Just the word strikes fear in to folks and conjures up images of toothless wonders with greasy hair, raggedy clothes and oily rag dangling from his back pocket, stooping over your pride and joy where you have broken down somewhere between the hell and the tall grass. Fact of the matter is that if it wears a skirt or has four wheels it will give you trouble and cost you money, weird stuff happen to good people and if you don’t know better that toothless wonder is probably your best bet to reaching some sort of civilization.

I would like to present an “easy to follow” article on Two-Way Radios and Licensing procedure. In a short article such as this, one cannot present all, but hopefully enough to help clear some confusion. Some of this article has been culled from previous articles, I will try weed out the repetition as I go along.

This account of a lion attack at the Tashinga National Park appeared in the Zimbabwe Daily Mirror

I reproduce it to highlight the dangers of camping in open camp sites in Africa, but also the heroism when a group of people pull together to save a life.  The victim is a family friend and I cannot begin to imagine the horror everyone went through.

Turbo Charge - Lion Attack at Tashinga - The Facts

It was mid morning on a Sunday when the TurboCharge fleet of sixteen boats arrived at the Tashinga National Park at the mouth of the Ume River. We were greeted by the sight of a magnificent bull elephant in the camp calmly feeding himself. Our first mooring spot was too exposed to potential weather so we moved around the corner into a bay where the sight of previously buried garbage floating on the bank was very off putting. The water had come up to such a high level that previous garbage pits were now under water. Within minutes a gang of Turbochargers were collecting the rubbish and storing it in dustbin bags. There was no sign of any other people. We relaxed and marvel led at the tranquillity of the place and of how wonderful the campsite must have been in its day. There were ablution blocks that were still working and were clean and there were various campsites within the area. After a few hours of entertaining ourselves three of us decided to set out on foot and try and find some national parks staff. From the camp to the offices is about a kilometre and a half. Walking the road without protection makes the road seem a lot longer. Very fresh tracks are everywhere. You enter the Parks offices via the workshops where various recent mode14x4 's are in various states of disrepair. One cruiser was parked against a rock and we assume this means it was a runner. At the office we found the Wildlife Manager who offered to send the camp supervisor down to the camp and book us in. We specifically asked him if there were any 'problem' animals that we should be concerned about and were assured that there was nothing to worry about. We returned to camp via the same road, not as worried about animals as before.

This article, written by Doug Norval (who is not a member), has been reproduced with his permission.

It gives some nice perspective on trying to mitigate the reputation the 4x4 industry has amongst environmental concerns.

What you should know about conservation

Hi all,

After reading some of the posts on this and other forums I feel the need to discuss some concerns and related issues around 4x4’s and environmental/conservation projects. (posted onto other forums as well)

In general 4x4 drivers are not looked on favourably by most conservation authorities (and I broadly include quad bikes whose riders are considered even worse) Conservation groups are extremely hesitant to talk to us and allow or invite us to get involved with their projects. This is purely as a result of bad faith on the part of 4x4 clubs and associations who have previously been involved and, quite frankly, STUFFED IT UP. Also the Beach ban and the strict enforcement of the environmental laws now on the Wild Coast, Namibia and Angola are as a result of the actions of a few bad apples in our community.

The great art of braaing starts with three men standing around a fire, sipping beer and staring at the meat on the braai, turning it backwards and forwards. They never leave it alone. They are just drawn to it like moths to a flame. The braai is a man-magnet. And since “Defending the Caveman” there hasn’t been a better portrayal of men’s ri(gh)tes. This happened last weekend at Beaverlac, a wonderful campsite in the Cederberg.

Long distance travel is often daunting but a successful trouble free trip depend on the preparation you have done.  While your trip may not be marred by leaving a chair at home, nothing is worse than being stranded, especially when help is a long way away.  Here are some quick tips before you depart, but should you become immobile, the Bush Mechanics Guide can give you pointers on getting moving.

Day 1 Travelling from Witbank to Platjan border post. (April / May 2009)

Platjan near Alldays.

Information received on  border closure  was 18:00..... Wrong!... For some reason it closed just after 16:00 and we did not know it. We arrived at Alldays filling station just after 16:00 and was approached by  a very BIG man (Big in posture, big in name and big in heart)  asking where we are going to. After we told him we are going to Botswana and wanted to camp at Limpopo River Lodge, he said that we are welcome to use his hunting  camp  on the Limpopo river and gave us the directions. We proceeded to the border post and found it was already closed  at  16:00 (I think he knew). Obviously we took his invite.