Lekhubu Island becomes a �City� for Race For Rhinos
Thalefang Charles | Friday July 8, 2016 15:11
Lekhubu Island has never been like this before. Lekhubu (sometimes referred to as Kubu) is in the heart of a dead ancient lake that dried into the empty vast Makgadikgadi Pans – the size of Portugal, that keeps inspiring outrageous adventure.
Off-road enthusiasts know Lekhubu as the place that can only be accessed during the dry winter season since no one can dare attempt to drive on the Makgadikgadi wet silt in summer. That, they say, “would be outrightly stupid”.
Camping fanatics who love the unspoiled outdoors know Lekhubu as an amazing place literally in the middle of nowhere that offers solitude and a quiet camping experience. But last week Lekhubu was totally different from the inaccessible and solitary island in the middle of nowhere. It was turned into a ‘Lekhubu City’.
The event transformed Lekhubu into an aviation hub, with over 100 aircrafts at the venue. There were two makeshift runways on the hardened pans where aircrafts were landing and taking off. Most aircrafts were from South Africa landing directly at Lekhubu, which had a temporary Immigration and Customs office to stamp in and out visitors’ passports.
Even jet fuel trucks, despite a few reports of some getting stuck, eventually made it to ‘Lekhubu City’. There was electricity powering floodlights, Wi-Fi Internet, cellphone reception, Point of Sale (POS) machines, bar with ice-cold beers, and showers with hot water.
Lekhubu was robbed off its famed peace and tranquility and invaded by dozens of aircrafts, trucks and many 4WD vehicles – but it was all for a very good cause. It was the host of an unusual hive of activities for the second annual Race For Rhinos organised by the Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO) in partnership with Gaing-o Community Trust and The Matsieng Flying Club.
The Race For Rhinos is aimed at promoting conservation, specifically for the dwindling rhino population through adventure and aviation tourism.
On Race Day One, as the deafening drone sounds of 64 aircrafts lined up for the race, Brian Emmenis of Capital Sounds – who set the biggest sound system ever seen in the history of outdoor broadcasting at Lekhubu, – was playing the 1986 Europe hit The Final Countdown. It felt surreal. The many loud speakers erected around Lekhubu made it possible to still hear Joey Tempest shout “It’s the final countdown” as small aircrafts took off to the skies over the Makgadikgadi Pans.
Few spectators that climbed the Lekhubu rocks to get a vantage view of the aircrafts marvelled at the show. Emmenis described the scene as “absolutely amazing”. It was.
As the sun climbed and temperatures began to rise, many spectators started to trickle in from nearby villages of Mmatshumo, Mosu and the mining towns of Orapa and Letlhakane. They arrived in their 4WD off-road vehicles ready to enjoy the aviation spectacle.
In the afternoon Emmenis provided a soundtrack by R Kelly’s I believe I Can Fly when aerobatic world champion Nigel Hopkins in his red Extra EA-300, Jason Beamish also in navy blue Extra EA-300 performed the stunt plane demonstrations together with acrobatic paraglider Gert-Louis Cilliers and the ever so busy parachute stuntman Garai Makaya who were jumping from the Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil (Squirrel).
Hopkins and Beamish were relentless in their Extra EA-300 performing gravity, defying stunts in the air that got the crowd skipping many heartbeats.
Towards the evening President Ian Khama too arrived. He was on the controls of his OK1 helicopter and in SKI fashion he flew low past the Lekhubu Island before he landed somewhere out on the pans and rode to the venue with a convoy of quadbikes.
Race Day Two saw many spectators. For the first time in a three-day event, cars outnumbered the aircrafts, unlike on Day One. Legend pilot Chris Briers was on the roll transporting the media crew of photographers and film-makers in the iconic Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil (Squirrel) helicopter.
The powerful Squirrel was famed by fighter pilot Didier Delsalle on May 14, 2005, when he became the first (and only) person to land a helicopter on the 8,848m summit of Mount Everest. Briers demonstrated to spectators at Lekhubu and fellow pilots why Écureuil is a legend aircraft. He raced with small aircrafts on their take off offering photographers perfect angles for their shots.
As the norm with airshows in the Makgadikgadi Pans, Khama brought out his rainbow coloured powerchute and flew past the Lekhubu Island followed by his bosom friend and minister of youth, sport and culture, Thapelo Olopeng.
100 Rhinos coming
It was only put as a ‘surprise announcement’ in the programme and Martin Steer was the bearer of the main news of the event. Steer announced that together with his wealthy friends in aviation and beyond, they commend Botswana’s conservation efforts and pledge to assist the country by sponsoring the relocation of 100 rhinos to Botswana. He said they would raise money to reward the conservation endeavours that Botswana is doing especially towards the preservation of rhinos.
Steer said they were discouraged that after raising millions of dollars to assist South Africa’s Kruger National Park to safeguard the rhinos, today there are no rhinos in the park. Minister of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism Tshekedi Khama declared war on poachers.
He assured Steer and his circle of Good Samaritans that in saving the rhinos in Botswana, “poachers would be killed”. Tshekedi said, “tell all poachers to bring their IDs when they enter Botswana so that we can identify their families”. He continued; “We know God will judge the poachers but it is up to us to arrange the meeting.