I remember as a student being inspired by the Alumnus of the Year
What are you doing now?
I work at the intersection of community-based conservation, governance, and environmental law in Southern Africa. My work focuses on supporting locally led organisations to strengthen their institutions and achieve lasting impact. What makes this work especially fulfilling is the opportunity to operate behind the scenes, collaborating with a diverse group of people who are deeply committed to protecting our environment and wildlife. I support these organisations to grow, adapt, and scale their impact. What I find most meaningful is that people are now at the centre of my work. The organisations I partner with are rooted in communities that live with and alongside nature. Contributing to approaches that recognise and elevate this connection between people and nature is what gives me my greatest sense of purpose.
Apart from my environmental work, I live on an eco-farm with my husband and daughter where we are in the process of setting up a flower project which hopefully will bring some smiles and joy from Zimbabwe to the Netherlands once we start exporting. I am also now a new mom, and writing a children's book on pangolin, which I hope to publish soon.
Do you remember when you found out that you had been named Alumnus of the Year? What went through your mind? What did the title mean to you?
I remember feeling shocked and humbled. A lot of times when you work from the heart, you put your head down, roll up your sleeves and get to work without actually looking up for air or reflecting on how far you've come in the journey. That's where I was when I was awarded the Alumnus of the Year. I was in disbelief but it also gave me a moment to pause and look back at how far we'd come as a Country and as conservationists in using and applying the law to protect some of the world's most endangered species.
What did you enjoy most about the title?
I enjoyed the fact that it amplified that we could all use our knowledge or skills to contribute to something bigger. I really appreciated that this was an opportunity for more people to know about wildlife conservation and to show that lawyers can diversify what they do with their degree. There's no need to take the conventional route or be boxed in by expectations. You can be and do anything.
Did the title bring you anything concrete? For example, did it bring you contacts, collaborations, or motivation?
The title inspired me to pause and think about how I could most be of value to nature, my country, RUG. How could I truly leave the world better than I found it. I found my inspiration to try something different and bold, firstly by driving a community based environmental organisation called hambai wild - let's go wild. After a few years of leading this, I pivoted and currently work to support community-led conservation organisations that work across Africa to accelerate their impact through organisational development. The contacts I made through this title have been invaluable and my hope is to maintain these and collaborate on tangible and productive outcomes.
Why should people nominate an Alumnus of the Year?
I think this award spotlights important work being done by our RUG alumni which gives them fuel to do more. In addition it also can stand as a means to motivate the current RUG students that they can do and be anything one day. I remember as a student being inspired by the alumnus of the year, so now being one, I can only hope that a RUG student can identify with the fact that anything and everything is possible. You can be that drop in the ocean that contributes to a wave and have a ripple effect in this world.