28 Jan 2019

Mababe Zokotshama Community Trust has resumed their campsite operations after being issued with an operating license.

The trust chairperson, Ms Itumeleng Mogodu said in an interview that the operations, which started in the fall of last year, continued after a successful assessment of their campsites by the Department of Environmental Affairs in conjunction with the Department of Tourism in 2017.

She said their operating license was issued with the help of SAVE Wildlife Conservation Organisation which assisted with the renovation of the campsite to allow them to pass the assessment.

Ms Mogodu praised the organisation for injecting capital towards the resuscitation of their campsite, emphasising that the trust was on the red as it was not able to finance operations as well as the renovation of the campsites.

She said the revamp of their three camps costed more than P3.5 million.

After the trust was given their licence, Ms Mogodu said it was difficult for them to operate as they had no finances to employ staff. It was SAVE Wildlife which volunteered to help hire and pay staff of all the three camps until the trust was on its feet again, she explained.

Ms Mogodu was also happy that the organisation assisted the trust with groceries for their staff in all the three camps with each camp getting groceries worth P2 000 on a monthly basis.

She said the trust made its income through campsites as well as their Mogotlho Lodge rentals. Ms Mogodu further said they were waiting for a management plan from BTO for them to apply for a lease that would allow them to use their concession to generate income.For her part, the director of SAVE Wildlife Conservation Organisation, Ms Wabotlhe Letubo said their main focus was to take the Mababe community out of poverty through the natural resources available within the area.

She said youth in Mababe were not willing to leave their village to look for greener pastures and that it was necessary to create employment for them within Mababe. Ends