and we hope that the pandemic will not prevent us from making the journey from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, again. Huge thanks to WILDTRUST for all that they do for our communities, as well as the conservation of our lands and seas,” comments Grant Cummings.

“We are very grateful to Grant for choosing the WILDTRUST. This is the first time we have ever had one individual raise over 90% of the funds on his own,” said Buyi Makhoba-Dlamini of WILDLANDS.  “In these very uncertain financial times, we would like to thank Grant from the bottom of our hearts for truly inspiring a sense of hope for our projects. Grant upheld the Comrades theme of Ithemba – Hope. We would like to thank all his supporters as well as all the other individuals who have helped us reach almost 50% of our set target. You are all our Comrades heroes,” said Makhoba-Dlamini.

While we are all sitting on edge wondering what the future holds for mass participation events, we remain hopeful that the world will once again be a safe place for people to run the Ultimate Human Race.

“We would like to thank the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) for allowing us to be part of the Amabeadibeadi charities. The funds received through this year’s virtual event will support all our work across our WILDLANDS and WILDOCEANS programmes. We look ahead with great expectation that the tide on the current situation changes for the better,” concludes WILDTRUST CEO, Dr Roelie Kloppers.

This year’s STIHL iMfolozi MTB Challenge marked its 17^th cycle ride after a one-year sabbatical due to Covid-19 pandemic. Although staged under very strict Covid-19 protocols, the WILDTRUST was honoured and excited to host over 300 riders at the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, on the 26^th of June 2021.

Instrumental to the staging of this ride in the wild was headline sponsor STIHL as well as Sanlam, KZN Ezemvelo Wildlife and Impi Concept Events as they collaborated to raise funds for rhino conservation and combating wildlife crime at the reserve.

Over R200 000 was raised for the conservation efforts within the reserve and a special mention goes to the group of 10 riders who came together under the banner of Ride 4 Rangers. This group was spearheaded by WILDTRUST Trustee, Peter Bode, Financial Director of National Edging. Further to these contributions, we are truly grateful to all the riders who donated their meal tickets towards supporting KZN Ezemvelo Wildlife’s orphaned rhino programme. These funds will be used to buy the much-needed feed to sustain the rhino orphans under their care.

“The WILDTRUST is incredibly grateful to everyone who participated in this year’s event and everyone who made additional donations towards safeguarding our environment and protecting the wildlife that cannot protect itself,” comments WILDTRUST CEO, Dr Roelie Kloppers.

“A huge thank you to our long-time supporters STIHL, and Sanlam for their incredible support and financial contribution that made this event possible turning it into the success that it was. We are also grateful to KZN Ezemvelo for opening the park to allow our participants to take time off to reconnect with nature. Finally, we would also like to thank our brave riders for their unwavering support during this time and we look forward to hosting you again next year, under more relaxed social conditions,” concluded Stuart Berry, race organiser and director of Impi Concept Events.