Our team

Christinah was born and raised in Pretoria, where she had never seen the ocean or the animals that live in it. Her only idea of the marine world came from movies. When people talked about nature, it was usually about trees or big game animals. She had no conservation background, but everything changed when she attended one of SANBI’s environmental education programmes at the Pretoria National Botanical Gardens. That experience sparked her love for nature conservation.

After finishing high school, Christinah studied nature conservation at the University of Mpumalanga. There she learned about wildlife, conservation camps and community projects, all of which deepened her commitment to protecting nature. She later decided to form her own community group to tackle pollution in Pretoria. No one in that city really talks about sharks or the ocean, unless they’re planning a holiday. When Christinah first came to Cape Town as an intern with Nature Connect and Shark Spotters, she still believed many myths about sharks and the sea, but through daily interactions with people and children, she learned – and unlearned – a lot.

Christinah is proud to be part of the Save Our Seas Foundation Shark Education Centre. She sees herself in the children who visit the centre and inspiring them as others once inspired her means a lot to her. She hopes to continue helping change how people, especially young people, see biodiversity and conservation. Her goal is to encourage more of them to become part of protecting our natural world.