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| Buffalo Ridge is unique for many reasons, none more
so than the fact it is the only lodge of its kind wholly owned by a
local rural community. Known as a Balete, the owners of Buffalo Ridge
live in the village of Lekgophung just west of Madikwe. Their story is
one of endurance and hardship, but also of joy and triumph. Like many
such places, Lekgophung was shaped by the history of our country. Its
people have deep roots in the North West. They are members of the
Botswana, the great tribe that has lived in and around the fringes of
the Kalahari for many centuries. Their graves are scattered across the
landscape, including Madikwe itself. They speak Setswana, the common
tongue of the Batswana but the people of Lekgophung belong to a clan
with its own traditions and way of life.
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| The Balete have their own chief, Kgosi Tsiepe, and
their own totem, the buffalo, after which the lodge has been named. Your
guides are from the village. Ask them and they will proudly tell you of
their history. Of the time before the white people came, of the hardship
they suffered living in a harsh and dry environment and especially of
the time when many of their inhabitants were removed from their
ancestral homes and resettled in what is today Lekgophung. During the
time of apartheid, the Balete lost everything including most of the land
that had sustained them. In their new surroundings, they had little
opportunity and little support. But gradually they rebuilt their lives
and their village into a place that today pulses with vitality. The
photographs in your rooms are scenes from everyday life in Lekgophung,
where people and their animals live in difficult conditions with dignity
and humour. |
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| It was 1999 when we first met the Balete. We had
many years involvement in the lodge business and knew the potential of
the industry to bring benefit and economic development to remote areas
such Lekgophung. Slowly the idea emerged of a very special partnership.
The Balete would obtain lease rights to a prime site in the newly
created Madikwe game reserve. They would build a lodge that would
compete with the best. And they would enter into a partnership with an
operating company with the expertise they needed to make their new
business work. It took five years to convince the authorities, to raise
the money and to overcome the many obstacles along the way. But now it
has happened and Buffalo Ridge is the result. |
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| And so the wheel has come full circle. The
people who were dispossessed during the apartheid era now own a
world-class business. They have used this position to structure a
relationship with lodge, which brings optimal benefit to their people.
The lodge is staffed by people from the village. There is a vigorous
training programme designed to ensure that the Balete develop the skills
to manage their own lodge. And they receive a fair rental, which is
available for investment in the village and its people. |
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