50|50’s Bertus Louw visited RETURNAfrica’s Pafuri Camp in northern Kruger National Park and followed Alweet Hlungwani, one of our lead walking guides, to find out why and how he became a guide and what continues to inspire him to work in conservation. Bertus also chatted to Eric Tivani, one of the Makuleke elders, about the day the evictors arrived.
Some of us know the remarkable story of the Makuleke people. In 1969, they were forcibly removed from their land but in 1994 launched a land claim that would be the first of its kind in democratic South Africa. In a landmark settlement, the Makulekes opted to re-incorporate their beautiful land into the Kruger National Park for conservation and economic growth through photographic tourism.
The Makuleke people have a deep connection to the land that once was their home, and are committed to the continued conservation of an area that boasts more than 75% of Kruger’s biodiversity.
