Environmental Management Consultant, Acer Africa
While studying for a BSc towards a medical career, Bongi had to do research on wetlands at the Environmental Education Centre in Mtunzini in KwaZulu-Natal. This experience motivated her to major in ecology and microbiology.
After graduating, she worked at the centre as an environmental officer, guiding school groups and researchers. But she wanted to work in water resource management, so studied further at the University of Durban-Westville.
For her dissertation, she needed practical experience. With an internship from Africa Environmental in Mtunzini, Bongi helped to establish a catchment management agency for the Thukela water management area.
This meant helping communities understand how to protect and manage their natural resources, and to see the interrelationships between ecosystems and land use.
Now full-time at Acer, Bongi works as a community consultant for Greater St Lucia Wetland Park. She has done similar work in the Eastern Cape. ‘Working at grassroots level is a big challenge,” she says. ‘People should be taught to understand, not just told what to do. Their concerns must be considered, and they must partake meaningfully in decision-making. But I really enjoy doing it – I love my job!”