Managing Director Senior Mentor for all FGASA Courses

Schalk Pretorius

Schalk has a passion and dedication for training and developing guides that has grown from strength to strength over the years. He has been guiding since 1996 and has achieved his Field Guides Association of Southern Africa (FGASA) Professional Field Guide, Specialized Knowledge and Skills (SKS) in Dangerous Animals and Birds, as well as the Marine Guide and Tracker Level 3 qualifications. Schalk has been a FGASA and CATHSSETA accredited trainer, assessor and moderator since 2001. Schalk serves on the FGASA Executive committee as Chairman for the Eastern Cape region, where he plays an important role in the ongoing development and training of all guides in this province.

When in nature, Schalk is in his element and at his best, exploring and sharing his knowledge of the bush with enthusiastic learners. Most importantly his many years of experience in the industry, have made him into the mentor he is today. Schalk is an excellent motivational speaker that has coached and assisted hundreds of people over the years. He coordinates and guides the Ulovane Team to ensure that the students are provided with the best training and personal development. He also ensures that once you have spent time at Ulovane, you are able to go out into the guiding industry being the best of the best!

Advice from Schalk:

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure” – Colin Powell

 “Believe you can and you’re halfway there” – Theodore Roosevelt

 “The purpose of life is a life of purpose” – Robert Byrne

Marketing Director

Candice Pretorius

Candice has been involved in the hospitality industry since 1996 and has built a wide network of contacts within the lodge industry all over South Africa, as well as in other areas of Southern Africa too. Networking and organising people, places, events, and lives has always been a part of her everyday life. After school, she knew that people and nature were going to play a huge part in her future and so she set out to make it happen. After a few months of sitting in an office as a travel agent, she was offered a front of house position at Mabula Game Lodge in Limpopo, and the rest is history. Since then it has been a wonderful experience to work and live on different game reserves in South Africa, finally settling down in the beautiful Eastern Cape in 2005.

Thanks to her passion for people and places, coupled with her knowledge and experience of the lodge and hospitality industry, Candice heads up the marketing and recruitment side for Ulovane Environmental Training. She is your first point of contact, managing the PR, website, social media, marketing and sales, and all enquiries and reservations for Ulovane. Candice is also involved with developing the student’s Hospitality and hosting skills, to ensure they are prepared for guests in a lodge environment.

All students both past and current are a part of the family; Candice ensures that we have an open communication line with all students past and present, as well as getting in touch with prospective students, parents, and anyone else interested in knowing more about what we do. She is a passionate conservationist and believes that we all need to stand together and fight to keep our nature and wildlife safe – there is no planet B. Candice and Schalk are blessed with three beautiful children, who are also passionate nature and people lovers and are sure to follow in their parents’ footsteps.

“Attitude is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Optimism is a choice. Kindness is a choice. Giving is a choice. Respect is a choice. Whatever choice you make makes you. Choose wisely.”
― Roy T. Bennett

Head Trainer, Mentor and Assessor for the FGASA Apprentice Trails Guide course.

Piet Dunn

Pieter started his guiding career in 2008 when he attended Ulovane Environmental Training for his FGASA Apprentice Guide qualification. He passed the course and started guiding on Amakhala Private Game Reserve. Pieter subsequently spent 5 years as a guide on different reserves, including Pumba Private Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape as well as Kapama Private Game Reserve in Limpopo. During these 5 years of guiding, he was able to further both his position to head ranger and his qualifications to FGASA Level 3, Advanced Rifle Handling and Trails Guide.

He started as an instructor at Ulovane in January 2014 and has since then attained his assessors’ qualification as well as achieving all the regional birding qualifications of all biomes in order to achieve the National Birding qualification and completed the SKS birding.

Pieter has since achieved his Trailing Level 3 qualification together with the Level 4 Track & Sign, as well as his Marine Guide qualification. He is also a Range Officer compliant with all categories of firearms.

He is extremely passionate about experiencing nature on foot and being able to get a better understanding of nature by really being part of it. It is because of this that he started to specialize in Trails Guiding (including tracking skills) and the ever-fascinating bird life out in the bush.

There are few people left who genuinely care for nature and work to preserve our wonderful diversity in South Africa; come and be part of the exceptional training in ethics and skills and be part of the change we can make to our environment.

I always like to remind myself of the sentence in the FGASA Apprentice Field Guide Manual: “An ethical guide is someone who does the right thing even when there is nobody there to see you do it” – Brilliant advice for guiding and for life.

Ulovane E-Learning and Business Development

Tatum Pretorius

Growing up in the bush, Tatum’s love and appreciation for her natural surroundings has flourished and developed into a huge passion. Through this, she has become a photography enthusiast and keen traveler.

After matriculating in 2017, Tatum decided it was time to get further experience working and learning more about the eco-tourism industry. She completed her FGASA Apprentice Field Guide course in 2018, at Ulovane and then received an amazing opportunity to work in the Masai Mara, Kenya for a few months at an exclusive Safari camp. This enhanced Tatum’s knowledge of what she was already experienced in the hospitality industry, as well as increased her passion for photography and nature. She has since gained experience at a 4-star hotel in Limpopo, learning more about all aspects of Front of house and hotel management. Tatum is currently studying Business Management through UNISA, as she is next in line to take over the family business, that is Ulovane.

We are so proud to have her join the Ulovane team to manage our newly introduced Ulovane E-Learning courses, as well as assisting in all aspects of Ulovane from social media, to website development and the Ulovane gardens project. Welcoming new adventures is definitely always encouraged by her, because of this we are very excited to see how Ulovane grows through this new era.

This life is yours. Take the power to choose what you want to do and do it well. Take the power to love what you want in life and love it honestly. Take the power to walk in the forest and be a part of nature. Take the power to control your own life. No one else can do it for you. Take the power to make your life happy.     – Susan Polis Schutz

Camp Manager and Maintenance

Jacques Pretorius

Jacques left the South African Police Services in order to start his own business in the maintenance, plumbing, and electrical construction industry, which he successfully ran for 15 years. Jacques joined the Ulovane team in 2014, he is a great asset to everyone here. Jacques stays on top of all maintenance issues, making sure that the vehicles and the lodge are kept in tip-top shape. He has done a 4×4 and advanced driver course and will assist students with their 4×4 skills when needed. He enjoys good food and works with Mamma Thabs in the kitchen to produce healthy and exciting meal plans and delicious food. Jacques really is a part of the family being Schalk’s brother….yes we really do keep it in the family.

Falling down is part of life. Getting back up is living!

Chef and Housekeeper

Thabisa and Joyce

These are the ladies you should look after during your time with us! Thabisa, also called “Mamma Thabs”, assists Jacques and makes sure the kitchen is fully stocked with fresh produce and that a healthy menu is planned on a weekly basis, ensuring all the home-grown fresh produce from our veggie garden gets used. The smells that come from the kitchen are to die for and anything you want to try in the kitchen, Mamma Thabs is the lady to ask!

Joyce ensures the camp is always ready for visitors and is in tip-top shape. She is there to assist us with your washing and ensures your rooms are neat and tidy. Wonder woman is most definitely Joyce’s middle name!

We love and appreciate these ladies very much! Without them, the show can definitely not go on!

Landowner Ulovane Reserve

Ben Bremer

Ben is our longest student at Ulovane; he arrived in 2005 and has continued his studies since then. He purchased 350 hectares of land in 2007 and began development of the land by building Ulovane Camp. Ben is 100% behind green energy and sustainable lifestyle on our campus.

He has a Degree in Economics and is a qualified concrete engineer CB1, with 25 years of managing a concrete manufacturing plant in Holland. In 2000 he retired and wanted to do something more meaningful with his life – so he came to Africa! Ben is a Level 3 Trails guide and is passionate about nature and always asks the important question – WHY? Ben enjoys helping with lectures and sharing his valuable knowledge with the students.

Never stop educating yourself and question everything.