Mahlangeni, the Tsonga word for 'meeting place', is one of the most remote ranger stations in the Kruger National Park. Far from everywhere, this isolated corner of the wilderness was home for eleven years to Kobie Kruger, wife of the ranger in charge of the station, and their three daughters. Running a household and raising a family in a place where leopards, elephants, snakes and the like are your only neighbours, where you have no telephone, and where a trip to town means first crossing a river full of hippos and crocodiles, is hardly a straightforward business. But Kobie Kruger tackled each problem with undaunted pragmatism and an energy that gives new meaning to the word resourceful. Written with warmth, humour and a charm that reflects her deep love of the solitude of the wilderness and her respect for its creatures, great and small, her story of life at Mahlangeni will delight all lovers of wild places.
