Game rangers in the Kruger National Park (KNP) honoured the memory of Lance Corporal Wilson Ndlovu who was killed in the line of duty on February 22, 2005. Wilson was attacked and trampled by an elephant while he and his colleague, field ranger Raymond Nkuna, were busy with a routine patrol.
The two field rangers were patrolling with bicycles near Shirombeni ranger picket in the Stoltznek region of the KNP (south of Pretoriuskop rest camp) The executive director of the Kruger National Park, Dr Bandile Mkhize, unveiled a plaque and renamed a ranger picket in memory of the Wilson on July 18.
The nearby Shirombeni ranger picket, a small building used by rangers while they conduct patrols, was also renamed the Wilson Ndlovu ranger picket.
A plaque, with a brief description of the incident and a few words about Wilson in English and Tsonga, was unveiled on the exact spot where the incident occurred, in the presence of members of the Ndlovu family, representatives of the local communities including their traditional leaders and local government officials.
The nearby Shirombeni ranger picket, a small building used by rangers while they conduct patrols, was also renamed the Wilson Ndlovu ranger picket.
"Lance Corporal Wilson Ndlovu was a man who never tired of his task as a field ranger in our beautiful Kruger National Park. He was proud of his uniform, the ranger corps and in his own achievements.
Any brief look at him would show the observer that this was a man that knew his important role in conservation as a whole and here in the Stoltznek area in particular. He was a committed and loyal servant of that noble cause that we call conservation," said Dr Mkhize
