How a South African community turned land restitution into a game reserve

Key topics:Land reform faces tensions over shared vs. individual ownershipCommunity-led tourism empowers but faces leadership challengesSomkhanda shows land restitution can boost jobs and conservation.Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa’s bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here..By Regis Musavengane*.In South Africa, most of the arable land was taken from African people by colonial settlers. Ever since apartheid ended in 1994, people who were dispossessed of their land have been trying to get it back.When land is given back to an entire community, things can become complicated. For example, some people might want to divide it up into individual plots; others might want to use the land communally. Or individuals in positions of power might exploit their influence to secure personal gains.This underscores the need for inclusive dialogue and collaboration to make sure that the people who get their land back benefit equally.Community-based tourism, which involves local communities and nature reserves working together to manage natural areas, is one way for a whole community to benefit from land.I am a tourism and community development geographer who has explored this idea. I was part of a research team who spent four years talking to community members, local leaders and conservation staff at the Somkhanda Game Reserve in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province.This reserve was set up on land that was given back to the Gumbi community almost 45 years after they had been forcibly removed by the apartheid government to make way for a big dam and white commercial farms. The exact number of people evicted from the Gumbi community is not clear, but the entire community’s livelihoods, including their communal farms, were devastated by the forced removal. By the time the land was returned, it had been turned into game and cattle ranches and sugar cane farms..Read more:.Market-driven land reform: A solution for South Africa’s future.Community tourism projects need to manage many different tasks, such as running guided tours, selling handmade crafts, and providing accommodation for visitors.My research identified problems that can prevent progress in these ventures. These included conflicts between traditional leaders and community trusts, a lack of transparency in decision-making, and the high costs of setting up the project. Without conservation and tourism management experience, it can be difficult for the community to turn a profit or even cover their costs.My research also found that communities with strong social connections who are able to collaborate have an advantage. For the Gumbi community, building relationships with conservation organisations, government agencies and non-profit organisations helped secure initial funding and training..Building a nature reserveWhen apartheid ended in 1994, the Gumbi created the Emvokweni Community Trust to claim their land back. This trust worked with the government’s tourism department and three prominent conservation trusts to see if they might use the land to set up a tourism project..The group found that the land was a biodiversity corridor that could link various private and national game farms and protected areas. The Black Rhino Range Expansion Programme had already identified the land as critical for rhino to roam. Hunters and eco-tourists already knew the area from other nearby game reserves.When the Gumbi people got their land back in 2005 under the 1994 Restitution of Land Rights Act, they set aside about 74% for conservation and used 26% to build a new village for people to live in. By 2011, the area was formally proclaimed as a nature reserve. After that the community secured development finance to upgrade roads and entrance gates, and buy animals for the new reserve. Today, Somkhanda is a “big five” game reserve housing lions, elephants, buffalo, rhinos and leopards..Read more:.A persistent falsity on land ownership reporting in South Africa - Jaco Lochner.Today the reserve is owned by the community’s Emvokweni Community Trust, which is managed by a group of democratically elected trustees. Conservation and tourism inside the reserve are managed jointly by the community trust and Wildlands, an environmental non-profit organisation. The reserve competes as a tourist destination with elite private game reserves such as Timbavati and Phinda.At first, it was mainly international and local student groups who visited. Although they didn’t flood the reserve with money, their visits created jobs for local community members. The students also paid a community levy that contributed to local development projects. Today, many more affluent tourists visit, boosting the reserve’s income.Skills and jobs needed to run the reserveMembers of the Gumbi community have graduated from natural resource management courses. They’ve also trained as game rangers and in hospitality.As one employee at the restaurant shared:I didn’t know what a restaurant is, and I had never worked at a hotel or lodge before. This is my first employment since the completion of school.The Somkhanda Game Reserve aims to create jobs in a place where there are few other ways to earn a living. It employs many more people than similar-sized reserves. At the time of our research, there were 83 people working full-time in reserve and tourism management, and more than 200 temporary workers.But the trust has not been able to create jobs for the entire community. As one young community member said:I failed to obtain employment at the game reserve, and I cannot just enter into the reserve as I may be suspected to be a poacher … It is our project, but at times I feel like I am an enemy to them.Steps are being taken to create more value for the Gumbi community. The reserve recently received a grant to build luxury game lodges. The profits will be used to run the reserve and improve roads, schools, and healthcare services.What needs to happen nextIn South Africa, there is an often expressed fear that if land is given back to its rightful owners, it will be misused. But in Somkhanda, the rightful owners are competent managers and developers of land. They contribute to the restoration and protection of local ecosystems.To take community-based tourism on restituted land forward, our research recommends that:communities build strong partnerships with non-profit oganisations and government agencieslocal leaders must be involved in decision-making, to mobilise community support for projects, make sure that everyone’s voice is respected, and improve communicationprojects focus on what benefits the communityregular report-backs and evaluations are heldresources are sharedknowledge exchanges are formalised, to share best practices and spark new ideas..*Regis Musavengane: Senior Lecturer, University of the Free State.This article was first published by The Conversation and is republished with permission

How a South African community turned land restitution into a game reserve

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