Our Team
We are the custodians of natural landscapes that are invaluable in terms of biodiversity, right at Africa’s southernmost tip.
And all our members are committed to conserving and protecting our landscapes and water networks.
OUR TEAM
The Nuwejaars Wetlands Special Management Area is a voluntary association, overseen by an Executive Committee, and coordinated and managed by a dedicated team of conservationists.
Executive Committee
Chair – Dirk Human
Dirk is the owner and founder of the Black Oystercatcher Wines. Dirk’s family has farmed in the region for four generations, and he has served as the Chair since the launch of the NWSMA. He not only brings business-savvy to the NWSMA, but also a love for the Overberg and its wildlife.
Treasurer – Pieter Albertyn
Pieter is one of the original members of the Nuwejaars Wetlands SMA. He therefore helped to draft the Constitution, and chaired the original Tourism Committee when the NWSMA was still in its infancy. He brings his strong background in finance to the Executive team. Pieter and his family have farmed in the area for generations. As such, he has a close connection with the natural world on the Agulhas Plain and is custodian of wonderful fynbos landscapes and important lakes.
Member – Heather D’Alton
Heather became an Executive Board member in 2025. She studied journalism, completing her BPhil Honours Journalism degree at the University of Stellenbosch. After plying her trade for more than a decade in the UK and Johannesburg, she returned to the Overberg where she was appointed as Communications Manager for Flower Valley Conservation Trust. In 2016 she and a business partner, Tina Vlok, started LoveGreen Communications, where she still works today.
Member – Jurie Giliomee
Jurie joined the Executive Board in 2020. He and his father, Liohan (a former Board member) farm on Vlooikraal, and also own parcels of land across the Nuwejaars Wetlands Special Management Area. This includes natural land containing Critically Endangered fynbos species – which the Giliomee family care deeply about, and work hard to protect. The family are also important grain farmers in the area.
Our Vision
To effectively manage, rehabilitate, conserve and develop the functioning of ecosystem processes and natural and cultural heritage offered within the Core Conservation Areas, Conservation Areas and the greater Nuwejaars Wetlands Special Management Area.
Chief Executive Officer
Ross Kettles
Ross has an exciting challenge ahead of him: To design and implement projects to support the Nuwejaars Wetlands SMA’s focus on sustainability. And to develop projects that will help to promote the area – including environmental education opportunities for children. Ross has the right experience for the job: He was previously Warden at the Greater Makalali Private Game Reserve in Hoedspruit. Here he was instrumental in expanding the reserve to 27,500 hectares (from 6,200 hectares). And having it proclaimed as a Private Nature Reserve. And before that, he served as Managing Director at the Siyafunda Conservation Initiative and the Makalali Lodge in Hoedspruit. He has a Master’s degree in environmental development from the University of KwaZulu Natal.
Conservation Manager
Erica Brink
Erica joined the Nuwejaars Wetlands SMA team in January 2017 in a new position as the Conservation Manager for Planning, Monitoring & Development. She previously worked for the City of Cape Town’s Biodiversity Management branch, managing two reserves within the greater False Bay Nature Reserve: Pelican Park and Strandfontein Birding Area. Erica completed her B.Sc (with Honors) at the University of Sussex while travelling and studying in England. She obtained her M.Sc in Biological Sciences from the University of Cape Town in December 2016.
Finance and Admin Manager
Martha Giliomee
Martha may have joined the NWSMA team in 2026, but her connection to the landscape stretches back much further through her role as a landowner and member of the Nuwejaars Wetlands Special Management Area. With more than 20 years’ experience in the financial sector, Martha has held financial management positions at companies including Strandveld Wines and, more recently, Boshoff Visser. She brings extensive expertise in financial management, governance, compliance and reporting, helping to ensure the organisation maintains the high standards of accountability and financial stewardship expected by members, donors and funding partners. Known for her strong work ethic, attention to detail and rigorous financial controls, Martha plays a key role in supporting the long-term sustainability of the NWSMA’s conservation work. Her professional expertise is complemented by an appreciation for the landscape and the people who call it home.
Ecosystem Services Team:
Denver Engel and his team
Denver, from the town of Elim, has worked with the Nuwejaars Wetlands SMA for many years, in different positions. Between 2013 and 2016, he headed up an invasive alien clearing team in the SMA, clearing invasive through the ABI Alien Clearing Project. He then joined Joey Cloete’s Ecosystem Services team. When Joey retired, Denver was appointed the team leader, a position he still holds today. His team members also live in the small town of Elim, which is a member of the NWSMA.
Wetland Rehabilitation and Expansion Team
Gerty Holtzhausen and her team
Gerty and her team are responsible for repairing and rehabilitating a Palmiet and Berzillia riparian wetland along the Nuwejaars River. They are employed thanks to the support of WWF South Africa. Gerty and the team members are from the small town of Bredasdorp. She is no stranger to running her own businesses – having served as an alien clearing contractor since 2005. Since 2017, she has worked at the Nuwejaars Wetlands SMA, with the team of six people taking on the physically-tough task of removing invasive species from rivers and wetlands, from hand-pulling, to the chainsaws required to clear adult trees. For Gerty, this job provides financial security year-round, in an industry that is often dependent on funding availability. She also believes that if you don’t love and appreciate nature, you shouldn’t be doing this job.
Fynbos Fish Project team
Environmental Monitor: Breyton Murtz
Breyton attended the Albert Myburgh Secondary School in Bredasdorp, where he matriculated in 2018. At school, he most enjoyed Geography, and was eager to learn more about geospatial software (which he is doing in his current position). After school, he obtained work experience on a farm in the Nuwejaars Wetlands SMA – where he learnt about invasive plants, animals and farming techniques. While working on the farm, he studied animal production and reproduction via a government-organised course. He also completed asbestos training and First Aid. As an Environmental Monitor, Breyton now most enjoys learning about the region, finding out about restoration activities and discovering more on the fynbos fish of the NWSMA.
We work with
We work with
