Elma Britz
ELMA BRITZ
ELMA HAS BEEN AN EDUCATOR FOR 41 YEARS – at tertiary, secondary and primary school levels. She has been an examiner for matric examinations and an external examiner for honors and masters students in music education at the University of Pretoria.
From 2009 to 2023 she has been the Executive Officer of the South African Society of Music Teachers, and she still acts as one of its directors. She served on the council of ISME National Affiliates (The International Society of Music Educators). During her tenure as an educator, she was a member of SAOU (Suid-Afrikaanse Onderwysersunie) executive committee and acted as chairperson of a Standard
Generating Body at SAQA (South African Qualifications Authority) for the General Education and Training (GET). Since 2005, she has been a member of The South African Hunters and Game Conservation Association wherein she enjoys Dedicated Hunter status. For a number of years she served on the committee of the Pretoria East Branch of SA Hunters and organised their courses for the Dedicated Hunter qualification. Now retired, she is a founding member of the True Green Alliance, and is one of its four directors. She is P.A. to the TGA’s CEO. Her academic qualifications include: BMus, Hons BMus, BEd (UP), MMus (Music Education) (UP) (Cum Laude), Higher Education Diploma, Diploma in Tertiary Education, four licentiates of Music in Piano and Organ at Unisa and the Royal Schools of Music. She is fluent in Afrikaans and English and has a working knowledge of German and French.
Ron Thomson
RON THOMSON
RON THOMSON has been working within and around Africa’s national parks and/or wildlife management systems for more than 60 years. For 24 of those years he was employed by the Rhodesian Department of National Parks and Wildlife Management. Important past posts held include Provincial Game Warden-in-charge of Hwange National Park, Chief Nature Conservation Officer, Ciskei and Director of the Bophuthatswana National Parks Board. Ron operated as a Professional Hunter for three years and for the last 35 years he has been a full time author and wildlife journalist – investigating and reporting upon wildlife management affairs in Africa. He is a university-trained Field Ecologist (cum laude), a long time member of the Institute of Biology (London) and retired from being a Chartered Biologist for the European Union. He pioneered the capture of black rhinos in Rhodesia and led Rhodesia’s black rhino capture operations (1965 – 1970) capturing and translocating 140 rhinos. His Big-Five management experience is vast – making him one of Africa’s most experienced big game hunters alive today. He has published over 20 books and uncountable magazine articles – all about the principles and practices of wildlife management and big game hunting. He completed his seven volume big game hunting memoir book series. His passion, today, is concerned with creating a better informed society – better informed, that is, about best practice wildlife management and the wise and sustainable utilisation of our wild living
resources for the benefit of mankind. He has a strong and passionate commitment to exposing the menace and iniquities of the animal rights doctrine. He is a founding member and CEO of the True Green Alliance (TGA) and a founding member of the Sustainable Use Coalition (SUCo) exco. The TGA is affiliated to South Africa’s wildlife Industry insofar as it has undertaken to fight the industry’s battles to overcome pernicious opposition from the South African and international animal rights movement.
EMMANUEL TAPIWA KORO
Emmanuel, Tapiwa Koro is a Johannesburg-based independent environmental journalist with more than 30 years of professional communication experience in government, NGOs and the private sector.
He holds a master’s degree in journalism and media studies (Rhodes University, South Africa – first class thesis pass) and did post-graduate studies in science/environmental communication (University of Maryland, College Park, USA), under the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship Programme.
He writes on environmental and developmental issues in Africa and published the book, Western Celebration of African Poverty – Animal Rights Versus Human Rights.
This book focuses on one of the most frustrating realities in Africa. The continent is resource-rich but poor. The former UN Convention on International Trade In Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Secretary-General (1982-1990) and Switzerland-based IWMC-World Conservation Trust President, Mr Eugene Lapointe, wrote an excellent foreword. He highly recommends that the book is a must-read for everyone.
“Western Celebration of African Poverty has something for everyone who cares about wildlife, wild places and human dignity in the developing world,” said Lapointe. “I cannot recommend this book highly enough.”
