Day 5: Raap en Skraap

Toyota Enviro Outreach Team 2013

 Today we moved camp. 

It was clear why the Klipbokkop team with the generous contribution of various sponsors is so successful and has set the standard for logistical support for projects of this nature.

The field kitchen equipped to feed up to 35 people for this trip, was dismantled and loaded on the trailers and bakkies. The group watched attentively as Donnovin demonstrated how to take a tent down – a new skill for many. Within 2 hours we were all set to go and the convoy took the road to our next destination 150km away.

Donnovin showing how to properly dismantle a tent

Hendrik & Donnovin Loading the fridges onto the bakkie

Convoy as we left Klein Pella

We are all grateful for the sponsors who helped to make this possible, in particular the following:
Toyota South Africa for all the vehicles who lead the way, Goodyear for the reliable tyres, National Luna for keeping the food fresh and Jurgens Safari trailers. 4x4 Megaworld provided various camping equipment and Campworld equipped us with the Howling Moon tents.

Camping at Raap & Skraap

Raap en Skraap is another of the Karsten farms in the Benede Orange River and cultivates fruit like grapes and citrus between the sunbaked koppies next to the river. Our first impression on approaching the farm is the extra-ordinary landscape with layers of brown koppies resembling a foreign planet.
This farm is part of Keboes Fruit Farms (Pty) Ltd; Keboes means empowering the people. They do not only empower them financially, but also help them to help themselves. This is done by finding the balance between productivity, social accountability and creating opportunities for people to grow.
Now more about our team of scientists: Simon Luvo Magoswana is part of the team of the 2013 Toyota Enviro Outreach; he is an intern at the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). His interest is mainly in Taxonomy. He recently graduated with a BSc degree in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology from the University of the Western Cape. The 2013 Toyota Outreach was an opportunity he grabbed with both hands; this is his first Outreach. The Outreach allowed him to “test drive” the knowledge and skills he had acquired at university.

The Outreach has been a major learning curve for him as the team includes highly experienced scientists such as Dr Anthony Magee from SANBI. Simon has acquired new skills through the Outreach, such as the proper way of collecting specimens and preparing them for preservation in the herbarium at Compton (Cape Town). He had never been to the Gariep desert before. Through the Toyota Outreach he was able to explore the beauty of nature in this part of the country. For Simon, the highlight of the trip was being part of a successful project and to be among experienced scientists. He was the finder of the top specimen for the day at Springbok (haemanthus crispus). As part of the “Springbok team” he was also the one who spotted the hondebal, the common name for larrryleachia marlothii.