HaMakuya suffered systematic underdevelopment during the apartheid era and now is recognized as a natural poverty node. Out of these circumstances and with the support of Dr. David Bunn and Dr. Lara Allen, Tshulu Trust was born in 2007 as a research facility for Wits University through a grant from the National Lottery Distribution Fund.

Tshulu Camp

The Tshulu Wilderness Camp is managed and run by the local community through the Tshulu Trust. Situated on the banks of the Mutale River and about 4km (2.5 miles) from the village of Tshianzwane, the camp is in a pristine natural area surrounded by lebombo ironwood groves, baobabs, and mopane woodlands. Its soundscape is dominated by cowbells, baboon calls and the rush of rapids as the Mutale spills out of the deep pools that mark the end of a dramatic gorge. 

Tshulu Camp is a sustainable ecotourism venture: the camp is solar-powered for lighting and small appliances, and camp guests live in spacious ‘meru-style’ tents on raised platforms. Much of the food prepared in the kitchen is cultivated in an organic vegetable garden irrigated from underground water sources. All vegetable and garden waste is composted to enrich the soil. 

The camp is a vital means of employment for nearby villagers as guests are tended to, and facilities are overseen, by staff who hail from nearby communities. Guests include US and European study abroad students and researchers as well as specialized groups, such as the University of the Witwatersrand Ethnomusicology program, which trains local kids in traditional musical genres and supports schoolteachers. Currently, the income from groups that stay at Tshulu Camp covers annual salaries for 14 staff members and provides income for more than 30 improverished households through hosted homestays for visiting students.

Tshulu Trust

Tshulu Trust is a not-for-profit, community-based organization that aims to address poverty within HaMakuya. Its mission is to:

Enhance responsible wellbeing and livelihoods by improving the capacity of community members to utilize their natural and cultural resources sustainably. The intention is to stimulate the local economy by creating employment and micro-enterprise opportunities through small business development.

In addition to building local capacity and providing employment to community members, the Tshulu Trust welcomes visitors to experience local culture and natural landscape through the HaMakuya Homestay Program. Homestays give visitors an experience of traditional Venda cultural practices and are an important source of income for families in HaMakuya.