Beyond the Reserve: How a Ranger Became a Rural Development Leader
Wednesday, 1st October 2025
When the Born Free Project from Shamwari first came to her school in Alicedale, a young Nomawethu Stuurman discovered her calling. The project introduced learners to game drives, and for Nomawethu, it felt like coming home.
“I grew up surrounded by bush,” she says. “I fetched wood, kept goats, cows, and dogs at home. Nature was my warmth, my comfort. That’s where my love of animals began.”
That love carried her into history. She went on to become South Africa’s first black female game ranger, profiled by The Herald, Drum Magazine, Morning Live, and even the BBC. But Nomawethu’s journey didn’t stop at conservation. Today, she is equally celebrated for her community leadership — helping transform Seven Fountains, a small village outside Makhanda, through education, empowerment, and sustainable development.
From Alicedale to the Wild
Alicedale was once a thriving railway town, but when the station closed, most families were left without jobs. Nomawethu grew up in this reality, yet she refused to be defined by limitation. After completing school, she studied Marketing Management at Border Technikon, now known as Walter Sisulu University. Her dream was tourism, but she made the most of her course while still holding onto the spark Shamwari had lit.
That spark reignited at Bushman Sands, where she trained, got her learner’s and driver’s licences, and passed the FEDHASA exam to qualify as a ranger. Her role model, Zolani Mofu, inspired her with his knowledge of the land and dedication to wildlife.
Breaking Barriers at Pumba
At Pumba Private Game Reserve, Nomawethu wasn’t satisfied with only guiding visitors. She wanted to bridge conservation with community. Alongside her ranger work, she began engaging Seven Fountains village in outreach projects.
Her proposal to Pumba laid the foundation for the Pumba Foundation Trust, which has since become a hub of positive change — from school support and gardens to sewing projects and soup kitchens.
“We don’t fish for people,” she explains. “We teach them how to fish. That way, even if the Foundation is gone, the community will still stand on its own.”
From Ranger to Rural Development Leader
In 2013, Nomawethu joined Makana Municipality as an outreach coordinator, later serving under the Local Economic Development department. She worked with farming cooperatives across rural areas like Broughton Farm and Manley Flats, securing funding and helping women farmers supply crops to markets in Makhanda.
Her work has always been about skills and sustainability: ensuring dignity, not dependency.
Building a Stronger Seven Fountains
Today, her impact can be seen across projects that give the village both pride and opportunity:
- Community Crèche: Equipped with safe toilets, mattresses, a jungle gym, and nutritious meals for just R150/month.
- Sewing & Knitting Projects: Led by women like Boniswa Gilane, providing unemployed women with income and independence.
- Soup Kitchens: Initiated by residents Kwakhanya and Magaba, now feeding nearly 50 people weekly with support from Lalibela Private Game Reserve.
- Youth Centre & IT Project: Free internet, tablets, laptops, and printing services for jobseekers and students. Before this, residents had to hike to Makhanda to type a CV.
The results are striking: fewer dropouts, lower substance abuse, and stronger ownership of community assets. Unlike many NGO projects, none of these initiatives are vandalized or abandoned — because they are built with the community, not for them.
The Heart of a Leader
Nomawethu’s journey shows that leadership means lifting others. To the women she mentors, her advice is simple:
“Be confident. Stay disciplined. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Stand up, dust yourself off, and keep moving forward.”
From bushveld child, to barrier-breaking ranger, to community builder, Nomawethu Stuurman is proof that when women lead with courage, entire communities rise.
Vision Forged by Experience
Her leadership is shaped by knowing what it means to have to hike for basic services, to lack access, to see potential wasted because of barriers. Because of that, her efforts focus on early childhood development, accreditation and formal recognition, and ensuring that people of Seven Fountains have ownership over what they build.
Looking Ahead
Nomawethu’s dreams include:
- formal recognition / qualifications for all the young farmers so they can open market doors;
- scaling up women’s economic independence;
- greater access to technology, internet for education;
- ensuring that every child from early years has the foundation they need to stay in school and thrive.
What makes Nomawethu’s style unique is that she does not impose external solutions. She teaches, equips, and steps back. Pumba Foundation is a vehicle for enabling people, not depending on her.
Get Involved with the Pumba Foundation
Since its opening in 2004, Pumba Private Game Reserve has been dedicated not only to ecotourism but also to uplifting the surrounding community. As one of the primary employers in the Seven Fountains area, Pumba is committed to responsible tourism, wildlife conservation, education, and social development.
What began as a focus on conservation has evolved into a broader mission—leading to the creation of the Pumba Foundation. Today, the Foundation supports a range of initiatives designed to foster collaboration and bring lasting, positive change to the region.
Join us in making a difference. Get involved here.
