South Africa

Photograph: Francois Theron

Dr Jane Goodall left several diverse South African audiences awe-struck, enthusiastic and inspired to do their bit to make our world a better place during her recent brief visit to South Africa. 

As she delivers her message that every individual can make a difference, she charms everyone with her knowledge, expertise and sheer passion for saving this planet.

Jane, now 73, spends an average of 300 days a year travelling the world, and last year spent a mere 41 days at home in England.

This taxing lifestyle began when she attended a conference on chimpanzees in the US in 1986 and realised that she had to stop doing what she loved best – which was living with her beloved chimps in Gombe, Tanzania. 

“I left that conference a different person,” she says. “I realised that my job was no longer to observe chimps, but to raise awareness about them – about why they matter, and the need to protect the forests.”

Jane began travelling around Africa, but realised that many environmental problems were caused by the elite countries of the world - so she began talking outside of Africa. 

“The wider and further I travel, the more I realise that so many massive problems today are interrelated,” she says. To solve any major problem, such as deforestation, one has to take all the issues into consideration, such as poverty, elite lifestyles consuming too many resources, capitalism, and so on. 

“Today I am a ‘one-man show’ spreading the word about what we were doing to our planet.”

Jane certainly spread the word while here. JGI SA was very privileged to host her for five days in May/June. She spent most of her time in Nelspruit, at JGI SA Chimpanzee Eden, where she was accommodated by the Cussons family at the adjoining luxury Umhloti Lodge.

Apart from spending time with the rescued chimps as well as JGI SA and Chimpanzee Eden management, Jane visited a Roots & Shoots school feeding project, was interviewed by the film crew currently resident at the Sanctuary, hosted a fundraising dinner at the Lodge, and addressed a large group of Nelspruit residents and Uplands pupils, invited to thank them for their ongoing support of the Sanctuary.

In Johannesburg, she delivered a talk that set the scene for a lively business debate, hosted by Da Vinci, on environmental intelligence and the bottom line. She also addressed delegates at a Forum event at the University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), attended a luncheon at the University of the Witwatersrand, and was interviewed for Radio Today.