Aug 1, 2026 · 1 hr 4 min · 17 segments
When Franz Richter bought a piece of land just outside Muldersdrift in the 70s he envisioned creating a bubble of African paradise where guests could watch zebras graze while they ate their breakfast…
Nicole EngelbrechtHostHe was orphaned at the age of five, and as a result, like many children at that time, had to grow up very quickly.
By the age of 18, he was living alone in Germany and had already been made to serve in the German army in World War II.
Franz had qualified as a motor mechanic, but in 1952, he saw an advertisement in a newspaper seeking men to mine gold in South Africa.
Despite these odds, Franz was selected, and he boarded a ship almost immediately bound for South Africa.
Franz was contracted by the South African government to work in the mines of Johannesburg for a minimum of four and a half years.
The pair had been conversing by letter for some time, and Franz invited her to join him in South Africa.
Now with a wife, Franz decided that gold mining was no longer an appropriate occupation, and wanted to put his motor mechanic qualifications to good use.
Initially, he worked at several garages in Johannesburg, and then soon opened his own business, Richter's Motors.
The business would eventually grow to four garages, and Franz would also have a team at Kyalami Racetrack.
Despite his enormous success in the motor industry, Franz was saving up for a bigger dream.
He'd fallen in love with Africa and its bushveldt and wildlife, and he wanted to purchase his own piece of land to start a safari lodge.
In 1970, his dream became a reality when he purchased 1,100 hectares of land just outside Muldersdrift.
He and Hedwig had welcomed two daughters and a son at this point, and the entire Richter family moved to Muldersdrift to start building their family business.
It was slow going at first, but Franz managed to acquire a good amount of wildlife, built a lodge, and the higher safari ranch began to build a reputation as a great place to go on game drives and spend a few nights in the bush.
Family life was good for the Richters, and they spent many happy years running the lodge together.
Sadly, in 1983, Hedwig Richter died suddenly, and Franz was left in mourning to run the lodge and raise his children on his own.
He channeled his loneliness into running the business, and one of his now adult daughters remained at the lodge to help him with the tourism side.
He wasn't interested in taking part in the wedding industry that was starting to boom in Muldersdrift at that time, although the lodge would later offer such services.
He was orphaned at the age of five, and as a result, like many children at that time, had to grow up very quickly.
By the age of 18, he was living alone in Germany and had already been made to serve in the German army in World War II.
Franz had qualified as a motor mechanic, but in 1952, he saw an advertisement in a newspaper seeking men to mine gold in South Africa.
Despite these odds, Franz was selected, and he boarded a ship almost immediately bound for South Africa.
Franz was contracted by the South African government to work in the mines of Johannesburg for a minimum of four and a half years.
The pair had been conversing by letter for some time, and Franz invited her to join him in South Africa.
Now with a wife, Franz decided that gold mining was no longer an appropriate occupation, and wanted to put his motor mechanic qualifications to good use.
Initially, he worked at several garages in Johannesburg, and then soon opened his own business, Richter's Motors.
The business would eventually grow to four garages, and Franz would also have a team at Kyalami Racetrack.
Despite his enormous success in the motor industry, Franz was saving up for a bigger dream.
He'd fallen in love with Africa and its bushveldt and wildlife, and he wanted to purchase his own piece of land to start a safari lodge.
In 1970, his dream became a reality when he purchased 1,100 hectares of land just outside Muldersdrift.
He and Hedwig had welcomed two daughters and a son at this point, and the entire Richter family moved to Muldersdrift to start building their family business.
It was slow going at first, but Franz managed to acquire a good amount of wildlife, built a lodge, and the higher safari ranch began to build a reputation as a great place to go on game drives and spend a few nights in the bush.
Family life was good for the Richters, and they spent many happy years running the lodge together.
Sadly, in 1983, Hedwig Richter died suddenly, and Franz was left in mourning to run the lodge and raise his children on his own.
He channeled his loneliness into running the business, and one of his now adult daughters remained at the lodge to help him with the tourism side.
He wasn't interested in taking part in the wedding industry that was starting to boom in Muldersdrift at that time, although the lodge would later offer such services.
The rest of this transcript — segmented and speaker-labeled, so you land on the exact moment something was said
Search every transcript — by keyword, by phrase, or by meaning, across every show Radar indexes
Trends — what is surging across podcasts, measured against its own baseline
Alerts — when a name you follow appears in a newly indexed episode
No account is needed to search Radar.
