On Saturday 24 May 2014 the inaugural STORMFEST took place at Linksfield Primary in Johannesburg.

Linksfield Primary School’s sports field became animated and alive to the sound of several premium Home grown South African Bands which included;

Saving Silence - A contemporary rock band from the East Rand

Brent Harris and Thee Jam

Mean Mr Mustard who brought an all new line-up and repertoire to the scene with the best contemporary pop, rock and dance music

An all girl group - SAMA nominated BlackByrd have enjoyed great success following their release of their hit single "All of Me"

As well as Storm In Africa - An astonishing performance by Storm a 15 year old lead vocalist (Never Stop Dreaming)

A message from Storm to all aspiring artists out there,

"I want to be an ambassador to South Africa and unite the youth from all corners through my music and make a difference in South Africa. I want to give hope to all who want to pursue a career in music, no matter how young or old they may be, as we are the future moving forward in this beautiful land that we have been blessed with"

DJ Vin Deysel who ended off the evening at an ALL TIME high with everyone, young and old, rocking to his ever so famous VINMIX!

This was the 1st of a series of events to be held by STORMFEST SA, it is set to become one of the country’s premier music festivals hosted 8 times a year throughout Africa, where the focus is on showcasing local South African Talent and Social Responsibility.

It is a proudly SA initiative and the concept was founded by Robby Harrison and Eugene Dippenaar. The event where music meets passion was met with the utmost anticipation of some of SA's leading music industry talent.

The goal of STORMFEST is to provide the schools with funds to enable upgrades on computer systems for the learners and to improve the learning and studying environment for the pupils at the schools involved.

Well done to Robby and Eugene for an extremely well executed event, the sound and event production was nothing short of top quality.

A Big Thank you to all our sponsors that helped to make this incredible event possible;

Bene Water, V Energy Drink, PlayStation, Tiger Brands, Marshall Music

To find out more about STORMFEST SA and where you can catch us performing next or if you would like to be involved in our proudly SA initiative for more details go to:

www.stormfestsa.co.za

http://storminafrica.com

Follow us on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Storm-Fest-SA/678198092242935

Twitter @stormfest

For any media, press related or general enquiries contact:

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

                                 060 739 3245

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

                                  076 184 9935

The Twitter Blanket Drive (TBD) is a uniquely South African, community-driven response to the needs of the poor during the winter months of the year. Initiated in 2010 by Founder, Melanie Minnaar, the Twitter Blanket Drive started with a single tweet:

What if each person on Twitter donated a blanket?

Since then, the Twitter Blanket Drive movement has grown exponentially, and thousands of blankets have been collected, and thereafter distributed to a range of social assistance organisations across the country. For 2014, events will be held across the country on 29 May. Through a well-coordinated and objectively managed process, collection points and events are created across the country. Various events are held and take the form of a “Tweetup”, whereby Twitter users tweet about donating their blankets and all enjoy a meal or drink at the collection point. Collection points have generally been restaurants or cafes.

The Twitter Blanket Drive has injected a true sense of community into the South African Twittersphere, as Twitter users across the country join in to help disadvantaged communities keep warm during the winter months.

Official #TBD2014 events will take place at:

Johannesburg – Protea Hotel, Fire and Ice - 22 Whitley Street, Melrose Precinct 

Cape Town – Protea Hotel, Fire and Ice - New Church Street, Tamboerskloof

Durban – Protea Hotel, Umhlanga Ridge – 14 Palm Boulevard, Umhlanga

Drop off Venues Include 

Spiga D’Oro (Morningside)         Spiga D’Oro (Durban North)          St Clement’s (Musgrave)

For people who are unable to attend the main event on 29 May, there are also a number of collection points across the cities – tweet @tbdafrica for a full list! For Durban, blanket collection boxes have been placed at: The Durban Twitter Blanket Drive will collect blankets for Grace Family Church. All blankets donated will be handed over to Grace Family Church, who will distribute them to a variety of social assistance organisations throughout KwaZulu-Natal.

ENDS For more information on events, blanket collection points and beneficiaries, please contact: Durban Twitter Blanket Drive Event Organiser – Fred Felton @fredfelton Johannesburg Twitter Blanket Drive Event Organiser – Serena Grobler @SerenaCG Cape Town Twitter Blanket Drive Event Organiser – Merentia van der Ven - @Merentia Follow the Twitter Blanket Drive on Twitter: #TBD2014 @tbdafrica

Web: www.twitterblanketdrive.wordpress.com

21 May 2014 – City Lodge Hotel group today announced that 3 of its Hotels have received TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence awards. The accolade, which honours hospitality excellence, is given only to establishments that consistently achieve outstanding traveller reviews on TripAdvisor, and is extended to qualifying businesses worldwide. Establishments awarded the Certificate of Excellence are located all over the world and represent the upper echelon of businesses listed on the website. The 3 Hotels that received the award were the City Lodge Hotel OR Tambo International Airport, the Courtyard Hotel Port Elizabeth and the Country Lodge Nairobi.

When selecting Certificate of Excellence winners, TripAdvisor uses a proprietary algorithm to determine the honorees that takes into account reviews ratings. Businesses must maintain an overall TripAdvisor bubble rating of at least four out of five, volume and recency of reviews. Additional criteria include a business’ tenure and popularity ranking on the site.

Winning the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence is a true source of pride for the entire team at City Lodge Hotels and we’d like to thank all of our past guests who took the time to complete a review on TripAdvisor. There is no greater seal of approval than being recognized by one’s customers. With the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence based on customer reviews, the accolade is a remarkable vote of confidence to our business and our continued commitment to excellence.

“TripAdvisor is pleased to honour exceptional hospitality businesses for consistent excellence,” said Marc Charron, President of TripAdvisor for Business. “The Certificate of Excellence award gives top performing establishments around the world the recognition they deserve, based on feedback from those who matter most – their customers. From Australia to Zimbabwe, we want to applaud exceptional hospitality businesses for offering TripAdvisor travellers a great customer experience.”

Courtyard Hotel Port Elizabeth has received a fantastic makeover over the past five months, ensuring an even higher standard of accommodation, features and facilities for its discerning guests.

The new-look hotel was officially re-introduced to corporates and the travel and hospitality trade at a function attended by about 100 people on May 15. 

Begun on January 9 and completed on May 12, the refurbishment has been extremely well received by guests – both first time visitors and regulars. Blending in superbly with the hotel’s close proximity to the sea, a nautical theme has been introduced to the hotel’s public areas.

All of the hotel’s rooms and suites have been treated to painting, carpeting and tiling while woodwork and upholstery has been replenished and improved. Lighting has also given some attention with low energy LED fittings sharply reducing lighting expenses and environmental impact.   

According to the hotel’s GM, Eduard van Zyl, a fresh, comfortable minimalism remains in the hotel which has built up a strong group of loyal followers over the years. “The response to our makeover has been overwhelming and we look forward to sharing our new-look hotel with many satisfied guests in the months and years to come,” said van Zyl.

Courtyard Hotel PE is one of five hotels the City Lodge Hotel Group owns and operates in Nelson Mandela Bay – the other being City Lodge Hotel Port Elizabeth, Town Lodge Port Elizabeth, Road Lodge Port Elizabeth and Road Lodge Port Elizabeth Airport.

Courtyard Hotel Port Elizabeth’s makeover is part of the City Lodge Hotel Group’s ongoing commitment to keep its hotels as fresh, relevant and modern as possible.

[May 2014, Cape Town] Adversity is something none of us likes to think of, but in a moment one situation can change our entire lives. While insurance companies maximise the reality of this eventuality, most people are still completely blind-sided when adversity hits them. As a result, the obvious by-products of experiencing misfortune can be depression, a complete lack of self-esteem and even financial loss.  

Whilst all of the above are very evident across South Africa in the unemployed sector of the population today, there is the occasional diamond in the rough that shines out of a seemingly dark and hopeless situation to just encourage and give back that glimmer of hope that gives budding entrepreneurs an example to glean from.  

It is for this reason that the Teen Entrepreneur Foundation of South Africa has created the Awaken the Giant in you breakfast series. The breakfast series aims to showcase the stories of successful South African’s and allow them to share their experiences and life lessons with learners, their parents and organisations wishing to support the development of entrepreneurs.  

The next event in the series will take place on Thursday, 22 May 2014 at the Townhouse Hotel, Cape Town at 08h30. Martin Brown CEO of Radical Holdings and professional business speaker will share his journey of overcoming obstacles after being injured in a diving accident. He used creative thinking and his collective experience to change his own life and the lives of others, which kick-started him into a flourishing business.

“Every entrepreneur, young or old will face and have to overcome adversity at some stage of their business journey,” says Lydia Zingoni Founder and Director of the SA Teen Entrepreneur Foundation. “We want to inspire our youth, from a young age that it is possible to overcome and flourish,” she continued.  

Teen Entrepreneur Foundation which was started in 2010 exists for the sole aim of instilling a culture of entrepreneurship in teenagers in South Africa.    

Come and be inspired by Martin’s entrepreneurial journey and connect with like-minded individuals from government and business entities to fast track your dreams and ambitions.    

The event is open to youth, their parents, teachers, community leaders, government departments, particularly those who are tasked with child development and the business community.   Tickets cost R150.00 and bookings for the breakfast can be made on-line at www.teenentrepreneur.co.za or at www.webtickets.co.za/event.aspx?itemid=828842321  

For more information about the breakfast contact Nadia Snyders on 021 447 6183 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  

RELEASED BY Stacy De Villiers

Gecko Connect

061 448 6433/ This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.   ON BEHALF OF SA Teen Entrepreneur Foundation    

More about SA Teen Entrepreneur Foundation  

SA Teen Entrepreneur Foundation is a registered NPO Trust.  The vision of the Foundation is to cultivate and promote the entrepreneurial spirit in all our teenagers through seminars, workshops, conferences and exhibitions. Teen Entrepreneur main target audience is schools, Universities, Churches and Youth Centers.   

The organisation is based in Cape Town facilitates engagements across the country    

About Martin Brown

Martin was born in Cape Town on February 1971, South Africa. During school Martin was an absolute sport fanatic. His interests after high school led him into the mechanical engineering field and thereafter, into nursing and the emergency medical field.  In his second year of medical studies, Martin was injured in a diving accident, leaving him paralysed from the neck down, which forced him to explore other avenues within his abilities.

He is the CEO and Founder of Radical Holdings (PTY) Ltd t/a Radical Mobility, the top designers and manufacturers of power wheelchairs in South Africa. In the past 9 years the company has grown tremendously and supplies international markets. 

Martin has won numerous awards such as:

Finalist for the Industrial Category in the 2013 Africa SMME Awards Competition

Sanlam / Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year® 2012 Finalist

SEDA Most Promising Entrepreneur with a Disability – 2011

SEDA Most Promising Job Creating Entrepreneur – 2011

INSETA National Disabled business leader | 2011

Sanlam and Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year 2010

SME Award | 2010

Provincial Colours for Athletics | Amateur Athletics Association of South Africa | 1990

National Colours in Acrobatics | Acrobatic Federation of  South Africa | 1992 – 1997  

Trade Conference International (TCI) brings you the first ever Global Transaction Banking Conference, taking place on 9 & 10 July 2014 in Johannesburg, South Africa, following the success of the 1st Transaction Banking Conference of 2013 which was retail-orientated. This year’s Global Transaction Banking Conference seeks to bring forth the latest corporate trends and innovations driving successful and effective transaction banking.  

In order to grow globally African, and in particular Southern African banks, focusing on transaction banking will open up new avenues of revenue generation. Africa has become increasingly integrated into the global financial system. To succeed locally continuous innovation is required for seamless cross-border transactions and cash management, bearing in mind the various regulations, risks, the practicalities of moving cash and varying exchange control rules.

Attending the Global Transaction Banking Conference 2014 will answer questions on how the latest innovations, technologies and strategies are going to rapidly transform the local transaction banking environment.

Key industry leaders like Nicky Weimar, Senior Economist at Nedbank; Rodger Dunn, Head: Transaction Banking at Sasfin Bank; Anthony van Eden, Chief Operating Officer at Strate; Nerina Visser, Head of Beta and ETF’s at Nedbank Capital; Brad Gillis, Chief Executive Officer: Regulated Markets at Bankserv Africa; David Robinson, Head: Collection Products – Transactional Products and Services at Standard Bank; Tertius Vermeulen, Chief Executive Officer at Trustlink (Swift SA Business Partner); Jean Groenewaldt, Senior Manager: Financial Surveillance at SA Reserve Bank, Stephen Meintjes, Head: Traditional Trade Products at Standard Bank; Josephat Mutepfa, Senior Executive: National Payments Systems at Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and Charles Guise-Brown, Chief Executive Officer at Qualica Technologies and many more,professionals who will be addressing the conference.

In their presentations, these experts will address topics which include the current landscape of corporate transaction banking, African transaction banking, export and import monitoring, global markets and the context of South Africa, cash management for corporate treasurers in Africa, benefiting from global trends for corporates and transaction bankers in Africa, SADC payments intergration, cross-border transactions, case for intra-Africa banking alliances, cybersecurity threats to global transaction banking, and cross border regulations that affect the movement of trade transactions and much more.

Register to attend the Global Transaction Banking Conference 2014 to gain insight on how to optimise current products and services in the transaction banking environment, and gain knowledge to respond to corporate requirements the FIRST time round.

Sebastian Gazi, Project Manager at Trade Conferences International said, “A lack of regional monetary zones until recently has made payments processing progressively difficult thus it has become important to improve and diversify transaction banking products and services to meet international standards. Investments in Africa are increasing exponentially and hence the need to make your organization the preferred point of entry for corporates who are involved in trade transactions globally, but particularly in Africa.”

If you deal with cash management, transaction banking, transaction services, treasury, finance, payments, organisational strategy, foreign exchange, exchange controls, operations, cross-border transactions, product development, system integration, corporate finance, trade finance or risk management, compliance and regulation, then attending this conference will be beneficial for both you and your organisation.

To register contact Trade Conferences International on 011 803 1553 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Former South African President Nelson Mandela believed, “South Africa is blessed with a special geological heritage. As such, the mining industry has been the bedrock of the South African economy for more than a century.” (1) The importance of mining in South Africa cannot be understated. Minerals account for 60 percent of South Africa’s export revenues and 10 percent of the overall GDP.(2) It is a symbol of national identity and wealth. However, it has recently received increased negative attention. Illegal entry by individuals is posing financial and safety concerns. This issue has created a two-fold problem. Firstly, ensuring security of property and personnel in large mines can be difficult. Secondly, some of the access-control measures, such as standard fingerprint technology, are ill-suited for the mining industry.    

Illegal mining is a multimillion dollar industry in South Africa. It is estimated that in 2012, over 500 million dollars-worth of illegally extracted material was lost or stolen.(3) Currently, many within the industry have adopted a strategy whereby they accept the loss rather than attempt to deter theft through improved security measures.(4) However, others do not feel this is a viable strategy. From this perspective, biometrics appear to be providing a solution to this problem. In instances where access to mine facilities were restricted by biometric devices, such as fingerprint scanners, success rates in curbing illegal entry because of collusion and corruption increased.(5)  

While the basic fingerprint reader can help address one issue, it does not solve the second problem. Those who participate in the extraction of minerals often have scarred or rough hands. These circumstances can often lead to unreadable fingerprints.(6) Invalid, scarred hands can render fingerprint-reading devices ineffective. This problem requires a unique solution. It is possible to use cutting-edge technology to help fingerprint readers to enroll even damaged fingerprints. Anviz Global engineers have developed an algorithm, called BioNano, which is capable of reading heavily damaged prints. BioNano maps-out an individual’s fingerprints, even if the print is incomplete because of heavy scarring. It allows for accurate identification of individuals with an imperfect set of fingerprints. Moreover, every time a subject uses their finger to register on the device the algorithm stores the image. If the newest fingerprint template is better (a more complete picture) than the previous one that was saved in the device, the machine will automatically update the template inside the device. This ensures that BioNano is always aware of which fingerprint templates are most accurate, and is capable of dealing with changes in each subject’s physical properties within their hands.  

Anviz is an international biometric security company with six offices worldwide. The company offers a broad range of access control and time attendance products, ranging from biometrics, to surveillance, and RFID devices. For further information about Anviz, or its products, such as BioNano, please visit www.anviz.com. Anviz employees will be representing the company at IFSEC South Africa between May 13-15, 2014.

(1) Coetzee, Ben and Riana Horn. The Theft of Precious Metals From South Africa’s Mines and Refineries.       

http://www.issafrica.org/uploads/2613%20ISS%20THEFT%20OF%20PRECIOUS%20METALS.PDF

(2) “South Africa illegal mining: Bodies found in Roodepoort.” BBC News February 2014.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-26352807

(3) “South Africa illegal mining: Bodies found in Roodepoort.” BBC News February 2014.           

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-26352807

(4) Scheepers, Dolf. “Copper theft on SA's mines.” Tech-Security News. February 2013.

http://www.securitysa.com/7659a

(5) Sashnee Moodley “Illegal Mining on the Decrease but Still a Cause for Concern.” November, 2013.

http://www.miningweekly.com/article/illegal-mining-on-the-decrease-but-still-a-cause-for-concern-2013-11-29

(6) Nasiorowska, B. “Improving safety and security in platinum mining by utilizing the newest facial recognition technology.” 2010.

[24 April 2014] Actis, the pan-emerging markets investor, has today announced that is has established Credit Services Holdings (CSH), a buy-and-build credit services business. CSH’s first investment will be acquiring 100% of Compuscan, the largest independent credit bureau in Africa. Actis will be investing in CSH alongside the Compuscan management team, who will continue to manage the Compuscan business. Actis plans to invest $100m into the platform. To assist in the build-out of the platform, Michael Jordaan, formerly CEO of South Africa’s First National Bank and a leading figure in the African financial services industry, has been appointed as Chairman of CSH. 

Founded by CEO Remo Lenisa, Compuscan is the fastest growing bureau in South Africa and one of the largest on the continent. Headquartered in Stellenbosch, with offices in Johannesburg and Kampala, it provides multiple credit data, decision analytics services and training, to over 3,500 clients including banks, telcos, retailers, microcredit institutions and insurers, across several countries including South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Uganda and Ethiopia. The Data Analytics team in Compuscan operates under the Scoresharp brand and is led by Pieter Van Heerden.   

Actis has a proven track record of buy-and-build financial infrastructure investments. In 2010, it established Emerging Markets Payments Holdings (EMPH), which offers payment processing services across Africa and the Middle East. Today EMPH has the broadest footprint of any payments company in Africa, contracting with 130 banks and operates in 40 countries across the region. 

Commenting on the transaction, Jonathan Matthews, Director in Actis’s Johannesburg office, said: “Actis is backing an excellent and entrepreneurial management team led by CEO Remo Lenisa and we are delighted to attract Michael Jordaan to help build the brand and take it to the next stage of growth. Only 5% of adults in Africa are covered by credit bureaus compared with 64% in OECD countries, and many countries are still without the necessary bureau infrastructure. We are excited to be investing in Compuscan and making the first steps towards bridging that gap.”   

Ali Mazanderani Actis’s Africa Financial Services lead added: “There is huge potential in the emerging market credit services industry. We see this as the first in a series of investments in the space and the natural next step after EMPH and Paycorp, in building financial infrastructure in the region.  Credit bureaus have the potential to reduce loan interest rates as well as decrease the number of non-performing loans, while increasing financial access, credit expansion and ultimately economic growth.”  

Commenting on the investment and Actis’s investment thesis, Remo Lenisa, CEO of Compuscan, said: “Actis’s experience combined with its global footprint and sector specialisation, means that it is uniquely positioned to support us and to grow CSH both organically and through acquisitions.” 

The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals. 

About Actis
Actis invests exclusively in the emerging markets with a growing portfolio of investments in Asia, Africa and Latin America; it currently has US$7 billion funds under management. Combining the expertise of over 120 investment professionals on the ground in nine countries, Actis identifies investment opportunities in three areas: private equity, energy and real estate. Over 40% of Actis’s investments are located in Africa with over $1.9 billion invested  across 18 countries on the continent. Actis is proud to actively and positively grow the value of those companies in which it invests and in so doing, contribute to broader society.www.act.is  

About Compuscan
Compuscan is a full service credit bureau. Established in South Africa in 1994, Compuscan has become the leading provider of credit management solutions in emerging markets. The company currently operates in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Uganda, Lesotho and Ethiopia. Compuscan provides credit managements services in three parts: as a credit bureau operator, providing credit scoring and data analytics and as an expert credit training academy. Being a reputable and trustworthy provider of customised and innovative applications, Compuscan helps people to make smart business decisions throughout the credit life-cycle to minimise risk and maximise profits, while at the same time educating the consumer to prevent over-indebtedness and reckless borrowing.

With over 120 years combined experience in the operation of credit bureaus, Compuscan’s highly skilled, knowledgeable and passionate group of directors, management team and staff have what it takes to provide world-class credit management services.www.compuscan.co.za

For more information:

Gillian Findlay

Glasshouse

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
+27 82 330 1477
+27 11 486 3561

The 5-star Hotel Izulu in Ballito welcomes all guests to the its renowned monthly wine market, with Anthonij Rupert Wyne, taking place on Monday 21 April from 12h00 at just R195.00 per person. While being entertained by the band ‘Afritude’, guests can indulge in perfectly paired food by the Executive Chef with exceptional wines. Kids (3-16) eat for just R70.00 which includes a cold drink, kid’s meal and ice cream.  

The food and wine pairing options are - smoked seafood lasagne, white wine and tomato cream sauce, parmesan and lemon oil paired with Terra Del Capo Pinot Grigio 2013, braised ham hock roulade, white bean Cassoulet, dijon mustard jus paired with Protea Sauvignon Blanc 2013 and zesty lemon and herb roasted chicken nicoise salad, house vinaigrette dressing paired with Protea Chenin Blanc 2012.  

Other options include: creamy vegetable gratin casserole, toasted nuts and wild rocket pesto paired with Cape of Good Hope Altima Sauvignon Blanc 2013 and dry rubbed and slow roasted beef sirloin, horseradish mash potato, baked potato foam and pan gravy paired with Protea Shiraz 2012.  

The Hotel welcomes a new pancake stall to the wine market for all to indulge in. Also on offer will be Hotel Izulu’s Deli which offers soup, cheese boards, breads, biscuits and its famous fudge.  

All of the wines are available for purchase at a special reduced price by the bottle.  Wine chillers are also available to purchase at R79 each.

Reservations Essential: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 032 946 3444

You've heard about the shocking numbers, you've probably even had the misfortune of seeing the gruesome pictures; you've perhaps been generous and made a donation to conservation groups trying desperately to save them. The tale of the rhino is a sad one and there is no denying that unless we do everything we can, they will disappear forever. As sad as their story may be, there is still a glimmer of hope. South Africa has a number of parks and reserves where you can watch the beautiful rhino live happily in their natural habitat. First Car Rental has put together a list of places where you can get a glimpse of rhino in all their splendour.

Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga

If you are looking for an unmatched wildlife experience, the Kruger National Park is the place to be. Home to the famous Big 5 and about 5 000 rhino, both black and white, Kruger gives you a fantastic opportunity to watch the majestic rhino in their natural habitat. The guided game drives and the amazing nature walks with knowledgeable rangers give you a great deal of insight into the life and behaviour of rhino in the wild. Spotting rhino shouldn't be hard even if you are on a self-drive safari. The southern half of the park has the highest density of rhino and they are seen on most game drives. Accommodation facilities range from camp sites to luxury lodges making this park perfect for everyone.

Pilanesberg Game Reserve, North West

Situated in the Bojanala Region of the North West Province and next door to Sun City, Pilanesberg is a stunning retreat that sprawls over 572 km² of pristine bushveld terrain. At Pilanesberg you can go on guided game drives and spot black rhino along with the many other birds and animals in the reserve. Remember that all game drives have to be booked in advance. Self-drive safaris are also permitted here. The luxurious, African-inspired accommodation has been strategically placed in the reserve for privacy and a wondrous African experience.

Shamwari, Eastern Cape

The Shamwari Game Reserve is doing its bit to create awareness and support rhino conservation. The gorgeous game reserve houses a Rhino Awareness Centre that provides visitors with useful information about rhino in South Africa. The reserve also has an animal rescue centre and a rehabilitation centre. The reserve organizes guided game drives and guided game walks with experienced rangers. The stunning accommodation facilities have been designed to capture nature’s beauty and give you a peaceful space where you can enjoy nature like never before.

Aquila Game Reserve, Western Cape

The Aquila Game Reserve is a great place for people holidaying in Cape Town to see rhino and enjoy an amazing safari. The reserve is situated in the Southern Karoo - just 2 hours away from Cape Town - and offers a number of safari options including day safaris, night safaris, horseback safaris and quad bike safaris. Aquila offers beautiful accommodation that captures the essence of the bush without compromising on comfort.

Dinokeng Game Reserve, Gauteng

The first and perhaps the only Big 5 game reserve located so close to an urban area, the Dinokeng Game Reserve gives everyone the opportunity to plan a trip to view rhino. Located close to Pretoria North in Gauteng province and just 25 minutes from Wonderboom airport, Dinokeng Game Reserve offers guided safaris deep into the bush to view rhino roam free. The reserve has quaint accommodation and boasts of spectacular sunrises and sunsets.

uMkhuze Game Park, KwaZulu-Natal

uMkhuze is situated in Northern Zululand and is roughly 335 km from Durban. If you are on a self-drive safari here, keep your camera handy; white rhino are easy to spot and the black rhino appear occasionally as well. The best feature of this game reserve is that during the drier months hundreds of animals, including several rhino, appear at the watering hole for a drink and it’s quite a spectacle.

Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal

Established in 1895, the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve is the oldest game park in Africa and is the only Big 5 reserve in KwaZulu-Natal that is managed by the government. This beautiful game reserve, located in the rolling hills of Northern Zululand, offers ample opportunities to view plenty of white rhino and, if you are lucky, you might spot some black rhino as well.

Self-drive Safaris

Most of the game parks mentioned in this guide allow self-drive safaris. This means you can go find rhino in your car. But please remember that when going on a self-drive safari you do so at your own risk. Listen carefully to the instructions of the rangers before beginning your self-drive as they will clearly indicate where you can and cannot go during your self-drive.

Plan ‘a trip for the rhino’ and share your stories with First Car Rental. Don’t forget to use #Rhinos1st to become a part of our campaign to help support The Rhino Orphanage – the first non-profit organisation in the world dedicated to caring for and rehabilitating baby rhino affected by the illegal trade in rhino horns. Find out more about First Car Rental’s Rhino Orphanage Campaign here: www.firstcarrental.co.za/Post-your-Selfie-Campaign.htm