Elephant Whispers are proud to be in partnership with the Sandford Community who own the property which has provided the perfect safe haven for their rescued elephants. In terms of the agreement between Elephant Whispers and the community, the Sandford Trust has leased property to Elephant Whispers for a period of 51 years. The contract ensures that the Sandford Trust receives a guaranteed base rental, as well as turnover based rental in exchange for the use of the property.

A wonderful reason for a celebration – the signing of the contract between the Sandford Community Trust and Elephant Whispers.

The Sandford Trust was elected by community members to represent and protect the interests of the 210 families who are members of the community. They were assisted in the structuring of the partnership by members of the Maruleng and Bushbuckridge Economic Development Initiative (MABEDI) which is a joint initiative of the Business Trust of South Africa and the Department of Provincial and Local Government. As a result of the support and guidance from MABEDI, substantially under-utilised land will be transformed into high value tourism assets. Similarly, with the help of MABEDI team the Sandford Community have secured themselves experienced, successful private partners which are critical to the long-term sustainability of the tourism venture.