Johannesburg | Thursday
TEN disease-free buffalo have been bought by Gauteng as part of a provincial plan for a new game reserve that will include the ”Big Five” — lion, elephant, leopard, rhinoceros and buffalo.
The buffalo have been bought from the Willem Prinsloo game reserve in the Free State for R1,2-million.
The province has identified about 80 000ha of land to form the reserve, to be known as Dinokeng, ”the place of rivers”.
Dinokeng is one of 10 projects in the province’s Blue IQ development and tourism initiative.
Some of the other projects include the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site at Sterkfontein, the Newtown cultural precinct in Johannesburg, and Constitutional Hill — the Old Fort prison that now houses the Constitutional Court.
Gauteng conservation and environment MEC Mary Metcalfe said on Thursday: ”We are delighted to have received the buffalo as they form part of our plan to develop Dinokeng as an opportunity for the leisure and business tourist to discover the cultural and natural heritage of the African continent.
”The area is well suited for the establishment of game reserves, lodges, conference centres and eco-tourism activities. Through the development of this area, not only will we attract tourists but create job opportunities for the people residing in the area.”
The buffalo will be released in October into the province’s Leeuwfontein nature reserve, which is at the centre of the proposed Dinokeng reserve.
They will be kept strictly away from humans for a month to allow them to adjust to their new environment north east of Pretoria, on the boundary between Gauteng, Mpumalanga and the Northern Province.
A number of private game reserves — some of which have begun their own game-stocking programmes — will be included in the final provincial reserve.
The province has consulted about 50 associations representing interested parties. Over 50 000 people will be affected by the project.
The objective of Dinokeng is to promote ”socio-economic development for the historically disadvantaged communities in the area whilst conserving the natural, cultural and historical heritage of the area,” a provincial representative said. – Sapa