Phinda Private Game Reserve - The African Safari Lodge Foundation

Phinda Private 

Game Reserve 

KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa 

1

Structure of case study 

• Overview of the initiative 

• Policy context 

• Planning and development issues: 

– Enterprise model and land tenure 

– Institutional arrangements 

• Tourism products and activities 

• Impacts of tourism 

– Environmental impacts and conservation 

– Social impacts, including training and skills development and 

stakeholders 

– Economic impacts, including value chain analysis, capital structure 

and commercial issues 

• Current issues and replicability 

2

Overview of the initiative 

• 7 luxury lodges operated by CCAfrica group on 

rehabilitated land in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. 

• CCAfrica owns 3667 ha, leases 11,226 ha, and 

traverses over the entire 23,335 ha Mun-ya-wana 

conservancy. 

• Operates interpretive photographic wildlife safaris, 

within a big 5 area & linkages to the coast 

• Corporate Social Responsibility program 

- the Africa Foundation 

• Numerous conservation and local economic 

development initiatives 

Source: Kevin Pretorius and 

Andrew Campbell 

3

Policy context 

• 1997 White Paper on South African Land Policy: Land restitution – 

and land claims for land that people were displaced from during 

Apartheid 

• 1998 National Environmental Management Act: Governing 

environmental impacts of infrastructure development 

• 1998 Employment Equity Act / Tourism Black Economic 

Empowerment (BEE) Charter and Scorecard: Reporting on 

employment and training of historically disadvantaged individuals 

(black, women, disabilities) 

• Landowner policy for the reserve: 

– There is a code of conduct; Phinda reserve manager manages Munyawana 

as a whole, including wildlife management, security, maintenance of fences 

under a reserve-wide environmental management plan 

– The community is consulted on management issues (alien plant control, 

bush clearing, road development, dam building). 

– The reserve constitution is currently being updated 



4

Planning and development 

issues 

Context 

– The land was purchased as degraded farmland in 1991, and was 

rehabilitated and restocked with wildlife to provide a tourism 

attraction. 

– Part of land owned, part leased (but 2 nd land claim in progress on 

remainder). Forest lodge had an EIA because of location in sand 

forest. Other lodges were approved on the basis of information 

from the scoping phase (EIAs were not required). 

– The reserve constitution sets bed capacity limits at 1 bed per 75 ha 

(current density is 1 bed per 188 ha). 

Infrastructure – e.g. natural light, and cooling, waste disposal 

systems, construction materials, training craftspeople, décor, 

landscaping etc. Put fans on for aesthetic reasons. Lights on for 

aesthetic reasons inside (e.g. in chandeliers). 

– There is a plan to construct and sell private lodges on the reserve 

called ‘African homesteads’ and EIAs will be required for each. 15 

sites are envisaged, with 4 bedrooms each (8 bed). 



5

Reducing 

infrastructure 

impacts 

6

Planning & development issues: 

Phinda model and land tenure (1) 

Ownership 

Development 

Management 

Land and wildlife estate 

3667 ha owned by CCAfrica (awaiting 

notice under land claim) 

Communities own 6110 ha (Mnqobokazi) 

and 6550 ha (Makasa) and CCAfrica have 

72 year leases on each portion of land 

Additional 36 year leases on 1140 ha 

(Mnqobokazi) and 900 ha (Makasa) 

Traversing agreements on rest of land in 

reserve under other private ownership 

CCAfrica restocked wildlife and 

rehabilitated land 

Munyawana Reserve (CCAfrica reserve 

manager is head) 

Makhasa community 

owns Forest and Vlei 

lodges 

Rock/Mountain 

owned by CCAfrica 

Getty’s own Zuka 



Commercial 

Infrastructure 

CCAfrica 

CCAfrica 

7


Phinda model and land tenure (2) 

Benefits of the model: 

• Released development capital from land 

• Plans for new lodges in Madagascar, Brazil, Peru, Costa Rica, more in Kenya 

and definitely +2 in Botswana, +2 in India 

• Benefits to communities – income and in equity 

• Long lease 

• Management control over wildlife and land 

Empowerment of local people: 

• The reserve director took local chiefs up to Tanzania to look at other lodges and 

give a wider perspective on CCAfrica 

• Some of the staff have now become shareholders(!) 

Source: Andrew Campbell 

8


Institutional Arrangements 

Mnqobokazi community 

Lessor 6110 ha land (72 year lease, following 

land claim) 

Lessor 1140 ha on 36 year lease 

Average rental 262 per ha 

(ranging R150 – 295 per ha) 

CCAfrica 

Lessee, Developer and Operator 

Owner of 3667 ha 

Makasa community 

Lessor 6550 ha land 72 year lease (following 

land claim) 

Lessor Forest and Vlei lodges 

Lessor 990 ha on 36 year lease 



Traversing 

agreements 

11,109 ha 

9

Tourism products and 

activities (1) 

• Interpretive guided game drives and walks 

• Assisting vets on rhino monitoring programs 

• Beach trips (scuba diving and deep sea fishing can be 

arranged) 

• Horse riding 

• Turtle viewing (seasonal) – with a concession to drive on the 

beach north of Sodwana (concession fee of R54,000 for three 

months per year, + park entrance fees) 

• River boat trips and canoeing 

• Community trips (Africa Foundation) 

• Cultural tour (Sangoma etc.) 

• Retail shop 

• Internet and computer access 


10

Tourism products and 

activities (2) 

Specialist safaris: e.g. 7 wonders in 7 days, which can include: 

• Specialist leopard day – with radio telemetry (1 drive) 

• Buffalo, and rhino or elephant tracking 

• Black rhino tracking (is trying to raise awareness – money goes back 

into the conservation) 

• Beach trip (scuba diving) (with Sodwana Bay lodge) and flight 

• Morning with cheetah 

• Lion drive 

• Canoeing on the river 

• Long day walks and sleeping in the bush 

• Elephant drive 

• Birding safaris 

• Bush meals (7 course meal) 

Also have tailor made safaris, specialist rhino and leopard darting safaris, 

specialist birding and photographic safaris. 


11

Tourism 

activities 

12

Impacts of tourism 

• Environmental impacts and 

conservation 

• Social impacts, including training and 

skills development and stakeholders 

• Economic impacts, including value 

chain analysis and commercial issues 

13

Environmental impacts (1) 

• Location: 7 lodges in different habitats (Mountain, 

Rock, Forest, vlei, Getty, Zuka, walking safaris)- 

Sand forest; acacia savannah; broadleaf woodland; 

marshes; riverine; mountain; illala palm veld 

• Construction: Different designs. Forest lodge built in 

sand forest – each tree accounted for and 

construction company fined for any removed. 

• Activities: Non-consumptive wildlife viewing. Off 

road driving for lions, leopard and cheetah. Host 

wildlife researchers: leopard dynamics with radio 

collars; serval research (re-introduced); black and 

white rhino; elephant research. CCAfrica employ the 

elephant/white rhino researcher and black rhino 

researcher. 



14


Conservation: 

• Rehabilitated agricultural and pastoral land. Supplemented 15,000 head of game. Wildlife 

conservation activities on the reserve have been so successful that Phinda has sold live cheetah, 

buffalo, white rhino to restock other reserves and parks in the region. Wildlife swaps: Nyala. 

• Re-introduced waterbuck and eland (part of their range). 

• Part of Black Rhino Range Expansion program: Started with 18 and now have 21. Owned 50:50 

with KZN Wildlife. 

• Wildlife management employees include 56 permanent staff and 40-50 contract workers at any 

time 

• Wildlife is counted by aerial survey – and rare species include black rhino, white rhino, elephant, 

lion, leopard and cheetah. 

• Full time alien plant control division - chromealena Other teams come in to clear and rehabilitate 

land as necessary. Relocation of elephant to balance numbers (other enterprise just paid for the 

relocation). Phinda game division – look after roads, fences, wildlife management (including 

relocation), liaise with researchers, (have reserve manager) 

• Some roads are not drivable after rains (on black cotton soil) 

• Fenced off sand forest from elephant and giraffe (because so little of this habitat left) 

• Future proposals to drop fences with Mkuze GR and Masaka community GR, but need to address 

poaching/traversing/wildlife management/land claims first. Existing leesee on Makhasa GR). 

Environmental education: 

• Guests regarding conservation during game drives and walks. Conservation lessons (paid for by 

‘wild child’ bracelet) R50 goes to Africa Foundation – and each lodge reimbursed for vehicle/staff 

costs) – plan for 1 per month for the reserve (244 children p/a (but have already had 7 trips) can fit 

8 children on each trip – 1 trip p/m) 



15

Conservation of rare 

wildlife species 

16


Waste: 

• Food waste donated to local pig farmers. 

• All waste separated dry and wet at the lodges; single local contractor collects and takes 

waste to recycle plant on reserve; glass, tin, paper recyclables from him. 

• Non-recyclable waste goes to a local landfill at Hluhluwe. 

Source: Kevin Pretorius and Andrew 

Campbell; Photos Andrew Campbell 

17


Water: 

• Drinking water - from Hlhluwe municipal water (Mountain and rock) through a 

pipeline (have had drought for last 6 years). If that runs out – have to pump from 

a salty river and cannot drink it. Bottled mineral water from outside the reserve – 

moving to glass bottles which will be reused (currently in plastic bottles from 

Nelspruit). 

• Rain water caught around the lodges (jo-jo tanks) but need more to be installed. 

Potential to collect 1.2 million litres water (8% consumption). Difficult to collect at 

Forest lodge because of tree leaves. 10 x 10,000 litre jo-jo tanks for storage. 

Mountain has concrete water containers for Hlhluwe water, and 4 x 10,000 litre 

rain-water collection tanks for ice and cleaning cars. 

• Waste water – 

– Forest and Vlei – septic tanks, and grey water pumpted to central treatment plant. 

Water then pumped to natural pans in vlei in front of lodge A water purification system 

and then water goes into the pans. Quality tested every 3-4 months. Honeysuckers 

required 1x6 weeks – half the frequency of before. The purification system was 

installed. 

– Mountain - septic tank and grey water put thourh reed bed system before flowing into 

natural pan (reed bed in construction – due April) 

• Recently put in water meters (and divide by number of guests) for each camp. 

Same for staff accommodation. 

• No watering of gardens (no sprinker systems – no lawns) natural gardens. 

Notices in rooms 



18

Sorting waste for 

recycling 

Rainwater 

collection from 

roofs 

19


Energy: 

• Eskom power grid (all lodges) with back up diesel generators (300 kV at Forest/Vlei; 350 kV 

at Mountain/Rock). 

• Walking safaris – rustic tented camp with gas and paraffin. 

• No solar currently but trailing switch to turn off whole room electricity when you leave. Guest 

and housekeeping can turn off when leave. So currently when have turndowns – everything 

left on. 

• Firewood exotic from outside reserve; charcoal from reserve. 

• Cooking on gas. 

Materials: 

• Include locally made bricks. 

• Wood is gum from Kwambonambi or Eshowe 

• Thatch is from highveld as local quality is poor. 

• Septic-tank friendly chemicals (e.g. soaps in guest bathrooms). Recycled glasses 

purchased at Rock and Vlei lodges. 

• Some firewood is from Paulpietersberg, and other sources are local blackwattle plantations: 

Phinda purchases 20 tons per order, and the reserve cuts it and distributes between the 

lodges. 

Monitoring and evaluation - Head rangers at each lodge monitor energy consumption – 

ecoaudit (mainly energy audit) and sustainability checklist monthly as part of management 

reports. At board level they review these – to look at level of improvement. Each lodge has 

a green team – of volunteers and champions of environmental management. Do litter cleanups, 

fixing erosion gullies etc. 



20

SUSTAINABLE TOURISM CHECKLIST 07 

LODGE : Phinda Mountain Lodge……………...………………DATE…12/03/2008 

1 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 

List completed by : Daryl Dell and Giles Kelmanson 

1. Do you have a natural resources inventory (EcoGuide) Is it attached to this file and used by the 

guests? 

2. Are you operating within the management plan for your area?( If yes attach it?) 

3. Do you monitor erosion and compaction of roads,pathways and bush dinner sites? (Give 

examples with Dates) 

4. Do you identify and remove alien plant species? (Examples , when last & Dates) 

5. Do you use local communities in implementing natural resource management plans? 

(Examples & Dates) 

NUMBER OF YES ANSWERS 

YES 

* 

* 

* 

* 

* 

5 

21 

NO

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS / Lowest 

score gets Highest rank, to help you 

prioritise. 

1 Environmental Management 

2 Cultural Resource Management 

3 Water Usage 

4 Energy Usage 

5 Waste Management 

6 Emergencies 

7 Contractors & Suppliers 

8 Social Upliftment and Local Dev. 

9 Benefits and training 

10 Staff Village 

11 Guest Orientation 

12 Marketing your Environment 

13 Being Innovative…. 

14 Monitoring Guest delight. 

SELECTED ACTION AREA 

TOTAL 

SCORE 

5 

1 

3 

3 

3 

2 

4 

5 

5 

4 

4 

3 

3 

5 

50 

RANK 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

22

Social impacts (1) 

• Governance: Community leaders, regional director (RD) of 

Phinda, reserve manager. RD had good relationship with local 

leader, but he died shortly after agreement, and his son taking 

over. So a new relationship is being forged with the new leader, 

including taking him on a trip to Tanzania to see other lodges in 

the group. 

• Local employment/education: 

• 248 local lodge employees, and additional 60 staff working on 

security and Alien Plant Unit 

• Rural poverty in neighbouring tribal areas extensive. 

• 3 neighbouring communities: Nibela, Mnqobokazi (popn. 5753 in 

2001 and Makasa (popn. 7996 in 2001). 

– Unemployment levels up to 77% 

– Illiteracy ~30% 

Currie, 2001; Andrew Campbell 

23


Education: 

• Built over 90 classrooms and renovated numerous classrooms 

• Built 3 Libraries 

• Built 1 Science Laboratory 

• Built ablutions at various schools 

• Provision of playground equipment and toys to various schools and crèche’s 

• Provision of school supplies and stationery to various schools 

• Provided over 150,000 books and Educational Aids 

• Built the Nibela Skills Training and Production Centre 

• Facilitated the establishment of 19 Pre-Schools 

• Facilitated the provision of electricity to one school 

• Implemented Edu-peg Educational Tools 

• Conducted Career Guidance for high school students 

• Granted university Bursaries/Scholarships – ongoing on an annual basis 

• Established the Mduku DevCentre Project (Digital Eco Village) 

• Implemented computer training lessons through the DevCentre 

• Conducted Conservation Lessons 

Africa Foundation, January 2008 

24


Health 

• Built 1 Clinic at Mduku and refurbished 1 clinic at KwaJobe 

• Conducted HIV / Aids Awareness Workshops 

• Distributed 233 Hippo Water Rollers 

• Access to water through the provision of water tanks, guttering and a 

borehole at one school 

• Implemented Permaculture Vegetable Garden at one school 

• Established a Skills and Health Centre to offer free HIV training and 

awareness workshops and distribute Positive Health products 

Income Generating Activities 

• Built Mbhedula Market in Mduku; and provided Capacity Building & 

Product Development Training to the Market Committee 

• Provided artisan skills training to 35 individuals from the communities 

Access to natural resources 

• communities remove grass for thatching, reeds for building, illala palms 

buffalo manure (for fertiliser) controlled by Tribal Authority, and quota of 

antelope for consumption (Chief and Iziduna). Resources negotiated 

annually with the reserve manager 

Africa Foundation, January 2008; Andrew 

Campbell, Kevin Pretorius 

25

Local community 

developments from 

Africa Foundation 

26


Social problems: 

• No problems when tourists go out to community 

• There has been poaching (although levels are very low, and mostly 

opportunistic and from a neighbouring community that has not previously 

received many benefits from Phinda). 

Cultural impacts: 

• Cultural tour: includes Sangoma, traditional homestead, see traditional 

dancing, speak to local people (to the two communities), taste zulu beer; 

traditions, purchasing local products – furnishings in rooms; shop produce 

from local women’s markets (with 0% mark-up), cultural 

tours/entertainment, dancing by staff (paid extra in evenings). 

• A free ‘Africa Foundation’ trip also takes place, to see local developments 

• Local community choirs, zulu warriors, childrens choirs, and they have link 

to community. 

• Want tea trolleys made – and local ladies will bead the. Each room will 

have jar of big zulu fighting sticks – will procure locally. 

• Ilala weavers will teach local people how to do beading – and is a zulu craft 

market where ladies are collected from and will set up stalls in lodge 

(infrequently). 

Spenceley and Seif, 2003, Andrew Campbell 

27


Staff accommodation 

• A number of different staff centres currently on the reserve (+/- 

10) and so plan to create one staff village. 

– Frontline will continue to stay at the lodges 

– General staff will stay in 1 village, on land on a 72 year lease from 

the Masaka community outside the reserve (~200-250 staff). The 

value of the lease is still to be determined, and the development is 

planned to start at end of 2008. Plan to get Eskom grid electricity 

there 

• All infrastructure will be outside the reserve (aside from airstrip) 

including workshop, centralised stores. Ranger training camp 

will stay within the reserve 

Motivation for the change is control (supplies and people driving 

into lodges; impacts on game drives visually) and impacts 

(environmental and powerlines to places; waterpipes etc), and 

to upgrade staff accommodation. 



28

Social impacts: 

Training and skills development 

• Guide training program (for all lodges) – with 

training facility at Phinda 

• Human resources training programs for all 

staff. Each employee has a development plan 

of where they want to go. 

• Community skills development - 86 bursaries 

for tertiary studies over 10 years through 

RIF/AF in courses as varied as teaching, 

communications, environmental health, 

nature conservation, business, traffic safety, 

motor mechanics, and social work. 



29

Social impacts: 

Stakeholders and their role 

• Local people 

– 3 main neighbouring communities: Nibela, Mnqobokazi and Makasa 

(2 landowners). 

– Mdleshe community is a 4 th community with further land claim (land is still to 

be gazetted and validation by the state to be completed. Propose an 

arrangement where community gains access to entire remaining land) 

• NGOs: Africa Foundation (set up by CCAfrica group). Stand alone but 

does all work for communities around CCAfrica. Was established by 

CCAfrica (and contributes financially to it). Some confusion within 

community if Phinda or AF helping with donations. 

• Donors: Many, including individuals and institutions 

(www.africafoundation.org) 

• Private sector: CCAfrica, other landowners in the reserve, shareholders 

include Capricorn Investments (Enthoven family – who own Spier too) 

and Getty (who also privately own the Zuka lodge) 

• Government: Addressing the land claim, KZN Wildlife on Black Rhino 

Range expansion program. A public road runs through Phinda that is 

used for extraction of mining operations within Mkuze. 



30

Economic impacts (1) 

• Local ownership/equity: 100% private sector 

(company) 

• Local employment at the enterprise: 

– +/- 80% permanent staff (200 people) are from local 

population 

– 70-75% local wage bill locally (~R10 million p/a), with direct 

and indirect benefits to 1400-1600 people 

– Commitment to at least 60% employees check. 

• Local procurement of products and services: 

– Craft and pots for furnishings and shops from local weavers. 

– 45-50% expenditure on local goods within 50 km 

(R6.7 million p/a). 

– Local excursions and community trips are undertaken, and a 

cultural tour. 

Spenceley and Seif, 2003; Kevin Pretorius 

31

Local 

products 

32

Economic impacts 

• Investment in small businesses: product development for recycled 

paper, charcoal from alien invasive species; sewing company staff 

uniforms; brick making business; Mbhedula market, local taxi driver 

transporting staff, 

• Joint venture fund 

– Phinda assisting in setting up administration and accounting systems and 

will initially manage it, requested by community to do so. 

– Communities have bank accounts 

– All accounts audited annually by independent auditors. 

– Community decide on how to utilize rental incomes, they are in process of 

formulating how this will be done (one of the reasons for the recent 

Tanzania trip was to learn from community landlords there) 

– R9 million assistance fund usage needs to be agreed by Phinda 

management and community trustees. 

– All above agreed by the whole community. 

– Phinda has tried to keep at arms length in this regard but has become 

involved at the communities request. 

• Impact on poverty: Need more detailed wages data 



33

Economic impacts: 

Value chain analysis 

Text box for references 

Waiting for 

data 

34


Capital structure 

Capital structure 

• Trust raised RXX-m ($1.5m): 

– Grants of RX-m ($Y k): 

• R X-million from XXX 

• R X-million from XXX 

• R X from XXX 

– Interest-bearing loans of RX-m 

($Y)*: 

• R 2.5-million from XXX 

• R 2.5-million from XXX 

* Lease rights ceded to IDC as 

security 

• Private operator invested RX 

million 

23% 

38% 

Text box for references 

Waiting for 

data 

39% 

Grants 

Loans 

Private 

35


Commercial issues 

• Viability: 

– Seven luxury lodges offering varying experiences have been 

developed on the reserve: Rock, Forest, Mountain and Vlei, 

Walking (106 beds together), Getty (8), Zuka (8), offering a total of 

122 beds at prices ranging between $350-700 p/p/n 

– Black rhino tourism activities (darting safaris) not enough to finance 

their conservation. 

• Marketing: Brochures, Internet, Trade fairs, Low season offers, 

Links with tour operators, Group contains tour operator. 

• Visitation and demand: 

– Bed occupancies for 2007/8 was 71% across the reserve 

– Forest/Vlei: June-Dec 07 83% bed occupancy 

– Mountain/Rock: June-Dec 07 62% bed occupancy 

• Communication: Email, cellphone, landline, radios for guides 

36 

Spenceley and Seif, 2003; Spenceley and Barnes, 2005

Strengths: 

Current issues and 

replicability 

Long-standing relationship between private 

operator and community 

Established system of channelling donations 

into local development projects with 

substantial impacts 

Secure land tenure 

Commercially viable enterprise 

Good environmental / conservation 

management 

Diverse range of nature-based activities 

Opportunities 

Transfer of land to two local communities 

through land-claim process 

Revenue to community through lease 

substantial and could provide substantial 

opportunities for development 

Options for private lodges 

Weaknesses 

Mechanism for transparency/accountability on spend of 

community revenue still to be established 

Monitoring of environmental, social and economic 

performance, without verification 

No use of renewable energy 

Threats 

One more land claim to settle on the Phinda estate 

Instability caused by initial land claim payment? 

Honey pot effect? 

37

Lessons learned 

• Potential to transform a private sector venture 

effectively into a joint-venture model 

• Long term private sector relationship with 

community reduces risks of land tenure instability 

and poaching 

• Coupling strategy philanthropy with value chainrelated 

benefits and employment 

• Investment in wildlife/land management can be 

profitable 

38

Phinda Private Game Reserve - The African Safari Lodge Foundation

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