Soweto’s ‘McBirdie’ Appointed Zeiss Brand Ambassador:
Raymond Rampolokeng, Soweto-born bird guide, conservationist and entrepreneur,
Soweto-born bird guide, conservationist and entrepreneur, Raymond Rampolokeng has been appointed brand ambassador for ZEISS HD binoculars. The appointment follows many years of tireless work to conserve the environment in Soweto and educate its youth about birds and their habitats.
Known as ‘McBirdie’ in his community, Rampolokeng was born and raised in Soweto where he spent a lot of his time outdoors, riding his bicycle and, ironically, hunting birds in public open spaces. “I was very much a product of the 80s and 90s and acutely aware of the various issues my community faced,” he says.
After completing his studies and spending a short period in the corporate world, Rampolokeng left his job to volunteer as an administrator at the Soweto Mountain of Hope, an initiative aimed at converting a hill in the heart of Soweto from a dumping ground and hub of criminal activity to an art, culture and environmental centre.
Notably, Soweto hosted its own Children’s Summit in 2001 as part of the World Sustainable Development Summit, which took place in South Africa. “The Soweto Mountain of Hope was involved, with a view to changing the perceptions of the wetlands amongst the country’s youth. We wanted them to see the wetlands as a resource and not a dumping ground,” says Rampolokeng.
It was while he was at the Soweto Mountain of Hope that he was introduced to Wits Bird Club and Birdlife SA representatives, who offered to fund a bird guide course for him in Wakkerstroom. On completing the course, Rampolokeng joined Birdlife SA where he worked as a Community Biodiversity Conservation Project Coordinator for four years.
In 2008, he left the organisation to start his own eco-tourism company, Bay of Grace Tours, in anticipation of the 2010 Soccer World Cup. Today, the business offers guided bird tours – coupled with off-road cycling – along the Klipriver/Klipspruit wetlands, as well as environmental education programmes for schools.
As the first-ever birder from Soweto, Rampolokeng quickly gained a reputation as a birding and environmental advocate.
Gail Giordani, CEO of ZEISS SA says the company was aware of Rampolokeng and his efforts to promote bird and environmental conservation in Soweto. “In 2014, he received an Owl Award from Bird Life SA in recognition of these efforts. We initially enlisted him onto our ZEISS/BirdLife SA 94.7 cycling team before asking him to be a ZEISS ambassador this year.
“We are proud to associate ourselves with someone whose vision extends far beyond his own needs and whose integrity, passion, community-mindedness and hard work are truly commendable.”
Not one to turn down a challenge, Rampolokeng will climb Mount Kilimanjaro and raise funds for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to animals (SPCA) and drive awareness around animal cruelty.
He says conservation in South Africa has been the preserve of white people for many years. “My personal mission is to educate young people about the opportunities to get involved in conservation as a hobby or a career choice.”
On a final note, he says South Africans need to protect their valuable bird species. “We need to protect the birds and their habitats for the generations to come. If we don’t, the birds will become extinct and our grandchildren’s and great grandchildren’s lives will be so much poorer for it.”
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