Lotsane Safaris MD Carl Knight has taken the CT27 community development and conservation vision to Dallas, Texas, as the company looks beyond its own investment commitments to mobilise and build technical partnerships around conservation, education, water and anti-poaching, human-wildlife conflict and broader community development for communities across Bobirwa.
Knight’s engagements in the United States included discussions with senior figures in the Dallas Safari Club and the international conservation community. The discussions form part of Lotsane Safaris’ efforts to build technical partnerships around conservation, education, water, anti-poaching, human-wildlife conflict management and broader community development linked to the CT27 landscape.
This complements current efforts in the community from numerous schools that have been revamped, Starlink expansion to different schools to revamp of traditional leadership institutions. These include refurbishment works at Semolale Primary School, restoration projects at Gobojango Junior Secondary School following fire damage, the installation of Starlink internet connectivity at Mathathane Primary School, internet connectivity for customary courts, support to traditional leadership institutions, donations of office equipment and community support during the Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak.
He said the Dallas engagement represents the next stage of a community programme that Lotsane Safaris has already started implementing ahead of the commencement of its 15-year hunting rights agreement.
“We went to Dallas with a very simple proposition: if wildlife is going to have sustainable value, the communities living alongside that wildlife must see and experience that value. We are putting our own resources into Bobirwa, but we also want to bring international conservation expertise and partnerships into these communities.”
The approach has potential alignment with the international conservation organisations Knight engaged. DSC says its mission centres on wildlife conservation through public engagement, education, well-regulated hunting and sustainable use. DSC’s charitable Foundation, DSC Foundation, provides support for landscape-scale conservation involving community management authorities, anti-poaching programmes and initiatives demonstrating measurable benefits of wildlife conservation to local communities and livelihoods. Africa is specifically identified among its areas of focus.
Taking Bobirwa’s Development Case Internationally
For Knight, the Dallas engagements are intended to broaden what the CT27 partnership can ultimately deliver. Lotsane Safaris’ existing development plans envisage investment in schools, water infrastructure, roads, employment and skills development, anti-poaching, community security and conservation programmes alongside the commercial operation of CT27.
The company has already developed a broader funding proposition aimed at attracting international conservation resources into the approximately 2.2-million-hectare CT27 landscape, including programmes addressing anti-poaching, human-wildlife conflict, education, digital connectivity, water infrastructure and community resilience.
“Our ambition is bigger than operating a hunting concession,” Knight said. “We want CT27 to become an example of how wildlife, international conservation capital and responsible private investment can combine to improve people’s lives.”
Schools Already Seeing Investment
That development programme is already visible in parts of Bobirwa.
Before the CT27 agreement becomes operational, Lotsane Safaris has undertaken projects that include refurbishment and maintenance work at Semolale Primary School, rehabilitation of the fire-damaged kitchen at Gobojango Junior Secondary School, and installation of Starlink internet connectivity at Mathathane Primary School and numerous other schools among other interventions.
The company’s work has also extended to connectivity in community institutions, support for customary courts and traditional leadership, community food assistance and other social investments. The initiatives have been acknowledged independently by schools, Government institutions, district authorities and traditional leaders.
Chief Isaya Madema of Semolale described Lotsane Safaris as playing a significant role in the development of Bobirwa District and highlighted the company’s investment in Starlink connectivity, schools, traditional leadership and community support.
“All these were done despite the fact that their contract with the Four Trusts in Bobirwa has not commenced. This shows reliability and honesty on the promises to the communities,” Chief Madema said.
He further described the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility contribution as an important step towards fostering stronger partnerships with communities and highlighted prospective projects including boreholes, road works and support for community organisations.
Jobs, Skills and Local Enterprise
The longer-term CT27 programme is also expected to create employment and enterprise opportunities within participating communities. Lotsane Safaris’ business plan envisages permanent employment in camp operations, hospitality, guiding, maintenance and administration, together with additional temporary employment during construction and peak tourism periods.
The company has committed to prioritising recruitment from CT27 communities and providing skills development in areas including hospitality, tourism, guiding, conservation and anti-poaching. A local-first procurement approach is also intended to direct expenditure towards businesses and service providers within surrounding communities wherever feasible.
The planned development of an eco-conscious tented camp is expected to support both hunting-season visitors and non-hunting tourism during the off-season, creating opportunities for economic activity beyond the hunting calendar.
More Than P35 Million Directly to Community Trusts
The international funding initiative would be additional to the financial consideration already committed under the CT27 Hunting Rights Agreement.
The 15-year agreement provides for an initial annual consideration of approximately P1.65 million, escalating by five percent annually and amounting to more than P35.6 million over the life of the agreement.
That amount excludes the company’s expenditure on infrastructure, employment, conservation, skills development and Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives.
Knight said bringing additional international resources into Bobirwa would allow the communities to derive substantially greater value from the partnership than the contractual payments alone.
“The annual payments are important, but they should not define the ceiling of what these communities can receive. If we can connect Bobirwa to organisations with conservation resources, expertise and global networks, we can multiply the impact significantly.”
Building a Conservation and Community Legacy
Knight’s Dallas mission comes as debate continues around the CT27 agreement, but Lotsane Safaris says its focus is increasingly on implementation and demonstrating what the partnership can deliver on the ground.
The company’s approach is to combine its contractual commitments with corporate social investment and third-party conservation funding to build a broader development platform around CT27.
For communities, that could ultimately mean more classrooms connected to the internet, improved school facilities, jobs and skills, better roads and water infrastructure, stronger anti-poaching capacity, opportunities for local businesses and additional resources for community institutions.
For Knight, securing international partners is therefore as important as securing international hunting clients.
“Fifteen years from now, we should not measure this partnership simply by how many hunting seasons were completed. We should measure it by the schools improved, people employed and trained, boreholes drilled, businesses supported, wildlife conserved and communities whose opportunities changed. That is the legacy we are trying to build.”
