Our Rangers | Operation Pachamama

Meet the Team

As of January 1, 2020, Operation Pachamama has sponsored six students at South Africa's anti-poaching ranger school, Tracker Academy. All are employed in the anti-poaching field. Their pictures and some brief biographical information may be found below.

Lucky Zitha: Kirkmans Kamp, Sabi Sands

Respect Khoza: Ulusabe Game Reserve

Wonder Mkhabela: Kampama Game Reserve

Harry Baloyi: Samara Game Reserve

Siyabonga Soyipha: Samara Game Reserve

Abigail Wyk: Samara Game Reserve

Lucky Zitha, Ranger, January 2020

Born in 1994 in the village of Kildare, a rural area outside the Kruger National Park. Lucky attended the government's Jan Rikhotso Primary School and Luka High School. He is the oldest of three children, and helped mom and dad support the family. Lucky heard about the tracker academy from a friend. Living in rural areas and raised in the bush, he always had a love of nature and wildlife.

Lucky applied for the tracker academy in the 2018 and was accepted.

Training was challenging; however, he became an expert in how to follow wild animals and can identify everything about any animal's tracks. Tracking is of the utmost importance to nature and its conservation.

The Newest Anti-Poaching Rangers:

Pictured (from left) are Siyabonga Soyipha, Abigail Wyk, Harry Baloyi

With generous donations, Operation Pachamama paid the cost of Harry's ranger school, but he obtained his job at Samara on his own.

Siyabonga, Abigail

Operation Pachamama paid for their schooling and is paying one full year of their salaries.

And of course, Dutchie!

This is the dog Operation Pachamama purchased for Samara several months ago.

Respect Khoza, Ranger, January 2020

Born in 1992, attended Mketse Primary School and furthered my basic education at Mandondo High School.

Respect had so much passion about working in the game reserves but didn’t have much information about colleges that dealt with nature.

Instead, he took courses at Nkangala FET College where he obtained N2 and N3 of Electrical Engineering, but a lack of finances forced him to drop out of school.

While at home, a childhood friend informed him that the nearby game reserves had a program that provides young people with training on animals. He immediately applied for the learning program, since it would allow him to achieve the dream of becoming a tracker.