Provincial reserve gets R1,2m boost

THE establishment of the Dinokeng Game Reserve in Gauteng - one of 10 projects in the provincial government's R1,7bn Blue IQ initiative - was boosted by the acquisition of ten disease-free buffalo, to the value of R1,2m. The destination is now at an advanced planning stage, says Mary Metcalfe, Gauteng provincial minister (MEC) for Agriculture, Conservation, Environment and Land Affairs. "Once established, Dinokeng - which borders Mpumalamga and the Northern Province - will offer visitors a high impact experience of African wildlife and culture on the province's doorstep and within minutes of the Johannesburg International Airport and Pretoria." The buffalo were obtained from the Willem Pretorius Nature Reserve in the Free State and will be released into the Gauteng Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Land Affairs' (Dacel) Leeuwfontein Collaborative Nature Reserve, located at the centre of the proposed Dinokeng reserve. (Adéle Mackenzie)