When MTH Lodge Holdings bid for the 25-year concession (with an option of a further 25 years) to develop 15 000 hectares of land owned by the Mashishimale community into a viable Big Five reserve near Phalaborwa in the Limpopo province, CEO Ian Beauchamp knew this investment had to be of ‘meaningful’ benefit to the community.
“We won the bid for several reasons but I also believe it was our commitment to working closely with the community to help them realise their dream of preserving their land for generations to come, while at the same time directly benefiting from it in a sustainable and responsible manner,” said CEO, Ian Beauchamp.
And so, the Abelana Game Reserve – which means ‘ share amongst each other’ in Northern Sotho – was born, officially opening with two camps in February this year, only to be closed by March due to national lockdown.
Beauchamp shared the challenging journey during a Q&A with Tourism Update, noting that while the path has been steep, there are green shoots of hope emerging as South Africa’s borders remain open and the tourism sector starts to recover.
Q: How did the community come to own 15 000 hectares of land?
A: In 2010, the Mashishimale community won a landmark land claim that restored ownership of the land to them. They tried to manage the land themselves initially – allowing commercial hunting on the land, amongst others – but soon saw the potential in developing it for conservation and eco-tourism and thus sought partners with experience in these fields. And that’s where we came in. Our bid focused on what we could do for the community.
Q: Could you elaborate on how the community benefits from this partnership?
A: Guests pay R100 (€5) per person, per night community levy, which is paid directly to the Mashishimale. Furthermore, job creation was one of our main objectives to ensure the community ultimately benefit from their land. At inception there were seven people from the community in full-time employment with us.
To date, our permanent workforce has grown to 80, of which 52 come from the local community. They were mostly unskilled when they joined us and we are training them on an ongoing basis in their various roles, encouraging them to reach their full potential and create a meaningful career in hospitality.
Q: But it’s more than that too, Tourism Update understands that Abelana has created other opportunities outside of the reserve and its staff?
Yes, we have also outsourced our laundry services to a local community business and are in the process of similarly outsourcing our staff transport services.
All our waste is being removed from the reserve and recycled by a community company. We have our own water bottling plant so no single-use plastic bottles are used, which means guests don’t pay for bottled water, still or sparkling.
Q: And of course those are all skills that are acquired by the community and they can leverage them outside of Abelana?
A: Absolutely. For example we have a guy who collects our grease traps. It turns out that there have been opportunities for him to expand his services and he now has numerous lodge customers he provides this service for.
Q: Do you have any other community projects in the pipeline?
A: We are working with the female chief of the Mashishimale community and have set 20 hectares of land aside to develop a community vegetable farm to not only serve their nutritional needs but to supply ourselves and other lodges with fresh produce.
An area has been earmarked to establish an environmental educational centre to which local schoolchildren will be brought and educated on the history of their land and the benefits and career opportunities that exist on their doorstep.
Q: Tell us a bit about the two camps on the reserve.
A: The reserve's southern reaches are home to Abelana Safari Camp and Abelana River Lodge.
With just four en-suite Meru-style safari tents tucked into the lee of a towering rock ‘koppie’, Abelana Safari Camp’s stunning 100 sqm viewing deck – constructed on top of the koppie that rises above the camp – has to be seen to be believed, affording breathtaking views of the reserve and the northern reaches of the Drakensberg Escarpment.
The camp is also the home base of Abelana Horse Safaris, which runs dedicated horse safaris throughout the year.
In the north of the reserve, located on the banks of the Selati River, lies Abelana River Lodge. This 40-bed luxury lodge combines sleek, contemporary African design with organic décor, focusing on a more traditional approach to the safari experience with morning and afternoon game drives and bush walks offered to guests.
Q: With such a large reserve there must be scope for further development?
A: Yes, there is definitely scope and we plan to add more lodges once the time is right.
Q: You mentioned that the South Africans have responded well to the offerings at Abelana, pushing up occupancies since inter-provincial travel was allowed on Level 2. But since borders have opened, how are your bookings looking from international guests?
A: We have some very nice forward bookings. Our price point is also good. But of course we are realistic about the current realities. We expect inbound travel to start properly rebounding by around the middle of the year – around the time of the British Lions tour.
Q: How important are your relationships with the travel and tourism trade?
A: Very. We rely heavily on tour operators and DMCs and are grateful for the strong relationships we have forged with them. Our Sales Manager, Bryan West, has continued to grow relationships, working from our dedicated sales and reservations office.
