We recently flew J awards DL EWR AMS JRO. There were absolutely people on each segment other than the two of us on award tickets. Perhaps they booked on the KLM side? The whole award was very inexpensive, 65,000 miles for the one way pp.
Have you considered flying into DAR? Some options might open up there (via VS through DL). If you're on a safari you can transfer with a small plane with no issues.
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