Directors & Management

Board of Directors

James Aling – Chairman

James studied at Stellenbosch (1982-84) where I received a B. Agric Admin degree in agricultural economics and management. Post graduate studies included a B.Comm Hons at Wits while in Johannesburg at the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) (1986-87) and later a M.Sc. in agricultural economics at Michigan State University in the USA (1990-1991).

He started of working in agricultural and rural development first at the DBSA and then KwaZulu Finance Corporation in Durban as an economist and project manager before joining HL Hall and Sons in 1994. After starting in the marketing division of the Fresh Produce business, he them moved across to the property business of the Halls Group where he was involved for 23 years developing the business until Feb 2018. Upon leaving Halls Properties, I purchased a business we had set up tin Halls Properties to manage the Riverside node, Spaces Places & Partnerships, which is an urban management and partnership company that establishes and manages City Improvement Districts (CIDs). Throughout my time with Halls Properties and afterwards, I have been involved with Selati and the Big Five Game Company from the early inception and formative years through to more recently (last 4 years) by being directly involved on the Board. My long period of involvement has provided me with a really good understanding and insight into the Reserve, its members and the operations of the Big Five Game Company, including being involved in the recent shift in strategy to develop our eco-tourism commercial offering. I also to serve on a number of other Boards and collective initiatives/associations.

Alan du Toit – Vice Chairman

Alan is an owner on the reserve who has served on the Selati Board of Directors for many years. He is a current Exco member at Selati and the Chairman of the Selati Wilderness Foundation. Alan graduated with B.Sc Honours in Geology and Geophysics and is a conservationist.

Kuen Pappas

Kuen is a qualified Chartered Accountant with a passion for the wilderness. He has been involved with Selati since 2005 and become a landowner in 2022. He has an agricultural background and was born and bred in the Lowveld. Kuens family produce and distribute the highly effective Bat Hawk aircraft used in conservation throughout Africa with strong ties to significant role players in the industry.

John Williams

After successful stints at both the University of Stellenbosch and the University of Cape Town, John qualified as a CA (SA) at KPMG, where he worked in a variety of roles in both South Africa and England. John joined Lightstone in January 2011 where he was appointed Group Chief Financial Officer. In 2016, John took up a position in the HL Hall and Sons group to drive strategy and governance.

John’s portfolio has since expanded and he is now Head of Group Finance for the HL Hall and Sons group. John has a passion for education, and has played an active role in the Thandulwazi Trust, a charitable organisation focused on Maths and Science education for the previously disadvantaged. John’s other passions centre around sport, including long distance running and golf. John is married and has twins, who keep him young at heart.

Marié Oosthuisen

Marié Oosthuizen has been a member of the Selati Game Reserve since 1995. With a BSc in Computer Science and Mathematical Statistics (Unisa, 1976) and an MBA (University of Pretoria, 1993), Marié’s qualifications reflect her passion for continuous growth. Over her 35-year career at the University of Pretoria, she worked in various departments including IT, institutional research and planning, investments, and finance. Her journey also took her to Cambridge University in the UK for five enriching years. Her hobbies include birding and genealogy, and she has a love for all living creatures.

Anton Wood

Anton is the owner of Matumi Fresh Logistics based in Kiepersol (Hazyview), which was started in 1995. They specialise in the distribution of fresh produce to the Lodge industry and transport fresh produce countrywide, as well as cross border. His ultimate goal is to expand the company into the agricultural field to be able to give clients the best fresh quality direct. He believes his personal biggest achievement was to be in the fortunate position to acquire a piece of heaven in Selati.

Brian van Aswegen

Brian van Aswegen, has been involved in the Selati Game Reserve since 2012 when he married into the Joubert Family. Brian obtained a degree in Zoology from Rhodes University and an honours degree in Conservation Ecology from Wits University in 2007 after which he gained experience as a Field Guide at many of the well-known game reserves in the Greater Kruger National Park region. In 2010 Brian co-founded and established a successful business in Gauteng, which temporarily kept him out of the conservation space. In 2020, during the COVID 19 pandemic, Brian’s passion was reignited when he founded a conservation based NPO, Conserv Earth, to demonstrate that the successful connection between conservation areas, the communities that surround these areas and the private sector, is pivotal to the sustainable preservation of key conservation areas and to the improvement of people’s livelihoods.

Management Team

Bryan Havemann

General
Manager

Bryan, during his school career, enjoyed sports, especially rugby and rowing. After a two-year compulsory stint in the army, he worked on game farms and for a roofing company. After receiving a Diploma in Nature Conservation, Bryan completed his practical year in the Kruger National Park (KNP).

After working in the research department of the KNP, he spent a brief period at Londolozi as a guide before returning to the KNP as a wilderness trails ranger. After eight years, he was promoted to a section ranger based at Woodlands in the north of the KNP and later at Stols Nek in the South Western corner of the KNP. During this time, he acquired his Higher Diploma (BTech) in Veld and Game Management.

After starting at Jock Safari Lodge as the GM and Head Ranger, Bryan spent over two years managing the first concession in the KNP. He then moved to Kwa-Zulu Natal, where he ran a guest house and, later, a restaurant. In addition, he hosted and led a game ranging and lodge management course in Durban for two years.

Bryan was appointed as the National Director of Conservation for the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA) for a period of four years, after which he joined African Parks and became the Park Manager for the Akagera National Park in Rwanda. After two years, he moved to Cape Town where he worked with Nature Conservation Corporation (NCC) and the Cape Leopard Trust. A hankering for the bushveld brought Bryan back to the Lowveld as General Manager of the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve, followed by Warden of the Umbabat Private Nature Reserve. Finally, in October 2020, Bryan joined Selati Game Reserve as the General Manager.

Lindsey Jones

Operations
and Marketing Manager

Lindsey has been in the tourism industry for 13 years, with a strong focus on community development. She received her Honours degree in Sustainable Ecological Management, a Master’s Degree in Rural Resource Management, and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Monitoring and Evaluation.

As a consultant, Lindsey completed work for a variety of organisations, including Kruger National Park through the Global Environmental Facility; the UNESCO declared Kruger to Canyon Biosphere; and the Southern African Wildlife College, to name a few. She started working at Selati in August 2020 with responsibilities in day to day financial administration, marketing, human resources, governance, administration, tourism, and fundraising. She also acts as the Public Officer for the Selati Wilderness Foundation.

Christo Joubert

Maintenance
Manager

Christo grew up in the Burgersfort and Klaserie Private Nature Reserve (KPNR) area on his family property. His love for wildlife started in the KPNR where he had numerous encounters with the Big 5 as a young man. After he matriculated, he became a qualified Mechanical Engineer and fitter. When he was 23,  his father passed away and he took over the family business of Mechanical workshop, Motor engineering and a filling station.

After 13 years he sold the business to a mining company along with his guesthouse and contractors’ accommodation. He bought a farm in Kinross Mpumalanga and put his hand to farming, corn, soya and livestock.  Ten years later he decided that the Lowveld is calling, and he started up his hunting career that was left shelved since he became a Professional hunter in 1997.

Christo obtained his Big Five and dangerous game license and started Chivic African Safaris as his family hunting business. Together with his three daughters they catered for the hunting needs of mostly international hunters. He handed over the reigns to his daughter to become a silent partner and to settle down a bit. But… settling down is not part of his personality and therefore applied for the position at Selati Game Reserve. And so a new chapter begins …..

Steve Seager

Wildlife
Manager

Following his childhood dream, Steve has been working on Selati since 2014, where he was responsible for monitoring Selati’s key species.

With a BSc in International Wildlife Biology and a fierce passion for wildlife and conservation ecology, Steve was brought in to setup and manage Selati Research, a conservation research orientated volunteer programme that aims to collect meaningful data on Selati’s diverse fauna and flora. In 2019, Steve accepted the offered position of wildlife manager with the responsibility of managing Selati’s wildlife assets.

Madeline Siegel

Research Coordinator
and Field Guide

Madeline oversees ongoing ecological data collection and conducts the monitoring of key species. She is also a guide for the Research Department’s Volunteer Programme.

Prior to joining the Selati Research team in 2019, Madeline worked as a lab and field technician for a loggerhead sea turtle conservation genetics lab in Athens, USA, and spent 6-months with EcoTraining, where she received her FGASA Level 1 Field Guide and Back-up Trails Guide qualifications. Madeline was born and raised in Atlanta, USA, and graduated from The University of Georgia with a BSc in Wildlife Biology before moving to South Africa in 2018.