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Figure 2 . Farmer Piet Cronje ‘ PC ’ Ferreira , the driver of the Karoo Seekoei River Nature Reserve initiative in the central Karoo , tends to a beehive on his property . He hopes to use hives as a common thread in linking the 13 towns around the proposed reserve . ( Photo : Angus Begg )
looks healthy , with white-fronted swallows and darting swifts feasting on invisible insects in flight .
“ When he sees me , he is curious and usually comes over .”
The tell-tale collection of bubbles next to the reeds on the opposite bank of the river signals the presence of the sole Seekoei River hippo moving quickly beneath the surface , causing me to think of the almost comical television documentary footage of hippos “ swim-running ” underwater . He pops up about 40 m away .
This hippo , alone in the Great Karoo , has nowhere to run to , nothing to run for . Hopefully not for much longer , says Ferreira , who is waiting for news from SANParks about a hippo cow that will be relocated from the Kruger Park to this part of the Seekoei River .
He is also waiting for four white rhinos to be delivered , which is in addition to the small herd of buffalo already on his farm .
South Africa ’ s largest private nature reserve ?
It is this narrative , of large mammals ’ prior existence and relative extinction in the Karoo , that is behind Ferreira ’ s proposal for the declaration of a 450,000 ha Karoo Seekoei River Nature Reserve ( KSRNR ).
In preparing to restore the river ’ s hippo population , he had the family ’ s farm declared as the Karoo Gariep Nature Reserve 21 years ago . This entailed applying for “ hippo permits , obtaining [ government ] fencing directives and developing a section of the Seekoei River into an approved environment for hippo ”.
The first hippos were released in December 2006 , with “ babies sighted ” in January 2008 , 2013 and 2014 .
For his efforts in getting hippos back to the Seekoei River , Ferreira was recognised by former SANParks CEO Dr David Mabunda in 2008 with a Kudu Award in the Community Contribution to Conservation category .
The award recognised his efforts in increasing “ biodiversity in the region , but also increased tourist traffic to the area , which is benefiting the whole community ”.
It ’ s a point echoed by Johan Jonk , the stewardship biodiversity officer of the Northern Cape Department of Agriculture , Land Reform and Rural Development , who has worked with Ferreira .
“ If the initiative were to become a reality , it potentially could contribute in two ways – safeguard biodiversity ( an entire river from source to mouth ) and further develop the economy in a sustainable way ,” Jonk says .
In a landscape where faith is often relied on to bring rain , the two men seem to be singing from the same hymn sheet .
Wildlife and livestock
“ I believe that the Seekoei River Initiative is important and that every effort [ should ] be made to make it a reality ,” says Jonk .
In keeping with his portfolio , he also adopts an economic view , emphasising that the farms that would be involved in the KSRNR are mostly stock farms that cannot be developed any further as stock farms , because grazing capacity has already been reached .
Figure 3 . The central Karoo landscape tells a story of beauty and economic hard times . ( Photo : Supplied )
Grassroots Vol 22 No 1 March 2022 38