Conservation & Charity

We've been proud partners of Save the Rhino since 2013 and share a joint vision that all rhino species will thrive in the wild for future generations. For every client travelling with Mahlatini, we make a donation in their name to Save the Rhino. Our clients return inspired by what they've seen on their Mahlatini journey and want to actively protect Africa’s majestic, but all too often, endangered species.

Save the Rhino incredible work across the globe is focused to ensure donations have the biggest impact possible. Mahlatini’s donations support critical conservation projects, including anti-poaching ranger units, biological management and community education.

We believe travel has the power to transform lives and create meaningful change, which is why we partnered with Uthando (meaning ‘love’ in Zulu and Xhosa). We are jointly committed to providing communities living in poverty with life-enhancing opportunities and paving the way for a brighter future. We dedicate a percentage of profit from all our bookings to support community programmes in South Africa. In addition, our clients are given the opportunity to further support these community projects by joining philanthropic educational excursions, becoming an active participant in these transformative initiatives.

Uthando South Africa supports and works alongside an incredible collection of independent, and inspiring community projects and charity organisations across different sectors. From the Moya we Khaya community garden to the Zama Dance School, Uthando connects our team and clients to a host of community projects in and around Cape Town.

Conscious of the potential impact of long-haul travel, we launched our own carbon-offsetting initiative in 2020 with our nominated charity partner, One Tree Planted. For every client travelling with Mahlatini, we will fund the planting of one tree in reforestation projects across Kenya and Rwanda. The focus is on rebuilding animal habitats, restoring soil and critical watersheds, all while improving the lives of the communities who rely most heavily on the forests. These reforestation projects also work to educate farmers on the benefits of improved forestry practices, providing communities with sustainable sources of food, wood, and income.

The team at Mahlatini frequently revisit our favourite African destinations. To balance out our own carbon footprint, we will naturally also plant a tree for every staff flight through our One Tree Planted partnership. A small step in the right direction to limit climate change impacts.

When you Pack for a Purpose, the trip you take goes farther than the miles you travel. The vision behind this charity is simple – enabling people fortunate enough to travel to other countries to make meaningful contributions to the places and local communities they visit. We support our clients by identifying the best items to add to their luggage and work with our suppliers to ensure that these are distributed to those most in need.

Pack for a Purpose works closely with another charity we support, Children in the Wilderness, in some of our key destinations such as Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Zambia. In partnership, the pipeline of our clients' packed goods (toys, clothing, school supplies) are delivered to the local schools to directly benefit the children.

Born from one family’s passion for Kenya and its wilderness, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is best known for its Orphans' Project; the first and most successful elephant orphan rescue and rehabilitation programme in the world. The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is a pioneering conservation organisation, dedicated to the protection of wildlife and the preservation of habitats in East Africa.

Mahlatini adopted an elephant calf named Mzinga who lives in Sheldrick’s Nairobi Nursery and is cared for by their passionate team of keepers.

Social responsibility is at the epicentre of our business practice and a core consideration in our supply chain. We are delighted to partner with The Joinery, a sustainable and ethical product design house based in South Africa, to create our bespoke branded travel items. Each luxury piece from our exclusive collection is hand-crafted by women's sewing co-operatives based in informal settlements, local up-skilled artists and sustainable local production houses.

Our clients’ luxury booking packs are not only practical and stylish, they create ‘change through design’ as their unique felt fabric is made from recycled plastic bottles, collected from the streets and saved from landfill and our oceans.

In 2022, we embarked on a new phase in our sustainability journey by signing Business In The Community's (BITC) Climate Action Pledge. This represents our public commitment to achieving a 50% reduction in our greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The Climate Action Pledge is an integral component of Business Action on Climate, a collaborative initiative that positions us at the forefront of the fight toward a greener planet.

BITC's advisory services delivered comprehensive training aimed at providing best-practice support regarding sustainability and strategy to our dedicated Sustainability Committee. Members of our team also took part in further essential training and met all the requirements of the Carbon Literacy Standard. We have implemented a series of tangible changes across the business including the installation of solar panels in office premises, switch to company electric vehicles, adoption of energy-efficient practices and upgrade of our recycling processes; with a commitment to continual improvements.