Kwandwe Preserve on track for October opening

CCAFRICA is adding the finishing touches in preparation for the opening of the new luxury lodge, Kwandwe in the Eastern Cape, which it will manage. It is situated on the Kwandwe Private Game Preserve on the banks of the Great Fish river and consists of six separate stock farms comprising 17 000 hectares. The property was bought by American businessman, Carl deSantis for about US10m. Accommodation options on the property include nine glass-fronted thatch-roof bush villas and a detached restored farmhouse called Uplands. The preserve will follow CCAfrica's popular Phinda model of rehabilitating, restoring and restocking degraded farmland, while aiding local communities and is expected to create 120 jobs by the time the lodge opens. Indigenous vegetation has been re-introduced, and 2 000km of fencing removed. The three-year restocking programme of 7 000 head of game is virtually complete. (Miguel de Sousa)