SERIES: GENERAL MOTORS ON SAFARI
Starring: Gert van den Berg (Narrator), Gabriel Bayman, Gordon Mulholland,
Arthur Swemmer, Clive Parnell, Bill Brewer, Eric Egan, Shelagh Holliday,
Hal Orlandini, Brian O’Shaughnessy, Marjorie Gordon, Hugh Rouse,
Adrian Steed, Douglas Laws, Michael Mayer, Michael McCabe.
Writers: Michael McCabe, Timothy Bungey, Stuart Cloete, H.Ebedes
Producers: Michael McCabe, Timothy Bungey for Springbok Radio
Total Episodes: Broadcast: 164 Archived: 164
First Episode B/C: 30/04/1965 Last Episode B/C: 23/08/1968
Radio Station: SABC – Springbok Radio
Synopsis:
True-life adventure stories of the African Bushveld, sponsored by General Motors South Africa. The
first real attempt to bring to a South African radio audience authentic African stories. The Series lasted
for almost 4 very successful years and was broadcast on Friday evenings at 7H30pm. The series was
eventually replaced by another very popular Springbok Radio programme “Squad Cars”. Most of the
wildlife sound effects were actual sounds recorded in the wilds of Africa by Timothy Bungey, who
became a very successful writer, producer and broadcaster on Springbok Radio. Timothy was the last
head of Drama at Springbok Radio before the closing in December 1985. Sadly only 164 episodes
were made, but this series will always be remembered by the Springbok Radio faithful.
14 Episodes are at present doing the rounds with collectors internationally. It is unclear who recorded
them at the time. 4 Episodes were released by the SABC International Transcription Service in 1967
for broadcast internationally. The episodes listed in this log was donated to this society by the late Neil
Gesson in 2006 for preservation. A complete set of episodes will be donated to the SABC Sound
Archive in Johannesburg for National preservation. The “1820 Settlers” episodes are available to the
1820 Settlers Foundation of South Africa.
List of episodes preserved within the Springbok Radio Preservation Society of South Africa Sound
Archive:
Nr B/C Date Episode Title
001 30/04/1965 Francis McComber (First Episode)
002 07/05/1965 Crossed Sticks
003 14/05/1965 The Bullet
004 21/05/1965 Savage Encounter
005 28/05/1965 Feast for a King
006 04/06/1965 Nylon Safari
007 11/06/1965 Mamba
008 18/06/1965 A Boy and his Dog
009 25/06/1965 Stovicke and the Elephants
010 02/07/1965 Huberta goes South
--- 09/07/1965 No Programme Broadcast - Special Transmission
--- 16/07/1965 No Programme Broadcast - Special Transmission
011 23/07/1965 Tembele’s Trail
012 30/07/1965 The Honey Bird
013 06/08/1965 Just Retribution
014 13/08/1965 The Snows of Kilimanjaro
015 20/08/1965 The year of the Poacher
016 27/08/1965 The Man Eaters of Tsabu
--- 03/09/1965 No Programme Broadcast – Special Transmission
017 10/09/1965 Operation Impala
018 17/09/1965 The Broken Horn
019 24/09/1965 Jungle Victory
020 01/10/1965 The Sounds of Ndumic
021 08/10/1965 The Old Buffel
022 15/10/1965 Memsahib and the Witch Cat
023 22/10/1965 Day of the Kwagga
024 29/10/1965 In the tracks of the Mosawa
025 05/11/1965 Bell’s Karamaja Safari
--- 12/11/1965 No Programme Broadcast – Special Transmission
026 19/11/1965 Shaudi Nyamungo
027 26/11/1965 The New Economy
028 03/12/1965 Death of a Clown
029 10/12/1965 Henry was Here
030 17/12/1965 Henry the Hunter
031 24/12/1965 The Eternal Balance
032 31/12/1965 Crusader
033 07/01/1966 The Flight of the Mantis
034 14/01/1966 The Man who made the Rains come
035 21/01/1966 The Price of Ivory
036 28/01/1966 Gordon Pethic’s Last Safari
037 04/02/1966 The White Buffalo
038 11/02/1966 The Time of the Fox
039 18/02/1966 The Claw
040 25/02/1966 The Man from Bulawayo
041 04/03/1966 The Mask of Africa
042 11/03/1966 Charlie Brown’s 5 Pictures
043 18/03/1966 The London Lion
044 25/03/1966 The Lost World of the Lualaba
045 01/04/1966 The Boy with the bag of Snakes
046 08/04/1966 African Sunset
047 15/04/1966 The Rise and Fall of Hunter McNiece
048 22/04/1966 No Ordinary Leopard
049 29/04/1966 The Day of the Ant
050 06/05/1966 Bangi pays a Debt
051 13/05/1966 When the Springbok Come
052 20/05/1966 Where the Tembo comes to Die
053 27/05/1966 The Iron Trek
054 03/06/1966 The Legend of Malutsinyani Falls
055 10/06/1966 Isadora
056 17/06/1966 The Siege of Bushman Pits
057 24/06/1966 The Grave of the Queen
058 01/07/1966 The Four Tusked Elephant
059 08/07/1966 The Last Lion
060 15/07/1966 Sonata for Lion and Buffalo
061 22/07/1966 The Island
062 29/07/1966 Operation Elephant
063 05/08/1966 The Chinkula
064 12/08/1966 The Lost Tribe of Bushmen of the Okavango: Pt 1
065 19/08/1966 The Lost Tribe of Bushmen of the Okavango: Pt 2
066 26/08/1966 The Lost Tribe of Bushmen of the Okavango: Pt 3
067 02/09/1966 The Lost Tribe of Bushmen of the Okavango: Pt 4
--- 09/09/1966 Repeat of Previous Episode – Transmitter Fault
068 16/09/1966 Incident on the Suar
069 23/09/1966 Fountain of Life
070 30/09/1966 Sauce for the Gander
071 07/10/1966 El Bhouga – The Giant Eland
072 14/10/1966 The Man on the White Horse
073 21/10/1966 The Long Shadow
074 28/10/1966 The Elephant that never was
075 04/11/1966 Buta’s last Hunt
076 11/11/1966 To Catch an Oryx
077 18/11/1966 The Man who feared Spiders
078 25/11/1966 The Leopard’s Snarl
079 02/12/1966 The $10,000 Bet
080 09/12/1966 Vigil at Lago Salt Lick
081 16/12/1966 Sounds of Africa
082 23/12/1966 A Well Mannered Lion (Double Episode B/C)
083 23/12/1966 Fire Mamba (Double Episode B/C)
084 30/12/1966 A Licence to Kill
085 06/01/1967 The Great C to C walk
086 13/01/1967 Hunt for Cecil Jackson
087 20/01/1967 King of the Kikuyu
088 27/01/1967 Valley of the Lovebird
089 03/02/1967 The Place of Fools
090 10/02/1967 Pioneer Doctor
091 17/02/1967 Leiningen vs the Ants
092 24/02/1967 Take a Ranger
093 03/03/1967 The Return of Sabu
094 10/03/1967 Kith and Kin
095 17/03/1967 Ingue
--- 24/03/1967 Repeat of Previous Episode – Transmitter Fault
096 31/03/1967 The Mad Major
097 07/04/1967 Saturday’s Child
098 14/04/1967 Kivu and the Mad Moon Night
099 21/04/1967 The Great Huntress
100 28/04/1967 The First White Hunter
101 05/05/1967 Year of the Wild Dog
102 12/05/1967 And Leopard, Came Too
103 19/05/1967 The Eyes of the Hunter
104 26/05/1967 The Rehearsal
105 02/06/1967 The Day of the 13th Elephant
106 09/06/1967 The White Gold of Sachoni Mapoma
107 16/06/1967 The Golden Half Hunter
108 23/06/1967 A Song of Death
109 30/06/1967 Tembu Ruli – Truly an Elephant
110 07/07/1967 Night of the New Moon
111 14/07/1967 The Day of Mvengi’s Lion
112 21/07/1967 Kruger’s Gold
113 28/07/1967 The White Devil
114 04/08/1967 The Film Makers
115 11/08/1967 Appasionata
116 18/08/1967 The Tonkin Mystery
117 25/08/1967 Harry’s Diamond
118 01/09/1967 The Spirit of Ramazani
119 08/09/1967 Exposure
120 15/09/1967 The Ivory Mission
121 22/09/1967 Lion Allegro
122 29/09/1967 S.O.S.Rhino
123 06/10/1967 The Tree of Death
124 13/10/1967 The Picture
125 20/10/1967 The Search for Robert Salford
126 27/10/1967 Expedition Kalahari
127 03/11/1967 The Man with 604 Grand Children
128 10/11/1967 Orgobi
129 17/11/1967 Lion Fighters never grow Old
130 24/11/1967 The Beads
131 01/12/1967 A Kind of Justice
132 08/12/1967 Six Stars over the Zoutpansberg
--- 15/12/1967 No Programme Broadcast – Special Transmission
--- 22/12/1967 No Programme Broadcast – Special Transmission
133 27/12/1967 Tembile’s Trail
--- 05/01/1968 No Programme Broadcast – Special Transmission
--- 12/01/1968 No Programme Broadcast – Special Transmission
134 19/01/1968 Visitors on a Late Siera Afternoon
135 26/01/1968 The Theatre Sister
136 02/02/1968 The Road to Gobabeb
137 09/02/1968 More than Ivory
138 16/02/1968 Obsession
139 23/02/1968 Mudimu and the Leopard
140 01/03/1968 Spike’s Reef
141 08/03/1968 The Jump
142 15/03/1968 Of Seals and Men
143 22/03/1968 The Curse of Nkala
144 29/03/1968 Dead Man’s Gold
145 05/04/1968 Rain
146 12/04/1968 Flight of the Eagle
147 19/04/1968 Dreamful of Leopard
148 26/04/1968 Kichese
149 03/05/1968 Mantisa
150 10/05/1968 To Climb a Mountain
151 17/05/1968 The Girl at Ketegua
152 24/05/1968 The Rogue
--- 31/05/1968 Special Republic Day Broadcast – No Episode B/C
153 07/06/1968 1820 Settlers Series: Harry Hastings
154 14/06/1968 1820 Settlers Series: They Came to South Africa
155 21/06/1968 1820 Settlers Series: The Old Peach Tree Stump
156 28/06/1968 1820 Settlers Series: William in Dingaan’s Court
157 05/07/1968 1820 Settlers Series: The Men They Were
158 12/07/1968 1820 Settlers Series: Post of Honour
159 19/07/1968 Has Clawed me in his Clutch
160 26/07/1968 LM4 Calling LP11
161 02/08/1968 A Calabash of Diamonds
162 09/08/1968 The Bells of Sulamani
163 16/08/1968 Inyati and the Blue Stone
164 23/08/1968 Big Dutch’s Last Safari (Final Episode)
List Compiled by The Springbok Radio Preservation Society of South Africa. January, 2007
