The excitement has been tangible, and everyone has been waiting for the announcement of this year’s finalists in the Safari Guide of the Year (SGOTY). The time is upon us!
This competition, powered by the Field Guide Association of Southern Africa (FGASA), has been held since 2011. It is really an acknowledgement and recognition of those guides out there that often go unnoticed and seemingly operate in the background, despite having worked hard at honing their skills and working tirelessly to further their career as field guides.
As we know, this is not the case, they are noticed and the tourists’ experience is almost always determined by the quality and knowledge of the field guide that they end up with. This guide spends more time with the guests than any other staff member during the guests’ stay. Lodges have over the years come to realise that the standard and quality of the guide is paramount to a good guest experience, and that is why the go-to ‘qualification’ or grading for the majority of lodges in southern Africa (and beyond) is offered by FGASA.
Held over five days, and testing eight disciplines, this competition is not for the faint hearted. There is a minimum qualification to entry and anyone can nominate a potential competitor. There is stringent vetting of the nominated guides over a period of time, and out of that lot, five finalists are announced.
Let’s meet the 2024 finalists in this prestigious competition. The list below is in no particular order.
Ashley Meintjes
Ashley is currently working at Lalibela Game Reserve, in the Eastern Cape. He is 37 years old, married with two kids. He was born and brought up in Durban. After school he decided to do an electrical apprenticeship, but he soon realised that his passion lay with nature and being in the bush.
The first three months of guiding he explains were “properly scary”, but he gritted it out and progressed forward. Over time he has developed a passion for how all things in nature actually work together.
His specific interests are insects, birds and animal behaviour – but over the last 3 years he has got sucked into the marvellous, wonderful world of track and sign. His only regret is not having got involved in this aspect of the bush earlier.
His favourite colour is purple, and if asked to choose a meal he will always stray towards sushi. His favourite drink is coke – but being pushed he relented, and admitted that if there is some brandy adrift and in the vicinity, then it is coke and brandy!
The favourite book that Ashley currently lists is ‘The way of the Kings’ – a sci-fi epic! Going back to the bush, his favourite animal is the honey badger, and favourite bird is the black shouldered kite.
Ashley loves to explain to his guests things that they never knew existed, always with a bias to the impact that the interlinked natural world has on all its parts and creatures. He openly admits that the administration of guiding is not his strong point.
An early girlfriends’ father, Ashley’s uncles and more especially his friend, Chris Reyneke, and his daughter, have been very instrumental in influencing and shaping his life.
If Ashley was to win SGOTY 24, he would like to broaden the footprint of the competition, get more people involved and to bring the camaraderie experienced at the competition, back to the Eastern Cape
Ashely’s mantra is “Be the change (you wish to see)”.
H.J. Esterhuizen
Hendrik Johannes, better known as ‘HJ’, hails from the Royal Malewane stable in the Greater Kruger. He is 31 years old and is married. Born in Johannesburg, brought up here in Hoedspruit and schooled in Phalaborwa – so I suppose one could call him local!
HJ found his passion for guiding whilst at school, where he would volunteer to work at lodges, eventually doing an apprenticeship at one of them. He literally came out of school and into guiding.
HJ has subsequently developed a deep passion for walking and tracking in the bush, something he even does in his spare time. Asked if he was not scared to go it alone in the bush, he replies “not scared just careful”.
True to form his favourite colour is khaki, his favourite food is steak, and drink is coke. His favourite book is titled ‘The Ivory Trail’ by T.V.Bulpin. Who would have guessed that his favourite animal is the black rhino, and bird is the martial eagle.
HJ loves being with people. He thrives on the fact that he can influence them and educate them in the bush – something few people probably can do. He enjoys moving people to make better decisions about conservation.
What he does not like are the difficult clients – clients that are demanding, wanting nature to be on point at the drop of a hat. But he works hard at trying to change that view and over a relatively short period of time, would hope to bring them around.
His father was the most influential person in his life, standing behind him, never saying no, and always being super supportive.
If HJ was to win this event, he would take it as an opportunity to get more involved in training, but never leaving guiding. We would want to try an inspire and motivate young guides to do their very best and achieve!
HJ mantra is ‘never give up’, that’s how he got to where he is today. It was not without obstacles, but he never wavered, he got up and pressed on.
Phillip Wessels
Phillip works at Cheetah Ridge Lodge, in Nambiti Private Game Reserve, KwaZulu Natal. He is 44 years old and married. Born in Vereeniging, he grew up and was schooled in Middleburg.
From school he went directly into guiding. Having by chance met Lee Gutteridge at a vehicle breakdown, Lee helped him all the way to become a ‘Ranger’. He then set up an interview at Mabula Game Lodge, was employed by them, and I suppose the obvious cliché is, ‘the rest is history’.
His passion is to create an unforgettable experience for the guest. All guests in Phillips eyes are VIPs, and he has realised that the guide can make or break the guests experience.
Although Phillip claims blue to be his favourite colour – he is totally colourblind – that’s why he’s looking forward to the birding task! A juicy lamb chop on a braai is his food of choice, and his favourite drink is coffee. His favourite books are ‘A time to Die” by Wilbur Smith, and ‘The power of Prayer’. On the favourite animal and bird front, those (despite being colourblind!) would be the spotted hyena, the violet eared waxbill, and the black faced waxbill.
What Phillip enjoys the most about guiding is the freedom to express himself in the way that he guides, and he is very adamant that the part of guiding he does not like, is arrogant guides.
The most influential person in his life is his wife, Arin. She has a major role in helping take decisions, giving advice and keeping him on the straight and narrow!
Should Phillip win this event he would stay where he is and work to get the guides in KwaZulu Natal and Eastern Cape recognised and expose them for who they really are (in a good way!). He would also like to give more exposure to the reserves in KwaZulu Natal.
His mantra is plain and simple “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord”.
Themba Mabunda
Themba hails from Lion Sands Private Game Reserve in the Sabi Sands. He is 42 years old, has a partner and two kids.
Themba was born and bred in Utah Village – close to Dixie – and once he finished school he went directly into tracking. He spent 4 years at Singita as a tracker, all the time studying his FGASA manuals with the intentions and drive to become a guide. This led to him finding his way to Marataba, and finally, for the last one and a half years he has been at Lion Sands.
His passion is working with, and teaching people about nature. He loves game drives and bush walks.
His favourite colour is green, his food is pap, and his best drink is Coke. Themba says there are too many books to choose a favourite, but he loves bird books, his favourite animals is the leopard, and his favourite bird is the crested barbet.
He loves guiding, and teaching people, taking them out of their comfort zones and honing their views about nature whilst taking them back into nature. What he does not like about guiding is getting up in the mornings! But he admits “once up, up for good!”.
He has been most influenced by his brother, Adam Mabunda, who became his father figure, and chief supporter and mentor. Adam is a senior tracker.
If Themba was to win SGOTY 2024, he believes it would present itself as motivation for colleagues, friends, and fellow guides, to show that hard work pays off. It would be amazing recognition, some place that he learnt from, and it would be etched in his history forever.
Themba’s mantra is really being out and present in the wild.
Tracey Bruton
Tracey was following a totally different career in the film industry, when she decided that the bush was for her. So, although considered a relative ‘late starter’ (in her 30’s), she’s bounded through the ranks in quick time, and finds herself here as a finalist in SGOTY 2024.
Tracey is currently at Thornbush Game Lodge in Thornybush. She is 42 and single, was born in Grahamstown and brought up in Cape Town. The evolution of her career to nature was almost predetermined as she studied nature conservation before she went into film. She’s now coming up to a decade of being immersed in the bush.
Her passion is broad, as she loves everything, meeting people, the bush life style and getting people excited about nature. She is quick to point out that “this is my life, a life, possibly a lifestyle, but definitely not a job”, and she loves it!
Her favourite colour is green, loves ALL foods but sushi pips all others, and due to a recent trip to France, her favourite drink is now French champagne! Her favourite book has been The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel. Her favourite animals are the elephant and honey badger, and her favourite bird is the African hoopoe.
She loves sharing her enthusiasm and passion about all the animals in the bush. But there is something she does not like in the bush – the dust in winter and having to tuck her shirt in!
Her greatest influence has been her mother because of her strength.
Should Tracey win this year, she will push herself to get better qualified and wants to continue working on herself. She admits she still has a lot to learn from others and indeed herself – but with that all, wants to make a difference in conservation.
Her mantra is to continually say ‘make it happen’ as one word!
Lewyn Maefala (Invitational)
The invitational candidate this year is Lewyn. She is a whirlwind of enthusiasm and passion. She is the Founder of Bushbabies (under Transfrontier Africa) – an organisation that teaches children about the bush, introducing them to nature. It’s basically environmental lessons for children from 5 – 18 years old.
Lewyn was born and brought up in Pretoria and her love for the bush and things wild was piqued and nurtured on her grandfather’s farm where she spent many happy days. She was involved with the Pretoria Zoo from an early age and did the Junior Nature Conservation course there. She then moved on an completed her Nature Conservation Diploma and it was whilst on a practical during the course that her life changed. That was it, she decided there and then that she wanted to advance forward within the conservation field.
Lewyn tells me that she is 31 – which in her view the new 12, but with the heart of a 9-year-old, eager to learn, sucking up the knowledge like a sponge and craving to discover. Her aim is for bigger and greater things in life, all within the paradise of the bush.
Attending SGOTY 2024 she hopes to gain a better sense of what is out there, to understand even more and learn from the experience of others.
Her favourite colour is light green, her favourite food is prawns with pasta, and her favourite drink is water! Her favourite, inspirational book is Can Do! by Kevin Chaplin. Her favourite animal is the elephant, and her favourite bird is the paradise flycatcher.
Lewyn’s attributes the major portion of her life mentorship to Dr Cheryl Ogilvie, from the Tswane University of Technology. It is through her passion and direction that led Lewyn into conservation and teaching people.
Lewyn’s mantra comes from the wonderful book by Dr Seuss, The Lorax. “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not”.
