The making of Madikwe
From cattle farms to one of Africa's great reintroductions
Madikwe was proclaimed in 1991 on land that had been marginal cattle country. A feasibility study commissioned by the then Bophuthatswana government concluded that wildlife and tourism would generate more income and more jobs for the surrounding communities than farming ever would — and the reserve was created on that basis rather than for its scenery.
What followed was Operation Phoenix, at the time the largest game translocation exercise ever attempted. Over roughly seven years, more than 8 000 animals of some 28 species were moved into the new reserve, including elephant in complete family groups, and later lion, cheetah and African wild dog.
Fences between the old farms came down, boreholes and dams were rehabilitated, and a perimeter fence was raised around the whole 75 000 hectares. Communities on the reserve's boundary hold equity in several of the lodges inside it, and the reserve is managed as a partnership between the State, private lodge operators and those communities.
