In honor of International Mandela day, together with a specialized them, founder of Conservation Guardians, Greg Vogt (57) and Italian-born, Sara Agostini (28) have taken on the mammoth challenge of rescuing the Shongweni Resource Reserve which has deteriorated since the land claim in 2013.

The reserve situated in Outer West, Ethikweni is 1700 hectares of pristine biodiversity and is currently home to 12 Giraffe, 12 Buffalo and a number of other species.

Conservation Guardians founded in 2008, cooperates with local structures, Conservation Authorities and global tourism organizations to achieve biodiversity targets, improve the welfare of wildlife, and the integrity of tourism and aims to inspire a community of conscious travellers.

“Conservation Guardians is mandated with the task of restoring the Shongweni Resource Reserve back to its original splendour and we will not be able to achieve this without the right attitude, the right people and the necessary resources.” - says Greg.

Hoping to raise funds to maintain the reserve for the next 3 months, Greg and Sara have committed to paddle for 67 km’s on what would have been Nelson Mandela’s 100th Birthday and have set up a campaign on donations based crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy to appeal to the public for support.

The campaign went live on 13 July 2018 and has thus far raised R8 398.54 towards their fundraising target of R350 000 with contributions from 20 donors.

The funds will be used to cover vital operational costs and combat various threats to the sustainability of the facility as well as protect the ecosystem from poaching, vandalism, copper and brass theft from the dam wall.

“The fences that keep these animals safe have never been maintained and today the beautiful herd of giraffes, and the other animals are at risk and are exposed to various threats. Since the previous managing company has been operating the reserve, it has deteriorated and it’s been really upsetting to the Zwelibonvu community” – says Greg

Sara, who joined Conservation Guardians in October 2017, has fallen in love with South Africa. As a student studying foreign languages and international relation she has visited SA a number of times and hopes to protect its beauty.

“This beautiful country offers one culture, ancient and modern architecture and diverse natural experiences, from the ocean to the mountains. This place has nourished my soul since I was a child and believe our BackaBuddy campaign can make a difference. if our Madiba has taught us anything, is that nothing is impossible”- says Sara

Donate to this campaign here:

https://www.backabuddy.co.za/shongweni67

About Backabuddy

A proudly South African crowdfunding platform where individuals have the opportunity to raise funds for causes they feel passionate about.

BackaBuddy has raised over R70 million for various charities, individuals and causes across South Africa.

Website: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BackabuddySA/

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

WESTERN CAPE, 19 JULY 2016 – The 55^th annual Berg River Canoe Marathon took place from Wednesday 13^th July to Saturday 16^th July 2016 and saw paddlers from all over the world competing in the 4-day stage race covering 240 km from Paarl to Velddrif in the Western Cape.

It was a warm winter’s day in the Swartland for the first stage of the Berg River Canoe Marathon, matched with some heated racing on tough, low-water river conditions that eventually saw defending champions, Hank McGregor, set up an overnight lead after the 62km first stage.

With an eleventh Berg title in his sights, McGregor also claimed the first-to-bridge prize at the Hermon Bridge, going into the second stage of the race with a significant advantage in that he takes with him his time trial winning margin, which took his overall lead over Simon van Gysen to just 20 seconds, with Adrian Boros in third place overall, despite his second place finish on the Wednesday.

On Day Two, McGregor, with a lead of 20 seconds over Van Gysen, cut his head open on a branch – an accident, which opened a one minute gap for Van Gysen to get ahead. McGregor caught Van Gysen as they made their way from Zonquasdrift to Bridgetown, but the last two kilometres made all the difference. McGregor powered through to the finish as a tired Van Gysen was unable to keep up. The Hungarian, Adrian Boros, battled with the stage, allowing McGregor to gain a solid lead.

McGregor said: “I knew in the last few kilometres that I had to put the hammer down and I got a bit of a gap and I am happy with the result and another stage win”.

The infamous 72km third stage of the 2016 Berg River Canoe Marathon saw plenty of drama as the international duo of Adrian Boros and Petr Mojžíšek matched McGregor right up to the final end sprint.

The 72km stage from Bridgetown to Zoutkloof threatened to produce the goods following an exciting bunch start in the morning, which set off at a blistering pace, and the front group of four, McGregor, Boros, Mojžíšek, and local, Edgar Boehm Jnr, opened a significant gap at the first portage at the Misverstand Dam wall.

Said McGregor “A 72km stage is never going to be easy and it hurts, it doesn’t matter who you are. I was just really chuffed to be on the front bunch and I appreciated the great sportsmen that I was racing with.” 

Despite the running repairs overnight, Jeep Team /Euro Steel/Kayak Centre star, Hank McGregor, won a well-contested end sprint on Friday’s stage 3, and with it, cemented his place at the front of the race for stage 4’s final 60 kilometre into Velddrif, the final hurdle between him and an eleventh Berg title.

Reaching the final day of the Berg River Marathon, McGregor started with a seven minute advantage, and this was enough to cement his eleventh Berg title win.  The world champion paddler was seldom seen alone in the stages of the race, but he managed to take the lead from the time trial to the end keeping a consistent speed throughout the marathon, leading to his eleventh Berg River Canoe Marathon title victory.

Concluded McGregor, “It’s not every day that you race against guys that you raced against in separate World Championships where they both came second behind me, but this year’s race was definitely a prestigious one with a couple world champions and a couple world champ medallists on the start line.”

RESULTS MEN

DAY ONE

1. HANK MCGREGOR 4:28:59.88
2. SIMON VAN GYSEN 4:29:22.80
3. ADRIAN BOROS 4:29:41.19

DAY TWO

1. HANK MCGREGOR 3:26:16.40
2. SIMON VAN GYSEN 3:27:11.00
3. ADRIAN BOROS 3:42:21.05

DAY THREE

1. HANK MCGREGOR 5:24:50.77
2. SIMON VAN GYSEN 5:31:10.71
3. ADRIAN BOROS 5:24:55.20

DAY FOUR

1. HANK MCGREGOR 4:17:32.49
2. SIMON VAN GYSEN 4:17:34.03
3. ADRIAN BOROS 4:20:25.98

FINAL RESULT

1. HANK MCGREGOR 17:37:39.55
2. SIMON VAN GYSEN 17:45:18.55
3. ADRIAN BOROS 17:57:23.43

Have a look at the following platforms to keep up to date with Jeep Team SA:

Website:       www.jeepteam.co.za
Facebook:     www.facebook.com/jeepteamsa
Twitter:         @jeepteamsa
Instagram:    JeepTeamSA

For more information, please contact:
Bronwen Blunden - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Viv Quann - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

22 JUNE 2016, SCOTTBURGH, DURBAN – Thursday, the 16^th of June 2016, saw Jeep Team’s surfski paddler, Barry Lewin, and his racing partner, Lee Furby, amongst the first six boats to break the 46.5-km Scottburgh to Brighton Surfski race record, which was set in 1998, by some 16 minutes.

Lewin and Furby came in 3^rd after a nail-biting sprint finish between winners, Matthew Bouman/Wade Krieger, and Luke Nesbit/Gene Prato. Officials were unable to make out a winner between Bouman/Krieger and Nesbit/Prato boats, and unanimously called the race a tie win.

Having initially not planned to participate in the race due to its length and level of difficulty, 3^rd placed Lewin/Furby came into the race with less-than-desirable preparation, which slowed them down in the first 10km. According to Lewin, he was sore from gym sessions over the two previous days, which saw him take around 10km to loosen up.

Said Lewin, “No matter the results, surfski paddling, and specifically, downwind surfski paddling, was the winner. This was all due to the strong community around our sport and the great people I like to call my peers. Thank you, thank you and thank you to all involved in retaining the true essence of why we paddle.”

Lewin will be competing in the FNB Durban Downwind on the 25/26 of June. Some of the best surfski racers in the world will converge on Durban this weekend for the 2016 FNB Durban Downwind, setting the stage for another world-class duel as this World Surfski Series title event draws top elite ocean racers to Durban’s idyllic wintery conditions for this 26km clash.

With the backing of title sponsor, FNB, the event boasts a R40 000 prize purse across its various age categories and stands as Durban’s premier surfski event.

The format for 2016 will be a 26km race between La Mercy and Marine SLC with the course direction dependent on the wind direction on the day. The two-day window period allows organisers the best possible chance of the best conditions over the 25^th and 26^th June.

The singles and doubles races will take place simultaneously with the singles clash being the primary focus; however doubles are still welcome at the event.

SCOTTBURGH TO BRIGHTON RESULTS:

1. Matthew Bouman/Wade Krieger - 2:40:59
2. Luke Nesbit/Gene Prato - 2:40:59
3. Barry Lewin/Lee Furby - 2:46:42
4. Brett Hadiaris /Thomas Lovemore - 2:47:43
5. Zoog Haynes / Linton Hoper - 2:53:44
6. Brett Bartho/Grant van der Walt - 2:56:18

#JeepTeamSA

For more information please contact Bronwen Blunden on 079 060 1905 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.