Social responsibility at Thanda

Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM)

Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) is about people coming together to protect their land, water, animals and plants, so that they can use these natural resources to improve the lives of future generations. It is a tool to enable every willing member of the community to play a part in improving the quality of people’s lives – economically, culturally and spiritually.

Across the country, mostly in the rural areas, there are many people who are harvesting the wild plants and animals and, in the process, are finding ways to preserve nature for the benefit of future generations. How they go about doing this has great influence on species protection, stable governance, improved quality of lives, reduced levels of poverty and the conservation of biodiversity.

Thanda is part of this community and views itself as a private enterprise partner that believes in this philosophy and is willing and committed to embrace the principles of CBNRM and to participate wherever possible in the economic and social upliftment and development of neighbouring communities.

Thanda, with its luxury accommodation, world-class service excellence and private game reserve home to natural wildlife species including the Big Five, contrasts enormously with the challenges of rural communities who live nearby.

From the onset of the development of Thanda, no one has appreciated more the contrast between the R200-million private lodge and game reserve development and its nearby rural community neighbours more than the owners, Dan and Christin Olofsson as well as Thanda’s Managing Director, Pierre Delvaux. Pierre who is South African and locally based, is no stranger to Zululand and its rural communities.

A partner in a local accounting and management consulting firm for the past 15 years, Pierre has consulted for many local and international rural development and funding organisations involved in community development and upliftment programmes in Zululand.

Dan and Christin Olofsson of Malmo, Sweden, believe that the participation and involvement of nearby rural communities is essential to foster enduring relationships with Thanda’s neighbours.

Within 25-kilometres of Thanda lie some of the most impoverished rural communities in South Africa, exacerbated by high levels of unemployment and coupled with illnesses such as the deadly AIDS virus. Some of the highest HIV/AIDS infection rates in South Africa occur in the Hlabisa and Ubombo magisterial districts, both of which are in close proximity to Thanda.

Thanda believes that a longstanding relationship with the community is built and sustained on trust and active engagement through effective communication. Apart from creating new employment for some 143 staff members who reside on the property, Thanda has employed and trained some 58 local men and women as performing dancers at Vula Zulu. These dancers live at home in the surrounding communities and come to work each day where they work in the Vula Zulu theatrical showcase and Zulu Cultural Centre. By living at home minimal disruption occurs to their social lives and they are able to continue providing for their families on a daily basis. A further 26 local community residents are employed on contract labour with an additional 20 members working for an outsourced contractor involved in alien weed eradication and bush thinning. This means that 247 new jobs have been created by Thanda that feed close on 1800 people.

Thanda supports the government’s guidelines on broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) and has adopted a procurement policy where preference is given to small back entrepreneurs. In addition, Thanda has a democratically elected staff forum that represents all staff concerning welfare and workplace matters. Thanda has also embarked on an employment equity programme that seeks to create opportunities for black staff to grow into management positions through a mentorship and empowerment process. Thanda has a black HOD (Head of Department) as well as five managers.

The most significant contribution being made by Thanda however is through the Thanda Foundation and the JAC Initiative. JAC stands for Jobs, Aids and Conservation.

Thanda Foundation

The Thanda Foundation was established in order to focus attention on the socio-economic and developmental needs of the three neighbouring Tribal Authority Communities affected by Thanda. This foundation acts as a conduit for the raising of funds for such programmes and projects as well as for conservation research initiatives.

The immediate beneficiaries of the foundation include the Ngwenya Tribal Authority under the late Chief Myeni, the Mandlakazi Tribal Authority under Chief Zulu and the Mdletshe Tribal Authority under Chief Mdletshe. Through the Thanda Foundation, Thanda is able to fundraise in conjunction with various institutions including government organisations, as well as from the local and international private sector in order to contribute resources to assist its neighbours with upliftment projects and programmes.

A Community Liaison Committee called the Thanda Community Forum has also been established that has representation from all three communities. This enables Thanda to use the committee as a conduit for effective communication on matters that concern the reserve and local rural communities. This relates mainly to procurement issues and employment as well as security issues and matters of mutual interest.

The focus of the foundation is also on seeking worthwhile community projects that could be funded and that will have a positive and meaningful impact on the local area. Numerous projects have already been funded and several are in the process of being rolled out.

Over the past three years, numerous projects within the community have been funded. These projects range from catering facilities at the Tribal Authority, children’s creche equipment, computer installations at schools, sponsorships of a school choir to tour Sweden, sponsorship of a group of Zulu dancers to tour Sweden as well as the sponsorship of a youth soccer team to compete at the World Youth Soccer Games in Gothenburg in Sweden.

In January 2006 the Foundation, in partnership with Thanda Private Game Reserve, launched a conservation research programme. The programme involves the monitoring of elephant, cheetah, lion, leopard and wild dog. The research programme involves the University of Natal and the Wildlands Conservation Trust as well as other conservation and wildlife agencies in research projects on both Thanda and the neighbouring community game reserve area. Thanda’s partnership with neighbouring communities has been strengthened by the raising of funds that seek to involve such communities in education programmes centred on biodiversity and community based natural resource management.

The Thanda Foundation also sponsored national projects such as the Nelson Mandela Statue erected at the Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton and the Hector Pieterson Memorial Statue erected at the Maponya Mall in Soweto. Both projects were undertaken in partnership with local black leaders as a joint token of goodwill between Sweden and South Africa.

Bartlow Community Trust – Mduna Royal Reserve Conservation Project

The second project embarked upon by the JAC Initiative is the community game reserve proposal known as the Bartlow Conservation Project or Mduna Royal Reserve. Adjacent to Thanda lies some 7500-ha of land which was previously the Nguni testing and breeding station, operated by the Department of Agriculture and Cedara Training College. Thanda has actively supported the Wildlands Conservation Trust, the Department of Agriculture, GTZ (German Development Agency) as well as the Ingonyama Trust Board and his Majesty King Goodwill kaBhekhuzulu in order to use this prime bushveld currently being used as a small-scale Nguni farming operation. The objective behind this collaboration is to develop a community game reserve to be used for game ranching which will also be an ecotourism destination. This potentially “blue chip” project offers the best opportunity to embrace the principles of Community Based Natural Resource Management as a partnership between private enterprise (Thanda), Government (Department of Agriculture), communities (Mdletshe and Zulu) as well as the Ingonyama Trust Board and His Majesty, King Goodwill kaBhekuzulu, national government organisations such as The Wildlands Conservation Trust and the German Development Agency (GTZ).

Thanda sponsored the compilation of a comprehensive business plan as well as an economic and financial modelling exercise in order to establish a sustainable working solution for a partnership between private enterprise Thanda, the community, Ingonyama Trust and His Majesty King of the Zulu Nation.

The culmination of nearly three years of negotiations has resulted in an agreement in principal to establish a community reserve of some 7500-ha adjacent to Thanda’s 7200-ha. The long term view is that a larger area of wilderness will be created by combining Thanda with the community game reserve to establish a reserve that would sustain a herd of about twenty endangered black rhino along with larger herds of Big Five as well as plains game.

Some R 5.6-million was raised from the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism for the fencing off of the community reserve, alien weed eradication as well the training of 16 local community members with internships for the tourism industry. For the last two years, Thanda has also sponsored two local community leaders who act as facilitators and communicators for the two local community participants. The hand over of the reserve to the community and, in turn the lease over all the land, by Thanda will occur during the first week of February 2008. The lease will be directly with the Ingonyama Trust who are the owners of the land although the community are a party to the agreement as they derive substantial benefits from the project. The annual rental for 6000-ha of land will be R 1.8-million per annum, most of which will accrue to the local communities.

Thanda has also undertaken either to raise funds for the purchase of game or to provide a soft loan to the community for such investment. The spin offs are unique as Thanda will manage the wildlife, security, anti poaching and operational reserve requirements in return for exclusive traversing rights for guests. An annual lease fee is also payable to the community through the agreement with the Ingonyama Trust Board. The idea is to also to create smaller BEE business opportunities to tender services for the project.

The idea of creating larger tracts of wilderness land to reintroduce herds of wildlife, coupled with the aspirations of the local people to become more involved in mainstream eco – tourism as well as game ranching, forms the driving force behind this project.

Jobs, AIDS & Conservation (JAC)

JAC (JOBS, AIDS & CONSERVATION) is an initiative by Dan and Christin Olofsson and Thanda that promotes the establishment of entrepreneurial projects that create new jobs, seek to reduce the levels of HIV /AIDS infections through educational and medical programmes and community participation, as well as pursue ownership in the game conservation and eco-tourism ventures. Initiated towards the end of 2004, the JAC Initiative has generated tremendous momentum in the Zululand area, combining entrepreneurial experience and private funding with local black entrepreneurs and community organisations, government priorities, support and funding. Chairman of the JAC Initiative is Dan Olofsson whilst Pierre Delvaux is the Vice Chairman. Dan is responsible for the organisation of Swedish support whilst Pierre is responsible for the South African involvement.

The key objectives of this initiative are:

  • To create sustainable jobs through small and medium sized enterprises
  • To reduce the burden of HIV /AIDS in the neighbouring districts and then further afield
  • To support and fund the entrance of local rural communities into mainstream sustainable wildlife ranching and nature conservation as well as to develop eco-tourism opportunities within wildlife protected reserves.

Under these three headlines, three key projects have been established with a forth project still in the planning stage.

JAC Entrepeneur (Pty) Ltd

JAC Entrepreneur (Pty) Ltd was formed with the objective of promoting business links between South African and Swedish entrepreneurs in order to pursue broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) opportunities in South Africa. The company focuses on promoting investments in small and medium sized companies in the form of equity and loan funding in order to boost growth and stimulate job opportunities.

JAC-E also provides mentorship and coaching programmes aimed at aspiring entrepreneurs to assist them to manage their business investments effectively and profitably.

By promoting small and medium sized enterprises, as well as entrepreneurial thinking for Black Economic Empowerment, JAC-E contributes towards sustainable economic development amongst emerging entrepreneurs.

The focus of JAC-E in terms of investment philosophy is really across the board with the dual focus being attractive return on equity and the creation of new jobs. The target area for investments is KwaZulu-Natal with particular emphasis on Zululand. Investments occurring outside the province will also be considered should there prove to be a demand for such ventures.

JAC–E is currently represented by Danir South Africa which is part of the Thanda Group and owned by Dan and Christin Olofsson. Dan Olofsson is the Chairman of the Board. There is presently one South African black investor who has successfully developed many businesses over the years and who has substantial business management experience. As a very established and credible Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) partner, Musa Myeni brings to the company local knowledge and experience in order to pursue lucrative investment opportunities. Through the Thanda Group, a total of R 21-million has been invested into such projects.

The Thanda Group is also in the process of developing an access-controlled community residential estate in Empangeni. This project, which has 19 % BEE shareholding, will encompass a country club, golf estate, shopping centre, school as well as lifestyle facilities for its residents. The property has already been purchased and plans are underway to expedite the DFA process by the end of 2007.

Star for Life, AIDS-Free, That’s Me

(Incorporated not for gain under Section 21 of the Companies Act)

The South African nation faces many challenges such as unemployment, poverty, HIV/AIDS and crime. One of the main challenges in fighting HIV/AIDs is to change the mindset of the population. Nearly half of all who contract HIV/AIDS are between the ages of 15 and 24, with the majority contracting it through unsafe sex. Two of the most critical areas in dealing with the spread of HIV/AIDS are awareness and prevention. The rural areas surrounding Thanda have been particularly badly affected by the disease where poverty threatens the likelihood of recovery or even effective administration of the various available drugs.

The Star for Life project was one of the first projects implemented by the JAC initiative and is an awareness and prevention program that was started as a pilot project at the Siphosabadletshe High School which is near Hluhluwe in Zululand. This program ran from July to November 2005. After an assessment was concluded at the end of 2005, funding was raised to expand the project to 40 schools in the uMkhanyakude District at a cost of R 32-million. The Provincial Government of KwaZulu-Natal, through the Health Department, has committed R 16.5-million over 3 years, to be rolled out from 2007 to 2010.  The project reaches over 40,000 children with its message of “AIDS-free, that’s me” using the techniques of mental vaccination to help learners make informed choices about sexuality.

The Star for Life Project has also been extended to Namibia with a R 7-million investment and will shortly be launched in Durban through a partnership with Volvo of Sweden. A further R 5-million has been raised for the Durban-Volvo project. Other areas such as the Eastern Cape are being considered for expanding the reach and awareness of the Star School Project.

The project currently employs 22 staff, who are highly qualified and skilled coaches or councillors and trainers. The project’s head office operates out of the Thanda Foundation offices.

The Star for Life Concept

Mission

The Star for Life mission is to help and support high school students to live an AIDS–free life in order to fulfil their dreams. The message is that even if you are HIV–positive you can still live an AIDS–free life if the course of treatment is followed properly. The project affords students the opportunity of creating dream pictures, linking the dreams, goals, ambitions and aspirations with being AIDS-free. In order to be AIDS-free, students need either to abstain from having sex or if already sexually active, refrain from having unsafe sex.

The mental vaccination concept was formulated by Swedish consultants Thomas and Ziaga Magnusson who very successfully implemented the project in Sweden, “How to stop smoking in 2 hours” combined with a follow-up phase. This project had a 70 % success rate and has been modified to best serve the needs of young learners living in rural KwaZulu-Natal.

The resonant message “AIDS-free, that’s me”, combined with education and activities, will lead to changed attitudes, values and sexual behaviour. The idea is to run the Star for Life project over several years to maximise mental vaccination.

The project aims to increase knowledge and awareness about HIV/AIDs and create dreams and hope for the future through education.

The key objectives of this project are:

  • to use mental vaccination in order to live an AIDS-free life
  • to increase the knowledge about HIV/AIDS
  • reduce the numbers of HIV – positive and pregnant students
  • to change the students’ values and attitudes in a perceptual way

For further information visit www.starforlife.org.