Eight Years of Goals, Community and Conservation at Samara
- Craig Mitchell
- 4 hours ago
- 5 min read
There’s something special about sport. A football or netball match might only last a few hours, but the confidence, friendships and sense of belonging it creates can last a lifetime.
That’s exactly what has been happening in Graaff-Reinet for the past eight years, where the Samara Heritage Sports Tournament has grown from a small football competition into a much-loved community event bringing together hundreds of young people.
And while the tournament takes place away from the wilderness of Samara Karoo Reserve, it reflects something at the heart of the reserve itself – the belief that conservation is about far more than protecting landscapes and wildlife. It is also about people.
From a football tournament to a community tradition
The story began in 2018, when the first Heritage Day Football Tournament was held over two days at uMasizakhe Soccer Stadium in Graaff-Reinet.
Eight teams of boys and young men between the ages of 15 and 30 took part, mainly representing the communities of Asherville, Kroonvale and uMasizakhe.
Eight years later, the event has evolved considerably. Now held over a single day, the Samara Heritage Sports Tournament brings together children of different ages to compete in football and netball, creating a day filled with sport, food, fun and plenty of healthy competition.
This year’s tournament takes place on Saturday, 29 August 2026, at Botanics Sport Club in Graaff-Reinet.
For Samara co-founder Sarah Tompkins and the team behind the event, it is another important milestone in an initiative that has become firmly rooted in the local community.
Giving young people another path
Behind the tournament is a simple but powerful idea: give young people something positive to believe in.
Anneley Swemmer, Samara’s Karoo Lodge Manager and Community Projects Manager, grew up in Kroonvale and has played an important role in developing the tournament and Samara’s wider community initiatives.
When the idea was first discussed, there was a real concern about the challenges facing young people in Graaff-Reinet and the wider Beyers Naudé municipality. With limited opportunities available to some youngsters, drugs and crime could easily become part of their lives.
Sport offered another option.
Football and netball provide more than just exercise. They teach teamwork, discipline, perseverance and respect. Perhaps most importantly, they give young people a place where they can belong, compete and start imagining what their future could look like.
A personal journey of its own
Anneley’s connection with Samara goes back much further than the sports tournament.
She joined the reserve in 2005 after applying for a position there, describing it as a place where she felt she could grow and become whatever she wanted to be.
Over the years, she says the support of Sarah Tompkins played an important role in helping her reach her potential.
That personal journey has now come full circle in the work Anneley does within the surrounding community.
Working alongside community leaders, municipal representatives, ward councillors and local football and netball clubs, she has helped develop initiatives designed to bring people together and create positive opportunities for young people.
And the Heritage Sports Tournament is one of the initiatives closest to her heart.
Ubuntu in action
At KhakiBush, one of the things we love about Africa is that conservation and community are so often intertwined.
The philosophy behind the tournament is captured beautifully in the spirit of Ubuntu – “I am because you are.”
Its slogan, Masibabanye yeyethu sonke, meaning “Let us be one for all,” reinforces the idea that everyone has a role to play.
It is not simply about finding winners on the football pitch or netball court. It is about creating an environment where young people feel included, valued and encouraged to think differently about their future.
That is where sport becomes something much bigger than sport.
Conservation with people at its heart
Samara Karoo Reserve has built its reputation around restoring a landscape that had suffered decades of environmental degradation.
Today, the reserve is once again home to an impressive range of wildlife, including the Big Five, cheetah and aardvark, as well as more than 200 bird species.
But the broader Samara story is about rewilding on a much larger scale.
Established in 1997, the reserve has been working to restore the Great Karoo and expand the conservation footprint of this remarkable part of the Eastern Cape.
That work is guided by the principles of Conservation, Community, Culture and Commerce – the “4Cs” – through Samara’s membership of The Long Run.
It is an important reminder that a successful conservation project cannot exist in isolation from the people who live around it.
Every journey can make a difference
One of the great things about responsible tourism is that your visit can become part of something much bigger.
When guests travel to places such as Samara, their stay helps support a conservation model that extends beyond a game drive or a luxury lodge. It contributes towards protecting landscapes, restoring wildlife and supporting communities.
And that is the kind of tourism we should be encouraging across Africa – tourism that leaves something behind rather than simply taking something away.
The Samara Heritage Sports Tournament is a great example of how that philosophy can reach far beyond the reserve itself.
Eight years – and hopefully many more
From eight football teams in 2018 to hundreds of young people taking part today, the Heritage Sports Tournament has come a long way.
There will be goals, saves, celebrations, winners and probably a few arguments over questionable referee decisions along the way. But beneath all of that is something far more important: young people coming together and being given an opportunity to see what they can achieve.
That, ultimately, is what conservation and community upliftment should be about.
Protecting wild places matters. Restoring wildlife matters. But so does investing in the people who live alongside those wild places.
And perhaps that is one of the most powerful lessons coming out of Samara – a better future is something we build together.
About Samara Karoo Reserve
Samara Karoo Reserve lies in South Africa’s Great Karoo, around 53 km from Graaff-Reinet and approximately 270 km from Gqeberha.
The reserve protects more than 67,000 acres of wilderness and provides habitat for over 60 mammal species and around 225 bird species. Its conservation vision is centred on restoring the Karoo ecosystem while creating meaningful benefits for surrounding communities.
For more information and reservations, visit samara.co.za or contact Samara Reservations on +27 (0)49 940 1111 or reservations@samara.co.za.
Images credit Samara Karoo reserve.
This article is written by Craig Mitchell, KhakiBush Magazine editor, conservationist, guide, adventurer, photographer and explorer. Craig personally guides safari and adventure expeditions, sharing his passion for Africa's wild places through authentic wildlife encounters, remote landscapes, and unforgettable experiences.
Keywords: Samara Karoo Reserve, Samara Heritage Sports Tournament, Graaff-Reinet, Great Karoo, Eastern Cape safari, Samara conservation, community upliftment South Africa, Karoo conservation, responsible tourism, African safari, football tournament, netball tournament, Ubuntu, Samara Karoo