Several Zululand communities have formed a business partnership with the State and private sector to launch an ecotourism project to create the country's second biggest conservation area after the Kruger Park. Known as Royal Zulu, the project aims to attract local and overseas tourists to a major Big Five game reserve that hopes to be known as the largest rhino conservancy in the world.
The Janus Corporation, the project's financial advisers, see this as a significant conservation project, and put the funding requirement at about R35 million, principally for infrastructure development.
In the first phase about 35 000ha will be given over to wildlife conservation. The biosphere is in the heart of Zululand about 160km north of Durban, and 20km west of Empangeni, extending southwards over a distance of 26km from the neighbouring Umfolozi Game Reserve.
The development includes contributions from the Obuka, Mhlana, Obizo, Somopho and Mambuka authorities and the existing Ntambanana State farms. The land is inhabited by the Bukanana Village, consisting of about 6 000 people. Access is available by tar road from the N2 freeway at Richards Bay or via Heatonville and Ulundi, and alternative routes are via the Richards Bay airport, harbour or the main rail link to Johannesburg.
As part of their contribution to the business venture the groups will give thousands of hectares of grazing land to the Royal Zulu Biosphere. Once the conservation areas have been fenced in the plan is to drop the fences of the existing KwaZulu Natal Wildlife parks and allow game to move into the expanded area.
Francois du Toit, a senior partner of Richard Bay firm VGC Consulting Engineering, the consultants for the land redistribution project, said Royal Zulu was seen as a forerunner to similar developments and a project creating economic activity where there was previously none.
The State-owned Fundemvelo game reserve, which was operated for many years by the former Natal Parks Board, is being given over to several groups to manage in a joint venture with the privately-owned adjoining Thula Thula game reserve. The reserve is on land central to the project.
Using donor funds an electric fence will be erected along the 850ha Fundemvelo reserve's boundary and a small lodge will be built on the land.
In July the 1 500ha Thula Thula plans to lower its fences and allow animals, including elephant and rhino to move on to the new land. KwaZulu Natal Wildlife plans to bring another six rhino into the reserve.
In a unique finance structuring, a group of 550 people, representing the five groups and the village in the area, have formed a co-operative to fund the purchase of the land.
Each person in the Masikhule Nobunye Besizwe Co-operative is entitled to a R16 000 State grant towards owning property. This has been pooled into about R8 million to buy the State land and contribute to development.
Some of the money will also go towards agricultural projects on adjoining land. The groups will own the land and receive 50 percent of the revenue earned from the joint development, which will lease the land from them.
Nokwethemba Biyela, who chairs the co-operative, said the Royal Zulu project helped disadvantage rural people. By forming a co-operative it had given the people rights and advantages, including access to government funding and international investors.
"Members are attending training in their areas, practising gardening and craftwork and cultural activities. They are clearing the bush, making roads and doing other clearing, without being paid. Because they trust the developers," she said.
The project was "a wonderful thing, mixing black and white and bringing in investors. I am so happy KwaZulu Natal is the province where the Renaissance and reconciliation is getting under way."
One of the architects of the Royal Zulu reserve is Thula Thula's owner and conservationist Lawrence Anthony, who has held two to three meetings a week with authorities over the past seven years to get the buy-in of the local people.
He believes this is the only way to prevent an eventual invasion of existing conservation areas by neighbouring communities. The Inkosi and other groups in the area now agree their contribution of land towards a conservation buffer zone around existing parks will give them a stake in ecotourism.
Senior counsellor OB Mthethwe to Nkosi Mthethwe of the Mhlana Tribal Authority, one of the biggest, said the development would have "a big impact on the community".
"People are obtaining skills and learning how to keep wildlife. They have learnt that elephants and rhino have great value compared to cattle. In the past they saw game as food.
"Lawrence (Anthony) says the project enjoys the enthusiastic bipartisan support of leading political figures, nationally and at provincial level." These include the leader of the Inkatha Freedom Party and minister of home affairs, Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the minister of arts, science and culture, Ben Ngubane, and the provincial leader of the ANC, Sbu Ndebele.
On the conservation level, Royal Zulu is supported by Ian Player, a board member of KwaZulu Natal Wildlife, and by its chief executive Khulani Mkize.
"It is the most fantastic thing that has happened in 50 years in conservation. It brings in local communities is the most positive way," Player said.
"At last it gives gives the province's game parks a branding that is easily saleable. The word 'zulu' is known all over the world."
Aside from the local people and the co-operative, negotiations have included the uThungulu Regional Council and the national departments of education and culture, public works, land affairs and water affairs and forestry. At a provincial level departments have included agriculture and environmental affairs, traditional affairs and transport.
Owen Green, the chairman of the Ingonyama Trust Land, said Royal Zulu "is a very large project that to its fullest extent would include some 20 000ha of trust land to the south of Umfolozi".
His view was that this was the "right way to go" as there was "not a lot of economic activity and the land is not highly settled".
Rod MacLeod of the Janus Corporation, said Royal Zulu was "probably one of the most commercially viable game reserve projects we have encountered. This is so since the two most expensive components of any game reserve development, namely land and game, are being contributed on an equity basis. All the project needs is the right partner for the initial infrastructure funding."