In the night of Thursday, October 9, Madikwe was confronted with one of the most dangerous realities. A bushfire raged for hours and burnt down 871 hectares in the north-west corner of the reserve. Virtually all people who work in Madikwe battled against the flames, including the entire staff of Rhulani. Thanks to an incredible team spirit the fire was finally extinguished and a far greater damage was prevented. Luckily, neither people nor structures were harmed.

"It was one of my most unforgettable experiences as the manager of Rhulani" says Gerda Kubirske the day after, still tired, with red eyes and with a sour taste in the throat. The experienced hotelier is accustomed to crisis situations, but she was impressed by the way how the staff responded to it, outside of working hours, without resistance and grumbling. "This was just exceptional", Gerda says. It was not an emergency call for rangers or the park administration. Houskeeping ladies, chefs, waitresses,  just everyone joined to fight the fire. There was never a question about it: “If a fire breaks out in our region, we also hope that other lodges would help us".

It was a very hot Thursday in the last phase of the long and dry winter season. Ideal conditions for this terrible scenario, which is often considered as a "bush legend", to become reality. For weeks, the fire-index was at the highest level, the storm danger very high. When a strong lightening stroke hit the ground and sparked the fire, it was not really a surprise. Conditions were ideal for the fire to quickly spread, as the winds were strong and no rain fell.

"The hardest thing was to isolate the fire," says Gerda. “Once we had set a firebreak to insulate the spread, the wind changed its direction. Thus, we had to split up and distribute the teams to create backfires from different directions and to finally gain control.” Some water tanks, which is a sparse good in Madikwe were helpful but above all, everyone fighting with fire beaters against the flames and thereby risking their health or life was needed to avoid a terrible disaster.

After about five hours the battle was won. A large area of the reserve is now burnt down, but with good prospects, to bloom even more beautifully with the first rain to come soon. Our staff from Rhulani, like all other workers, deserves a huge praise. Everybody was proud. With the humor of relief, the question was: who had the most Russ on the legs or the most scratches? Everyone went to bed late at night, tired, but knowing to be part of an incredible team in Rhulani, where everyone can count on the other. So, when the sun started to shine the following morning, the fatigue could be overcome, and our guests experienced another beautiful day in Madikwe.