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Social Responsibility

Rust de Winter Safaris

BEYOND THE HUNT

EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES AND CREATING LASTING CHANGE

Written by: Peter Ruddle – A Licensed Professional Hunter since 1982

As hunting outfitters in South Africa, we increasingly embrace our responsibility to conservation and community development, recognising that our role goes far beyond the hunt. Through our dedicated social responsibility programs, we are making a significant impact by preserving wildlife habitats, supporting anti-poaching efforts, and uplifting local communities. Our partnerships with conservation organisations are crucial in funding research and protection initiatives that ensure sustainable hunting practices, safeguarding the future of South Africa’s native species and maintaining the rich biodiversity of our wilderness areas.

But our commitment doesn’t stop with environmental conservation. We believe in giving back to the communities that coexist with wildlife. Our outreach programs are designed to uplift rural areas where hunting activities are prevalent by sponsoring educational initiatives, job training, and healthcare services. By creating economic opportunities and supporting local businesses, we are helping to alleviate poverty and drive community development. These efforts not only improve the quality of life for local residents but also strengthen the bond between the hunting industry and the communities we serve.

Personally, I have been involved in numerous outreach programs since the start of my hunting career. One of the most rewarding experiences has been donating hunts to physically challenged hunters through Safari Club International (SCI). Guiding hunts for individuals in wheelchairs, including an incredible young blind man who successfully hunted four animals with a rifle and two with a bow, has been nothing short of inspiring.

Our latest initiative focuses on supporting a local orphanage, where we provide underprivileged children with essential supplies like staple foods, venison, and firewood for heating and cooking. We understand that sustained and committed support is essential to making a lasting difference in their lives.

I’m proud to share some photos of a school in KwaZulu-Natal that I’ve supported, where we replaced their broken-down kitchen with a secure, lockable container equipped with a fully functional kitchen. This facility now allows them to prepare what is often the only meal these children receive each day, a vast improvement from cooking over an open fire.

We invite our hunters to contribute to these impactful social responsibility programs in various ways. We are strong supporters of the SCI Blue Bag program, where clients can fill bags with much-needed items and join us in making donations directly to the orphanage. Colouring books, pens, and stationery are always popular, but nothing lights up a child’s face like the gift of a soccer ball. As our momentum grows, we aim to expand our support by offering scholarships and more.

Together, we can provide hope and opportunities to our forgotten youth, ensuring they receive the future they deserve. Join us in making a difference—because hunting is about more than just the thrill of the chase; it’s about leaving a legacy of care, commitment, and compassion.

“Ultimately conservation is about people. If you don't have sustainable development around these [wildlife] parks, then people will have no interest in them, and the parks will not survive." Nelson Mandela (1999)

Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge

Written by: Peter Ruddle – A Licensed Professional Hunter since 1982

A Success Story

It all started some years ago with the support and development funding financed by Safari Club International (SCI).

I (Peter Ruddle) am always amazed at all the people, organisations and political parties that come out of the woodwork to take credit when a vision comes to realisation and the unsung heroes are overlooked. The central figure and driving force behind this particular project was Inkosi (Chief) Daniel Hlabisa of the Mpembeni Community, near the small town of Hlabisa in KwaZulu-Natal, who had the vision to establish an ecotourism enterprise.

It all began in the year 2000, when Nic Vaughan-Jones, a professional hunter took up the challenge of initiating the project having secured finance to fence off the Mpembeni Community Conservation Game Reserve (MCCGR). Without financing from SCI, this project would never have seen the light of day. Let it never be said, “What do hunters do for conservation?”

The 750ha (1,850 acres) of land set aside by the community consisted mainly of abandoned agricultural lands and three koppies adjoining the original Hluhluwe Game Reserve (HGR) at the time administrated by the then Natal Parks Board (NPB).

Photo: Ernest Tshabalala digging the first hole for the game fence in 2001

The Natal Parks Board had their own vision of creating buffer reserves around HGR on the surrounding community and the land adjoining the Park.

This initiative was headed up by Paula Morrison and Ernest Tshabalala. The idea was to encourage the communities in the region to become involved in the business opportunities that ecotourism offered and at the same time improve the public relations between the reserve and its neighbours.

Nic raised the money from Safari Club to game fence the property to the specification required by the State Veterinary Department to allow for the introduction of buffalo to the property. This was very important as the founder population of the game introduced to the newly fenced reserve would include several buffalo. These animal populations would need to establish themselves and the trophy animals would be hunted to service the reserves running costs. Any profits would be used to develop the reserve.

Photo: Ernest Tshabalala digging the first hole for the game fence in 2001.

The reserve was financially self-sustaining but it was always the intention to build a lodge in the second phase of this development. However, it soon became apparent that as a stand-alone project, a property of this size could not sustain itself as there were just not enough trophy animals that could be harvested to follow through with Inkosi’s dream, of the community owning their privately owned lodge.

Nic got the Umbono Foundation involved. This was a foundation established by Pastor Terence Rose and Nic Vaughan-Jones. Umbono is a charitable organisation to aid and assist rural communities in Africa. This partnership with the church was a major turning point and through their efforts, we gained the trust and support of the community at large.

Another factor was the influence that the late Albert Ngcobo had on the project. He worked tirelessly to change people’s opinions on the advantages of having such a reserve with an ecotourism lodge.

There were many hurdles and sceptics to be overcome. Unfortunately, he passed away before the lodge was built and would never see the completion of the project. There are not many community people who are (were) prepared to voluntarily work on a project for the benefit of their fellow citizens.

The Umbono Foundation built a clinic and a crèche for the community under the auspice of the MCCGR project. Soon after this, Nic moved to southern Mozambique to continue the work of this Foundation.

Photos: 1.The Mpembeni Clinic now operated by the government Health Department. 2. Little Bird Crèche. 3. Wheelchairs donated by the “One Shot Antelope Hunt” Foundation

Up to this point, I had undertaken all the marketing and trophy hunting conducted at the reserve and we had built up a little nest egg but did not have anywhere near enough money to build a lodge. The responsibility was now mine to oversee the project. So, we continued without a lodge and this made marketing hunts at the reserve very difficult.

Hunters used accommodation near Hluhluwe or at St. Lucia town when hunting in the reserve. This meant we had to drive for an hour to get to the reserve before we could hunt, not ideal, making the marketing of these hunts very difficult and off-putting to many potential clients.

My management input was also limited as I lived four hours from the reserve and I also noticed that the game numbers were starting to dwindle and trophy animals becoming few and far between. Was this the start of the end?

Unbeknown to me, Inkosi had asked the local section manager from HGR to shoot him a few animals for a ceremony. By this time the Natal Parks Board had been replaced by Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife. This provincial conservation body now administered the Park and had their fair share of problems. One of them was the section ranger in question, who was dismissed by the organisation. We were never given the reasons for his dismissal but still very suspicious that he was running a bush meat business at the local market. Many of these animals were being poached at Mpembeni. His demise came after eight Rhinos were found poached in one incident in his section of Hluhluwe Game Reserve. We can only speculate if he was involved or not.

However, after his dismissal, there was a definite increase in the game numbers at the MCCGR. Buffalo, leopards, giraffe, zebra, nyala, kudu, wildebeest and impala were hunted to achieve our goals and pay the bills. Nobody showed any interest in helping us to develop the reserve.

Many of the well-known non-hunting private reserves established in South Africa initially started as hunting areas and through the process of evolution changed their emphasis to non-consumptive ecotourism usage. What were our options?

Enter Wellman Khumalo, a local politician based in the area. At the time he was a school deputy principal at Mpembeni. Being young and having great aspirations to become a successful politician he took up the cause with the government, community and KZN Wildlife. Seen as a local mover and shaker, he made it happen albeit in African time.

Photo: Community role players – Mr Albert Nogcobo (left), Inkosi Daniel Hlabisa (right) and Mr Wellman Khumalo (second from the right).

Khumalo used his political skills to shape and manipulate the goals of the project into a process that could be used as the corner post for what was to follow. The reserve was running out of money as the nest egg mentioned earlier had been used to repair the local municipal borehole that was non-functional. Although not a reserve priority, it was an opportunity to show the community what the money generated from hunting could do for them. Two people had already died in a tragic car accident trying to transport water from a nearby dam to their residences. To prevent the repetition of this event, the borehole was repaired.

Without the necessary funds to keep this project alive, was it doomed for failure after all these years? Khumalo was doing a good job and things were headed in the right direction so I decided to use my personal funds to keep all the dreams alive, but time was of the essence.

KZN Wildlife had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the community to allow the reincorporation of the MCCGR back into the Hluhluwe Imfolozi Park with the option to conduct game drives into the Park. This was another significant move in the right direction.

I had done the Environmental Impact Assessment for the establishment of a lodge at Inkosi’s original homestead site from where he relocated in the 1980s. Authorisation to build a lodge had been granted and the way was now cleared to find a developer to build the lodge.

Frencken and Associates (architects and property developers), who had worked with Nic on some previous projects had actually visited the lodge site in 2007. In fact, they had even pegged out the development.

Photos: Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge

I recommended to the Mpembeni Tribal Authority and reserve steering committee that we re-approach them to see if they might be interested in building a lodge. They dually accepted the challenge and it has without doubt been a mighty challenge.

They sourced the majority of the R25 million funding for the lodge from the National Empowerment Fund and also spent a large chunk of their development capital. Khumalo kept up the heat from his side and I worked alongside him smoothing the way for things to materialise. I will not bore you any further with the details but all sorts of people and departments now become involved and all taking credit for this project being launched. I would like to thank all those who genuinely made an effort to contribute to the success of this project.

Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge is operated and managed by Isibindi Africa, a tourism company with a successful record of working with rural communities. Khumalo continues to play a role in the project while following his political career.

Today, the guns are silent at Mpembeni as Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge and a hunting operation cannot coexist. So from a hunter’s point of view, let the question never be asked, “What does hunting do for conservation?”

Acknowledgements to the following Funders and Volunteers;

Donors & Funders

Safari Club International

Natal Parks Board

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife

Umbono Foundation

One Shot Antelope Hunt Foundation

GBS Environmental Consulting

Frencken and Associates

National Empowerment Fund

Isibindi Africa

Volunteers