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GYS BOTHA

Email: gys@afel.ac

Phone: +27 (82) 4416 825

CONTACT AEL

Physical Address: Uizip, Upington, Northern Cape
GPS co-ordinates: -28.387792, 21.488656

EcoDriven is a division of AEL.

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CONTACT US

Address: Uizip, Upington, Northern Cape. -28.387792, 21.488656

Gys Botha

Phone: +27 (82) 4416 825

Email: gys@afel.ac

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LEOPOLDT VAN HUYSSTEEN - HEAD OF THE ACADEMY (DIRECTOR)

Previously employed as the Chief Operating Officer at Stellenbosch University, Professor Leopoldt van Huyssteen now fills the role of head of the Academy as a Director at AEL.

Professor van Huyssteen grew up in the Eastern Cape and completed his PhD (Agric) studies at the University of Stellenbosch, majoring in Soil Science and Chemistry. During his career at the Department of Agricultural Development he held various positions as scientist and director.

Professor van Huyssteen has also held several senior positions as professor, Dean, Executive Director and Acting Rector. He is the author and co-author of many scientific publications and books. He also attended many international conferences, several as an invited speaker.

Contact Us

Thank you for showing interest in our course. For information on fees, send us an email at gys@afel.ac or alternatively give us a call at +2782 441 6825.

ENROLMENT FEES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

A non refundable Handling Fee of R1000 should accompany your Application
.

R1000 to accompany your application

R20 000 upon acceptance

R52 500 payable by 15 January 2018

R62 500 payable by 30 June 2018

DAVE PEPLER - LECTURER AND AMBASSADOR

Best known as the face of the environmental program, Groen, one of the most-watched programs on kykNET, Dave Pepler has been presenting on environmental issues for almost 10 years.

His lifetime contribution to conservation was recognised in 2001 with a Molteno Medal from the Cape Tercentenary Foundation.

In 2007 his contribution to Zoological science was recognised with the Stevenson Hamilton Award, the highest honour of the Zoological Society of South Africa.

He has travelled widely in the last 40 years, crossing over 4 continents and growing his enthusiasm for the environment while simultaneously developing a concern for what he has experienced. At the core of Dave lies a gift for being able to tell a story and to be able to find light out of darkness, a sense of fun which enables him to view the world optimistically and to share it with those around him.

FEF LE ROUX - CHAIRMAN (DIRECTOR)

Johan Andries Le Roux, better known as Fef le Roux, was born in the town of Robertson in 1952, and matriculated from Robertson High School in 1969. He studied law at the University of Stellenbosch from 1971 to 1975, completing the BA (Law) and LL.B degrees.

From 1976 to 1980 he worked as the public prosecutor of Stellenbosch and then as a member of the State Attorney’s Office in Cape Town, during which years he also wrote the professional examinations and qualified himself as an attorney, conveyancer and notary of the High Court of South Africa.

He joined the Cape Bar in 1981, where he practised as an advocate until his retirement from the Bar in June 2012. He was awarded Senior Counsel status by President Nelson Mandela in 1996.

In 2005 he became a director and shareholder of the since listed company Curro Holdings Limited where he acted as chairperson from 2009 until his retirement from the board of directors in March 2013. Under his involvement and chairmanship Curro grew from a one school company with about 700 learners to a profitable company with 26 schools accommodating about 22000 learners.
He has, over many years, had a concern about society’s ability to understand and face future environmental challenges. Especially during his time with Curro he also identified a definite need for better guidance and direction to school leavers, especially after matric. The concept of AEL is his practical contribution in this regard.

GYS BOTHA - CEO (DIRECTOR)

Gys Botha spent the largest part of his working career with Sanlam, where he was employed for 31 years. The last 5 years before early retirement in 2002 he held the position as General Manager with the responsibility of Head of Sales Advisory Services.

He then joined Plexus Asset Management in Durbanville, an Investment Management company, as Director of Marketing and also co-shareholder.

Plexus was sold to Grindrod Asset Management in 2011, after which Gys was appointed as the CEO of Zebro’s Chicken SA, a take away franchise with 45 stores, which he managed to turn Zebro’s into a profitable business within 2 years. Zebro’s Chicken was sold to Taste Holdings, a JSE listed company, on 1 March 2014, after which Gys had to relinquish his position.

Gys was appointed as the CEO of the Academy for Environmental Leadership SA from the 1st of March 2014. He has a wealth of experience in strategic management, administration and sales and marketing.

KOOS THERON - HEAD OF AEL CAMPUS

Mr. Koos Theron, originally from Stellenbosch, fills the position as the head of the AEL campus.

Mr. Theron had a long and successful career in the South African National Defence Force. As part of his duties, he was responsible for the settlement of young recruits, military staff, logistics, financial and strategic planning. He has extensive knowledge in the management and support of young people. After his military career, Mr. Theron led several security-oriented assignments in Africa.

His extensive knowledge and experience as a leader, will serve him well as he fulfills the role of mentor and guardian for the young students at the academy.

HENDRIK BLAAUW - HEAD OF HOSPITALITY

Originally from Namibia, Hennie Blaauw is the head of hospitality at the AEL campus. He has a passion for food and the sense of togetherness that it creates.

Mr. Blaauw has been in the hospitality industry for over 30 years. He has filled the position of manager, sales representative and marketer as well as hostel father in the past. Hennie’s extensive experience of the hospitality industry and hostels equips him to fill his role at AEL with confidence.

Hennie also has experience with the management of staff and students, the training of staff, marketing and quality control regarding the food and beverages that feature on menus. We are proud to have Hennie as a part of our team, especially for his love of food and people.

TRUE NORTH - PERSONAL MASTERY

True North’s dynamic team combines scientific principles with hands-on training and experiential learning in order to deliver a uniquely tailored experience for the students at AEL.
True North’s homebase is situated in Durbanville, in the Western Cape. Their accumulative experience of over 40 years in the industry ensures that they provide the students and staff of AEL with valuable information and practical exposure. With lifestyle coaching that ranges from camps to leadership development, youth mentoring, psychometric testing and EQ development, True North has managed to establish themselves as a valuable leader in the world of lifestyle enhancement.
The True North team that visits AEL once every term consists of Henda, the clinical psychiatrist, Flip, a former teacher, and Eben, a seasoned veteran of the outdoors. They are responsible for the orientation of students at the beginning of each year at AEL, during which they aim to establish a lasting impression with their Personal Mastery module.Their passion for working with young people ensures that they are a valuable source of personal growth and development.

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ANNELIE MANS - ADMIN AND ACCOUNTING OFFICER

Annelie was born and raised in Upington and started working during 1984 at Standard Bank Upington as Clerk/Cashier. Her working career spanning 33 years includes administrative duties in the South African Police Services as well as Department of Education.

In 1990 she joined the Department of Mineral & Energy Affairs which later changed to the Council for Geoscience. Here she worked as Unit Administrator from 1990 – 2004 and as an Unit Manager, managing the Upington Unit from 2004 – 2008.

Before joining the AEL Team at their Uizip Campus outside of Upington as Administrative and Financial Officer she also worked at a local Travel Agency. Annelie has got a wealth of experience in the field of administration and bookkeeping as well as managing and overseeing administrative processes.

CARA VAN HEERDEN - ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT PRACTITIONER

After graduating in 2009 at Stellenbosch University with a B.Sc. Hons. Degree, Cara van Heerden moved to Upington in the Northern Cape. Over the past 6 years she has gained valuable experience in the full scope of Environmental Impact Assessments (both BA and S&EIR), Environmental Management Plans, Environmental licence applications, Environmental Audits, 24G rectification processes and Environmental Control Officer work.

Her experience in environmental procedures and legislation has enabled her to provide accurate advice on environmental queries and guidance on required processes and management of environmental processes.

Cara was appointed in 2015 as an Environmental Assessment Practitioner at the Academy of Environmental Leadership’s Campus. She is also responsible for the ongoing water research division at the Campus.

MATTHYS STRYDOM - HEAD OF ACADEMICS

Matthys Strydom is an enthusiastic and dedicated scientist with formal training in the field of Conservation Ecology and Entomology (B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D, Stellenbosch University). Over the past ten years he has taken part in several research projects which have included topics such as fynbos ecology and conservation, invasion biology, seed bank dynamics and alien plant management.

Besides conducting his own independent research he also has a passion for raising environmental awareness through teaching. He enjoys sharing his love of nature with students while training and assisting them in field work, laboratory work and data collection.

Curriculum

The most relevant topic facing mankind today? Never in human history has a subject like climate change been so high on the activist agenda, Every year now the polar ice caps are getting smaller, sea temperatures and acidic chemistry rising, seasons are shifting and entire continents have to face dramatic shifts in plant and animal demographics. This module will systematically explore weather and climate, and juxtapose this to the anthropomorphic influences that cause climate change.

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