Siyabonga – An African Dream
Lunastar Productions began filming the development of a private game reserve in October 2000 and in essence, captured the “birth” of this reserve and finally, the birth of the documentary series. Siyabonga – An African Dream.
The Reserve is an area of significant conservation and rehabilitation covering 10,000 hectares of prime natural bushveld, plains, mountains, rivers and streams in the Waterberg in South Africa. It is home to a diverse range of magnificent wildlife including Lion, Elephant, Buffalo, White and Black Rhino, Cheetah, Wild dog, Sable and Tsetsebe as well as the more common wildlife like zebra, blue wildebeest, impala and giraffe to name but a few.
In this series we do not only experience the relocation of lion, elephant, crocodile and baboon but follow the development of the reserve from fences, to roads, to the rehabilitation of the bush and building a dam, the biggest rock dam wall ever built in Africa. Permission had to be granted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique due to the effect the new dam could have on the Limpopo River. Lunastar Productions documented this project from blasting for the rock, to the dam wall being built, rock for rock, by hundreds of men and women, to it overflowing in the rainy seasons.
In this documentary series you will experience, for the first time ever, a “bush” operation on a lions’ leg after it was wounded by a warthog, mouth to mouth resuscitation as vets fight to save the life of a cheetah, a buffalo fighting for its life due to dehydration caused by a blockage and the sad tale of a 9 month old white rhino losing its mother. But it is not only the dramatics of the wild. We celebrate the beauty of the African bush, the beauty of all the babies born on the reserve and a herd of tame elephants being saved and relocated from Zimbabwe to this piece of paradise in the Waterberg in South Africa.
Lunastar Productions also documented the Nelson Mandela Centre for Reconciliation being built on this reserve. We filmed its progress from the foundations up, the interior finishes, specially woven carpets, carved doorframes, decorating choices and finally, the opening of the Centre for Reconciliation by Mr Nelson Mandela as well as an interview with him about the Centre for Reconciliation and the preservation of our wildlife, the heritage of our children.
Video Footage
- Lion Relocation
- Elephant Relocation
- Baboon Relocation
- Crocodile Relocation
- Endangered Species – Cheetah
- Endangered Species – Black Rhino
- Endangered Species – Wild Dog
- Endangered Species – Sable
- Buffalo Herd
- Babies
- Tame Elephant Herd
- Bush Rehabilitation
- Rock Dam Wall
- The Nelson Mandela Centre for Reconciliation
Filming Rights
Lunastar Productions own the rights to the documentary series as well as all the video footage filmed for and on the private game reserve.