KEVIN LEO-SMITH

Chairman

Kevin Leo-Smith is a seasoned sustainability-focused business developer with over four decades of experience across safari tourism, agriculture, wildlife conservation, climate change mitigation and integrated sustainable development. He developed the concept behind Phinda Game Reserve in the late 1980s and co-founded its parent company, Conservation Corporation Africa (now &Beyond) as well as Kwando Safaris, which both developed into industry-shaping ventures.

Kevin later co-founded the African Conservation Development Group (ACDG), which spearheads large-scale projects focusing on climate change mitigation through conservation forestry and integrated sustainable development in Africa, the flagship being the Grande Mayumba Development in Southern Gabon.

Kevin also established Safari Investment Advisory in 2018 with partners, assisting clients with safari tourism opportunities, capital raising and business expansion.

A resource economist at heart, Kevin specialises in unlocking the value of biodiversity and natural resources, to ensure their long-term protection. He has served on numerous conservation boards, including The Meta Population Initiative, Rhino Revolution, and now the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Reserve.

Currently residing on Rietspruit Game Reserve near Hoedspruit, Kevin continues to combine his business expertise with his passion for conservation, driving initiatives that demonstrate how people and nature can thrive together.

TEBOGO MAMETJA

Tebogo Mametja was born and raised in Limpopo Province. He has lived and worked in different parts of SA and the USA where he continued with his studies. His professional journey cuts across corporate, business and labour sectors in the areas of strategy, sales and marketing since 1993 with exposure to various corporate environments from mining, to financial services, education and communications.

DR TONY SWEMMER

Dr Anthony Swemmer is the Manager of the South African Environmental Observation Network’s (SAEON) Ndlovu Node. He has an interest in all ecological disciplines, and has become involved in managing a range of research projects from plant and animal population biology, restoration ecology, plant-herbivore interactions, plant community ecology, ecosystem productivity, eco-hydrology, freshwater ecology and the ecology of natural resource harvesting. His PhD dissertation dealt with grassland productivity and global climate change, specifically looking at how dominant C­4 grass species of South Africa and the USA respond to the timing of rainfall, and how these responses are affected by grazing. More recently, his work as a research manager for the SAEON has exposed him to a diverse range of environmental change topics, in both protected and rural areas.

KEDIBONE SITHOLE

Kedibone originates from the North West and made her mark as a professional Property Evaluator in the Maruleng Municipality. She obtained her B. Com (Hons) from the University of Johannesburg and is currently busy with her Law Degree with UNISA. Kedibone has excellent communication skills, a sense of responsibility in executing tasks, analytical skills, and an ability to grasp wide range of issues. She is innovative, have an ability to analyse and interpret data, and be accountable for better results.

Maselesele Komana

Maselesele Komana is the founding Audiologist of SELMED Audiology. She has with a keen interest in the paediatric population and focused mostly on school-based intervention in her practice. She spent a year working at a Multi Drug Resistant & Extremely Drug Resistant TB Hospital in Greytown KZN before relocating back to the lowveld. Currently Maselesele is the COO of Taposa Business Enterprise in Sekororo. She also sits on the Board of The Limpopo Chamber of Commerce as the Head of Governance and Administration. 

Rest Kanju

Rest Kanju is the executive director and head of operations for Indalo Inclusive, an NPO created with the goal of supporting ecofriendly and sustainable entrepreneurship in South Africa. The organisation specialises in the strengthening of eco-inclusive entrepreneurship, providing a platform for young business people eager to solve the unprecedented challenges that the climate crisis presents.

Kanju was born in Bushbuckridge in Acornhoek and after graduating with a BSc in Environmental Management from UCT, he returned  as a pioneer of the environmental movement within his community. He established eco-clubs at several schools in the Biosphere. He also played a big role in getting the Kruger2Canyons Biosphere off the ground.

His expertise has guided Indalo since its founding in 2017; it has incubated more than a 100 eco-inclusive start-ups to date.