The Karoo region in South Africa has a strong reputation and strong image and has become synonymous with quality, tradition and wholesomeness. It is part of South Africa’s image and a real treasure.The name “Karoo” is increasingly used as a brand, signifying space, emptiness and purity. This adds value to Karoo tourism, Karoo lifestyle and Karoo agricultural products: “The quality of nothingness,
which characterizes South Africa’s arid Karoo in the public mind, has been transformed in recent times from a perceived liability into a touristic asset” Because the Karoo name evokes such powerful images it has been misused and misappropriated by so many businesses to boost their marketing efforts. This misappropriation lead to the fact the most important asset of the Karoo people gets misused and the economic benefits not distributed back to the people of the Karoo. The Karoo is deprived of economic opportunities and also deprived of government actions to improve the quality of life of the majority of people due to the fact that the region is managed by four provinces resulting in poor coordination of government plans and actions. In order to trace, record, preserve and commemorate the rich heritage which evolved in the Karoo region of South Africa, to promote social and economic development in the Karoo, and to keep in custody such heritage for the descendants of the inhabitants of the Karoo and the South African public in general, a trust known as the Karoo Development Foundation (KDF) was established in 2009. The Karoo Development Foundation is an inter vivos trust (nr IT1498/2009) established in terms of Section 6 (1) of the Trust Property Control Act (Act 57 of 1988). The Foundation has just completed the registration process for a certification mark for sheep meat produced in the Karoo region as a way to protect the true origin of this product. This certification mark is the property of the KDF but will be available for use by producers and processors and traders of Karoo lamb.
