Meet Our Team

Lebohang Motaung

From the Ladysmith area

“I started working at Cheetah Ridge 3 years ago in the Front Of House Department”

“ I finally managed to get the opportunity to go do the Level Nature Guide course in October 2018, coming back to the Lodge in December 2018 to start in my new career as a Field Guide”

“Growing up I did not have any idea about Nature Guiding. After my Matric I started working at Springbok Lodge and this is when I fell in love with the Bush and Guiding.”

“My best sighting so far, was seeing a 2 weeks old baby elephant.”

Meet Our Team

Marte-Lize Stydom

I have been working at Cheetah Ridge Lodge for a year and I really enjoy working at a place where I can build on my experience and knowledge and can show people the wonders of our beautiful wildlife.

My inspiration of wildlife comes from my grandfather; he was always the one that told me amazing stories about the experiences he had and that is where my love for the bush started. I did my Level 1 field guide training at Africa Nature Training in 2013.During my time training I fell even more in love with the bush and decided that this was something I wanted to do for myself and for my grandfather.

I have been in the guiding for five years and my main goal was to work at a smaller lodge and in October 2020, I got the opportunity and got a position at Cheetah Ridge Lodge and have been working here ever since. I love going out on game drive and sharing the magic and wonders of nature with guests. I am a keen photographer and capturing all the amazing sightings and experiences while out on game drive is something I am passionate about. I want to share these incredible sightings with the world so that they can see what I get to experience on a daily basis.

I enjoy spending my free time watching wildlife documentaries, however my favour has to be Sir David Attenborough. He has a vast and endless knowledge of nature and all things wild. Watching these documentaries has helped me gain more knowledge and a better overall upstanding. I look forward to me future journey at Cheetah Ridge Lodge and sharing the wanders of nature with whomever is keen to listen.

Meet Our Team

Gerry Jacobs

From: Western Cape

I started at cheetah ridge on the 1st of October 2021 and what I can say is what an amazing team to be a part of such a family orientated group of people.

My guiding career started about 10 years ago after leaving school. One of my biggest influences in my love for nature and the bush would have been my grandfather, he Is a geologist and was always in the most remote and wildest places. I had the opportunity to spend lots of time in reserves with him, learning about all sorts of things. He had a passion for all sorts, small too big and loved to learn all about animal behaviour with him. As a young boy I absorbed all of it, finished school and headed straight to the bush to become a guide and a conservationist at heart.

Some of my greatest passions in the bush are sitting around watching birds or finding new bugs of all sorts. I love looking at tracks as they at times can tell quite a story another passion inherited from my granddad.

I love sharing my passion of the bush with guests whether it be teaching them about something new or just sharing amazing stories about what I’ve experienced in my 10 years as a student and a guide, although I still feel like a student because you can never stop learning.

Meet Our Team

Themba Nxele

As a tracker, my greatest experiences have been close encounters with every Big 5 member. Nothing excites me more than guiding & educating people about wildlife, as well as sharing my Zulu culture and the very rich history about us.

In 2006 I started my guiding career as a Tourist Guide, leading clients on hikes across the Drakensberg, as well as on tours around the country, educating them about the history of our country & its different cultures.

In 2012, my dream of being a Nature Guide was realised after a game drive at Thanda Game Reserve and I just recently joined the team at Cheetah Ridge Lodge.

As a tracker, my greatest experiences have been close encounters with every Big 5 member. Nothing excites me more than guiding & educating people about wildlife, as well as sharing my Zulu culture and the very rich history about us.

Meet Our Team

Ryan Theys

I started as a field guide at Cheetah Ridge Lodge in May 2021

Prior to working at Cheetah Ridge Lodge, I worked n Huhluwe for a year. This was a great experience for me as I was able to expand my knowledge and gain exposer in the field of maintenance.

My passion came from my younger years, travelling with my family to reserves in Zululand as often as we could. I was always excited to spend time in the bush and outdoors. I have always enjoyed going camping and doing other adventure activities in and around a bush environment. I am grateful to my family who gave me the opportunity to gain such great life experiences in terms of wildlife and the bush.

What I finds to be the most rewarding part of my job is sharing the wanders of nature with guests passing all the interesting facts and information on. I have learnt that there is always something new to learn about the bush, constantly expanding our knowledge and to give our guests the best safari experience. I am happiest when I am in the bush, surrounded by nature and wildlife doing what I love!