De Rust farm community, wildlife handed lifeline by Landy owners and partners
The Land Rover Owners Namibia and project partners handed over water installation and borehole to the value of N$230,000.
The Landy Association Chairperson Gundula Perry with project partner representatives Ralf Schomarz (Afritin) and Johan van der Westhuizen, Izak Smit (DeLHRA), Johannes Haasbroek (EHRA), Kurt Haensel (Dis Engineering), Basil Calitz (Brandberg Rest Camp) and Georg Rüdiger , handed over the new water installation and borehole to the de Rust farm community over the weekend.
This project was directly as a result of a smart partnership between all stake holders who hold nature close to heart and have a passion for the environment and ongoing sustainability of water supply to this very dry area.
The idea of assistance from Landy Association stems from having held two successful Land Rover Festivals in Uis in the past few years and thus wanting to give back to community and wildlife in this area.
With the new installation, the association achieved this by ensuring water provision to the de Rust farm community, who not only had experienced the loss of their borehole and thus access to precious water when it collapsed some time back, but also suffered the loss of their farm animals in 2018 – namely 27 goats and sheep and two donkeys – in human wildlife conflicts.
Project partner Izak Smit from Desert Lion Human Relations Aid informed the attending guests who also included representatives from Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Siegfried Gawiseb and his colleague and from the Ministry of Rural Water and Agriculture, Karel Witbooi as well as Councilor Jaqueline Awases and Headman Ismael //Gaseb of the assistance given to the de Rust farmers at the time; replacing the animals taken out by so called ‘Desert Lions’ and assisting in securing their kraals.
The renewed access to water should now also prevent the farm animals from venturing into the swamps in the Ugab river-bed in search of water and then being ambushed by the waiting ‘Desert Lions’.
Johannes Haasbroek from Elephant Human Relation Aid briefed the guests on his organisation’s vision of a peaceful co-existence with the Elephants in the region. A grateful Mama Rosa of de Rust and Chief //Gaseb gave some closing words at the ceremony.
Caption: (from left to right); Officially handing over the installation: Ralf Schomarz (Afritin), Georg Rüdiger, Mama Rosa (de Rust community), Kurt Haensel (Dis Engineering), Gundula Perry (LRON) with Basil Calitz (Brandberg Rest Camp) behind and Izak Smit (DeLHRA) and Johannes Haasbroek (EHRA) to the right.
