April proved to be a busy month at Ingwelala, with continued rainfall causing the Nhlaralumi River to once again flow bank-to-bank during the month.
Efforts to repair river crossings and roads continued, with multiple river crossings open and traversable. Various informative presentations were held for Members during the busy holiday period, and staff training was provided on-site for scorpion sting first response. Other activities for the month included fire risk mitigation, invasive plant control, and road verge trimming.
Temperatures during the month were mild, with overcast days and rain scattered throughout. Once again, the rainfall measured was above average, extending the wet season into autumn. Despite green veld conditions, the fire danger index remains high due to the high biomass available, and as such extreme caution is advised when making any fires.
Please ensure that all fires are adequately extinguished, and covered with a steel fire drum, before leaving them unattended.
For your interest, a summary of our climactic figures from the month is below.
Lowest Temp: 15.01°C (Avg: 18.4°C)
Highest Temp: 33.7°C (Avg: 28.4°C)
Rainfall for the month: 65.4mm
(Avg: 27.1mm)
Year-to-date (July to June): 1255.2mm
Fire Danger Index: Dangerous*
*FDI: With exceedingly high biomass following the heavy rains, and unpredictable wind gusts, the Fire Danger Index remains high despite the green veld conditions. Please remain cautious.
Roads and river crossings
As winter approaches, saturation levels on the reserve remain extremely high. While some river crossings have been repaired and compacted, the riverbeds will still take time to dry out enough for the remaining crossings to be serviceable and traversable. This is currently dependent on each crossing and its localised area along the river’s course. As it stands, conditions require re-assessment following each recorded rainfall, as the river crossings are particularly susceptible to over-saturation.
As such, traversing updates or changes regarding river crossings are given via radio announcements in the mornings, or as and when required. However, closed river crossings are clearly demarcated with barricades and should not be used. These closures are out of necessity - not only to conserve the conditions of the crossings and riverbanks, and the effort being put into repairing them, but also to prevent unnecessary strain on Member vehicles and the responding company fleet.
Open river crossings still require the use of 4X4 low range, and must be forded with care and caution.
Fire safety
With unusually high biomass available following the substantial rains this year, it is vital that fire safety remains at the forefront of all minds the coming months. Along with the updated fire safety documentation provided at each bungalow, Ingwelala is in the process of upgrading other crucial fire safety equipment and preparing for the upcoming dry season. Efforts include upgraded paving and accessibility at various fire hose reels in camp, and the continued servicing and upgrades of fire extinguishers and other firefighting equipment in the company fleet.
Please be advised that in the coming weeks, manual firebreak clearing around all infrastructure will commence, which includes the clearing of vegetation around every bungalow, office structure, staff housing facilities, bomas, hides and viewing sites. Further, firebreak maintenance around the camp’s perimeter fence and the property boundaries will also be underway.
We request your patience and understanding as we prioritise these essential fire safety precautions in May and June, as these actions are obligatory to comply with our short-term insurance cover and policies.
Invasive plants
Efforts continue to control invasive plant species at Ingwelala - both in camp and on the reserve. Invasive cacti such as Prickly Pears (Opuntia spp.) are treated with biocontrol agents, while other plants such as Mexican Poppy (Argemone mexicana) and Hummingbird Tree (Sesbania spp.) are mechanically removed.
Although the extensive rainfall, flowing rivers, and extremely lush veld conditions have provided some challenges in this regard, checks on previously treated cacti show that the majority have responded well to treatment and can be used to harvest biocontrol agents for future treatments on site. A small handful will need re-treatment, likely due to the biocontrol agents having been introduced shortly before the extended rainfall began, thus not having had enough time for the biocontrol agents to have established sufficiently before the rains began.
Mechanical removal of other species continues, with multiple Sesbania plants, in particular, having been removed on the property. Thank you to the Members who have reported new invasive plants this year. Please continue to do so, especially as the vegetation continues to thin out and visibility in the veld increases. If there are any plants that Members are unsure of, please report them for the conservation team to identify.
Vegetation trimming on road verges
With extensive vegetation growth this season, and numerous trees pushed over the roads by elephants, it has been a busy month in the field for the conservation team.
While efforts are ongoing to trim vegetation away from the road verges, continued rainfall provided an ongoing challenge as vegetation continued to grow well into autumn. While the team continued to target the most overgrown areas first, and always trimmed on-the-go, Members were gracious in assisting with verge trimming using the tools at the entrance gate - thank you for your assistance!
Please continue to report any trees blocking roads, so that the team can respond quickly. This will assist greatly in targeting the most urgent concerns first. If a tree is blocking the road, it is kindly requested that an alternative route is used until the team can safely remove the tree and re-open the road.
Thank you for your assistance!
Staff members of the month
With the extensive effort put into repairing river crossings during the month, it is only fitting to honour Chris Mdluli as staff member of the month!
Chris is a dedicated tractor driver, with particularly unchallenged skills with a grader. He is the go-to man for any road or river crossing maintenance or repairs and spent the vast majority of the month expertly fixing roads, repairing river crossings, and making magic happen in especially challenging circumstances - to say the least!
Thanks to the efforts of Chris and the team, many river crossings are now traversable, increasing route options and accessibility on all properties.
Thank you, Chris, for your patience and perseverance - it is greatly appreciated!
Notes from the conservation team
Thank you to all Members who have assisted with reporting roads of concern, trees and branches over roads, and assisted with monitoring of open river crossing conditions - especially after each substantial rain. This assistance was of great value to the team throughout the month as each new rain brought forward new and repeated challenges. As efforts continue in the coming months, the team will be focused primarily on fire risk mitigation and continued road and river crossing maintenance and repair, and Members’ continued support and assistance will be appreciated as these mammoth tasks are tackled.
As a reminder, it is strongly advised to only use 4X4 low range when traversing open river crossings on the reserve. For added traction, tyre pressure can also be reduced slightly. Even the open crossings remain wet, and as such need to be crossed with care and slow-and-steady momentum. There have been instances of vehicles getting stuck, and requiring tractor-recovery, exclusively due to 4X4 low range not being engaged. In these instances, repairs at those river crossings have been necessary due to wheel-spinning and digging into riverbeds and banks, loosening the compacted soil. It is vital to preserve the condition of these banks and crossings and avoid unnecessary strain on the already-busy tractor fleet and team. Each instance that requires further repairs also means that other vehicles can temporarily not use that crossing until repairs are complete and the crossing is re-compacted enough to be used again. As a reminder, Land Cruisers require that the diffs are locked on the hubs themselves!
Lastly, please be advised that bush walks are not available at this time due to incredibly thick veld conditions and high saturation levels - conditions are simply not safe yet. Considering the unprecedented and extended rainfall, bush walks will be opened once conditions are deemed safe enough to do so. Thank you for your patience and understanding in this regard.
Building Projects
John Llewellyn, represents the Building Committee at reserve level regarding all building related issues to members bungalows. Members are welcome to call Reception ahead of their visits to enquire what building related disturbances may be encountered in the vicinity of their bungalows.
Current (major) building projects are listed below:
- #7: Patio tiles relaid. External paint.
- #9: Internal altertions.
- #24: New stand-alone gazebo on existing patio.
- #87: Refurbish outside shower and door replacement.
- #105: New bathroom tiles.
- #139: Demolish and rebuild.
- #157: Internal alterations.
- #207: Re-thatch and internal renovations.
Words by Tess Woollgar. Images courtesy of Tess Woollgar, Josh Hibbet, Aimee Langenhoven, and as noted on individual photos.