BCom (Tourism Management) students Nicole Grant and Nosi Mhlangu organised both events and the proceeds will be donated to the Olienhout men’s residence Save the Rhino fund.

The master brain behind this initiative is Dr Felicite Fairer-Wessels, a staff member in the Division. She once visited an elephant rehabilitation centre in Thailand where painted ceramic elephants were sold to further funds for the centre. She decided to do the same for the rhinos of South Africa. The BCom (Tourism Management) students were just as excited about the initiative and Nicole sourced ceramic rhinos from a pottery studio.

Ms Marietta van Rooyen, also a staff member of the Tourism Management Division, assisted Nicole and Nosi in arranging for an exhibition of the painted ceramic rhinos in the library. But that was not the end of the rhinos. During November the students organised a silent auction in the Bravo Pizzeria in Hatfield, where people could bid by writing an offer on a piece of paper and putting it in a closed container. The person with the highest bid on paper then became the owner of the item.

The event was marketed amongst the students and staff members of the University. The purpose of this event was to create an awareness about rhino poaching amongst students and to contribute to the conservation of the South African rhino.