Stefan Siebert

Stefan Siebert took up the position as SABONET Regional Co-ordinator (as a National Botanical Institute contract worker) in 2000 after completing the larger part of a doctoral thesis. When he started, he soon realised that he had to sink, or swim. The period since December 2000 probably became one of the busiest in the history of the Project, with 11 training courses, three workshops, four Steering Committee meetings, a regional expedition to Mozambique, an UNDP Mid-term Review, and three Log-frame Revision and Budget Allocation meetings organised and implemented. All of this occurred in just 24 months! On average, this means the Regional Office had one major activity to plan, co-ordinate, and complete every month. In addition, the Regional Office produced seven editions of the SABONET newsletter and facilitated the preparation and publication of seven numbers in the SABONET Report Series. Those two years also saw, for the first time, the implementation of the national end-user workshops in seven countries, threatened plants programmes in 16 botanical gardens and nearly 70 internships to and from various herbaria/botanical gardens in the region. It was truly a period of intense activity!

Despite all the excitement and achievements of the SABONET Project, Stefan decided to resign as co-ordinator and to further his career in ecology/taxonomy. As co-ordinator, he hardly ever found the time to do what he had studied! Stefan left Pretoria for the green hills of KwaZulu-Natal in May 2003, to start as a full-time lecturer in Terrestrial Plant Ecology/Taxonomy in the Department of Botany, University of Zululand (UNIZUL). He felt that this move, over the next five to ten years, offered an excellent opportunity to build on the work of others in the Maputaland region, and to create a solid foundation for scientific training and future development of young botanists in KwaZulu-Natal. To quote the mission statement of UNIZUL “We are committed to provide tertiary education and to pursue knowledge, which serves the needs of the country in general and those of its surrounding communities in particular”.

Stefan obtained his degrees from the University of Pretoria, which he pursued after a brief stint as an officer in the South African Defence Force in 1993. His first job, as Co-ordinator of SABONET, was also in Pretoria. After nine years in Pretoria, the time had definitely come to move on and to look for those new horizons (the time in Pretoria was the longest he had ever lived in one place and a third of his life if you consider he was 28 at the time of his resignation!). Stefan therefore feels he must move on to find exciting new endeavours that are in line with his interest and field of study. Luckily, UNIZUL provided such an opportunity and he was very thankful for the break.

UNIZUL lies north of the Tugela River in KwaZulu-Natal, just inland from the east coast, approximately 15 km south of Empangeni. It lies to the south of the famous lakes and wetlands of the St Lucia World Heritage Site. Also to its north are popular game parks such as Umfolozi, Hluhluwe, Mkuze, Ndumo, and Tembe. It is situated in an area with numerous historical landmarks and monuments, which commemorate the rise of the Zulu Empire and the culture of its people. Botanically, the area is rich in important and interesting forests such as Ngoye, Nkandla, and Dlinza. It is also an area of rapid economic development and has become one of the hubs of the province because of the large harbour at Richards Bay.

The University itself is a proud institution that has taught thousands of students since its founding in 1970. Today, because of government vision and support, UNIZUL is designated to become the only institution of higher learning north of the Tugela River in KwaZulu-Natal and will become a first choice for students from that region. Currently, approximately 7,500 students are enrolled at UNIZUL and about 720 staff members are in its service. Of late, it has become a competitive learning institution and has dramatically increased its intake of students from across Africa. UNIZUL sees its main research and tuition role as a commitment to uplift the communities that it serves. Although the university is not known for producing world-renowned scientists, it has regularly produced inspired individuals willing to challenge old philosophies in order to make the world a better place for all!

For Stefan, moving on to a new life also brought some sadness about leaving behind all the interesting and passionate people from the region that crossed his path regularly at SABONET. He certainly misses networking in southern Africa. As co-ordinator, he dealt with over 70 botanists from 16 herbaria and 22 botanical gardens. He says it is going to take him some time to get used to being isolated down south, but new opportunities might see him meet up with his old colleagues from the region in the future.

Stefan is extremely thankful to staff at the NBI (now SANBI) for all their support, friendliness, and understanding. He does not like to single out anyone, because there were far too many people that really stood out and were always ready to assist, guide and support SABONET activities. He extends a really big thank you to all those involved. Although the SABONET Regional Office only consisted of three people, you can imagine that the voluntary NBI support team behind the scene was much bigger.

SABONET has always been dependant on diplomacy, goodwill, and hard work, and it is with that in mind that Stefan wishes to thank the SABONET Chairperson, Prof. Brian Huntley and the ten country co-ordinators and their staff, both institutional and contract workers, for exactly that. “Your dedication and vision were an inspiration to all involved and it really was an honour for me to have worked with you and to have been part of this dynamic project. The tremendous success of the project is ascribed solely to your efforts,” says Stefan. He predicts only good things for the road ahead and is certain that the lessons learned under SABONET will result in even bigger achievements.

Stefan is thankful for the time he could spend as part of the most energetic, enthusiastic, dedicated project team in the world! “Thank you Nyasha Rukazhanga-Leboho, Marthina Mössmer, Janice Golding, Carina Haasbroek, Antoinette Burckhardt and Lorna Davis for all your hard work. A Project is only as good as the team that supports it and I will never forget you and the team spirit which emanated from the group in whatever activity we embarked on,” says Stefan, adding that “a winning team is always in good spirits!”

Despite everything that he left behind, Stefan says he is enjoying his new life as a practising ecologist and conservationist in an intellectually enriching environment of teaching and learning. Also, there are plenty of opportunities for collaborating with old and new acquaintances from universities in Maputo, Durban, and Pietermaritzburg, as well as the KwaZulu-Natal Herbarium (NH) of SANBI in Durban and the National Herbarium (LMA) of INIA in Maputo.

Stefan is a keen follower of the music of Johnny Clegg and Juluka/Savuka, and says those of you familiar with this group will know Zululand is a good place to listen to songs like “Great Heart” or “Impi”!

And of course, says Stefan, the friends and colleagues from the region now have a place to stay at the coast, as long as they don’t all visit at once!

SABONET News 9.1: 68