INGE KOTZE , SINGITA ’ S GENERAL MANAGER OF CONSERVATION ,
OVERSEES INITIATIVES TO PROTECT 500,000 ACRES OF
AFRICAN WILDERNESS .
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PROFILE
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INGE KOTZE , SINGITA ’ S GENERAL MANAGER OF CONSERVATION ,
OVERSEES INITIATIVES TO PROTECT 500,000 ACRES OF
AFRICAN WILDERNESS .
Contributed by JULIANA SHALLCROSS
s a child , Inge Kotze and her family
A moved around South Africa quite a bit , from rural towns to the coast , thanks to her father ’ s job in the forestry business . But for many years , Kotze was a regular visitor to the sweeping Kruger National Park in northeast South Africa , one of the largest game reserves on the continent , where leopards and elephants are routinely spotted .
Leopards long have been one of her personal passions , but today , her passion is a part of her daily duties . Kotze is responsible for protecting leopards and preserving Singita ’ s concession , which includes two lodges , within the 8,000 square miles of Kruger ’ s wilderness , along with other sacred spaces in Africa as general manager of conservation with Singita , the luxury safari lodging company .
She ’ s only been in the job for five months , but with two decades ’ experience in conservation and biodiversity programs within South Africa , most recently with the World Wide Fund for Nature , she ’ s well-equipped to handle one of Singita ’ s most important company purposes : low-volume ecotourism that ultimately funds long-term conservation .
“ The Singita model has been a very fascinating model and its revenue stream has been well-studied in both tourism and conservation circles ,” Kotze says of Singita ’ s purpose — which is what actually attracted to her to the job .
CREATING MIRACLES Singita , which means “ Places of Miracles ” in the Shangaan language , was started over 25 years
42 hotelsmag . com April 2020