SwawpriBackgroundHistory

STATEMENT OF HISTORY

No statement of history relevant to the
corporation would be complete without an
understanding of the geographical area and
its history. The current area of corporate
operations is located in "Greater
Namaqualand" in The Republic of Namibia.
According to authoritative accounts, this area
came into prominence many thousands of
years ago.

It is known that the Hottentot were the first
inhabitants of Southern Africa and remained
so until displaced by the Bantu. The
Hottentot were direct descendants from the
Land of Ham.   It is interesting to note that the
San were preceded by the "Hottentot" who
migrated from locations in the Middle East.
According to The Book of Onamastics in
Cape Town, Kanabeam and The Gamcab
River were named by the Hottentots over
4000 years ago.

What is little known, in Africa and other parts
of the world, is that an area known as
"Einiqualand" existed along the "Ein" or
"Gariep" River which is now known as The
Orange (Oranje) River, renamed by The
Military Commander of The Cape Robert
Jacob Gordon in 1777. This area extended
inland for some 30 miles on each side of the
river from what is now known as Oranjemund
on the South Atlantic and eastwards to the
vicinity of Upington. The people inhabiting
this area were known as "The Einiqua" who
are direct descendants from the Hottentot
and were a fragmented group. A limited
study by Archaeologists and Paleontologists
on discovered grave sites have revealed
Hottentot remains. The Nama (Tribe) of
Namibia are the direct descendants of the
Hottentot. The San people still occasionally
visit Kanabeam although they are seldom
seen. When Namibia was German West
Africa in the early 1900's, the German Army
fought two wars in Namibia. One war was
against the "Herero" in North East Namibia, a
tribe which was almost decimated, and the
second war was against the Nama, a much
more formidable adversary, in the south of
Namibia. The Nama finally capitulated to the
Germans in the final battles fought on
Kanabeam.

Kanabeam is a Historical Site replete with the
German Cemetery dating to 1905.
Kanabeam was originally purchased for its
mineral deposits which were researched,
located, identified and tested over a period of
3 years. The infrastructure was continuously
improved with plans and preparations being
made to commence mining.   In 1996, a
lettered and learned individual approached
the owner and advised of an unusual animal
sighting on the property. No immediate
attention was given this matter due to other
pressing matters. This reported sighting was
repeatedly reinforced by reports from
workers relating the sighting of animals
which they had never seen before. These
workers were Nama and indigenous to the
area. Finally, time presented itself where we
could attempt to verify sightings. This was
not an easy undertaking due to the vastness,
ruggedness, remoteness and isolation of the
land.   Within several weeks the first animal in
question was sighted. This was followed
rapidly by the sighting of additional animals
and other unknown herds. At this juncture,
the thrust of the owners efforts changed;
minerals were put on hold indefinitely and all
efforts were directed towards securing the
property and protecting all Wildlife. Poaching
In the area was rampant. The poaching was
not directed entirely towards the acquisition
of food or the "bushmeat market". The
encroachers hunted simply to kill. Animals
were shot and left where they fell. It was
shocking to find that some of the major
perpetrators were from a short distance away
at the government resort of Ai-Ais. Others
have been apprehended, tried and convicted
due to the accelerated increase in patrol and
security.

All existing fence lines underwent repair and
new fencing was erected in many locations,
all gates were reinforced road work was
increased to provide a total of 150 kilometers
of usable road so as to be able to reach
breached locations quickly. This was no
small task since Kanabeam is at the base of
the Hunsberge Mountains. The property
consists of ancient river valley, savanna,
rolling hills and mountains and is 96 square
miles (155 square kilometers) in size. The
property is remote, isolated and rough often
requiring extremely slow movement off
roads. At any given time there are 3,000 plus
free ranging animals of various species on
Kanabeam, so systematically sorting through
the herds can be a major undertaking
requiring personnel, time and planned effort.
In January of 2000, the general area was
devastated by the worst flooding in recorded
history. These floods caused catastrophic
damage to the government resort of Ai-Ais
requiring almost 18 months to recover. All
properties in the general area were affected.
Fortunately, Kanabeam received the least
damage which was still considerable.
Kanabeam is still in the midst of recovery and
will remain so in some areas through year
2005. Most fence lines have been re-installed,
70 kilometers of road is now usable again,
critical water supply systems have been
repaired, structure damage to buildings have
been repaired and normal preservation
security for wildlife has continued with the
exception that many locations are still
inaccessible.

The South West Africa Wildlife Preservation
and Research Institute is now in a position to
move forward with all deliberate speed to
provide a safe and secure sanctuary for
wildlife. We will accommodate the education
of the visiting public and select students on
the preservation of wildlife and its
sustainability in concert with sound
management practices and relevant research
through its institutes efforts. Additionally, the
public will be provided with suitable facilities
for recreation while wildlife programs
proceed on a daily basis and thus give the
public the feeling of participation.