The Southern African Wildlife College (SAWC) is registered as accredited private, independent non-profit higher education and training institution specializing in conservation education, training and skills development. It was established in 1996 by the World Wide Fund for Nature – South Africa (WWF-SA) in close cooperation with interested and affected parties in southern Africa. These included national and provincial government departments, other conservation agencies and organisations, and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The SAWC does not receive any government subsidies and is supported by the training it offers, the donor community and its partners.
As an organisation, the Southern African Wildlife College is committed to integrity and transparency. The College acts proactively and encourages the communication of concerns relating to: The unlawful and unethical conduct of business, financial reporting, accounting practices, internal controls, audits, suspected criminal activities, or activities relating to poaching, which is an issue of high concern to the College, its stakeholders and the land owner. It is also the College’s policy to protect those who communicate bona fide concerns from any retaliation for such reporting, providing such report is made in good faith.
As part of its lease agreement with the landowner, the College has an obligation to protect the land, the species on the land, the people, and the property, and is charged with the directive to conduct integrity testing on all potential employees as part of the College’s employment process. From 2017 this has included background checks on all potential employees prior to employment. This is supported and conducted by the Greater Kruger Environmental Protection Foundation, which has its communications and command centre based at the College.
Due to the lease agreement with the landowner, right of admission is reserved, and is dependent on passing integrity tests, making this an operational requirement for employment at the College. In addition, it is a requirement of our accreditation with the Council for Higher Education (CHE) that the College ensures that its examination process is confidential, consistent, equitable, and ethical at all times. Employees who work for the Academic Support and Quality Assurance (ASQA) department, or who are involved in the process of assessment and examination of students, are tested annually in this respect.
This policy has been discussed with all employees at all levels and in all forums, and has also been discussed with the majority union, and with the College’s community structure. The essence of this is also contained in all employment contracts and is included in all recruitment literature. The College uses various tools and methods of integrity testing, which includes polygraphs and voice level assessment tests.
Mr. F.G. Mketeni – Chairman – South African National Parks
Mr. S. Abrahams – Director – World Wide Fund for Nature – South Africa
Dr. C. Fabricius – Director – World Wide Fund for Nature-International
Mrs. L.M. Lynch – Director – Peace Parks Foundation
Mr. S.M. Munzhedzi – Director – Department of Environmental Affairs SA
Mr. W. Myburgh – Director – Peace Parks Foundation
Mr. A.H. Parker – Director – Conservation International
Mr Brad Poole – Director – Peace Parks Foundation
Dr. G. Raven – Director – World Wide Fund for Nature-South Africa
Prof. B. Reilly – Director – Tshwane University of Technology
Mrs. T.M. Sowry – Director – Southern African Wildlife College
Mr. C. Weber – Director – Zürcher Kantonalbank (Zürich Cantonal Bank)/Founder Trustee Friends of African Wildlife
Mrs. T.M. Sowry – Chief Executive Officer
Mrs. S.D. Hanekom – Executive Manager: Finance and Human Resources
Mrs. J. Poultney – Executive Manager: Marketing, Fundraising, and Media Relations
Audit Committee
Mr. S Abrahams
Mrs. L.M Lynch (Chairperson)
Mr. C. Weber
Company Secretary
Mrs. S.D. Hanekom
Auditors
PricewaterhouseCoopers Inc. – Registered Auditors
Bankers
Standard Bank of South Africa Limited
The SAWC is committed to excellent academic and ethical standards as expected in a conservation environment. In order for the College to ensure that these standards are adhered to and maintained, the following guiding principles are used to encourage compliance by the students:
The primary purpose of the Code is to promote exemplary conduct. A copy of the Code of Conduct is made available to all students upon arrival; every student will thus be subject to the stipulated rules and regulations of the College.
Every student is encouraged to be an asset to the College. A student deemed to be guilty of misconduct will be dealt with in accordance with the agreed Code of Conduct if s/he disregards any provision of this Code or fails to comply with any provision thereof. A breach of the Code of Conduct may lead to a disciplinary hearing which may in turn result in disciplinary measures being taken to correct misbehavior.
At the time of registration all students will receive and sign a copy of the Code of Conduct.
Plagiarism is academic fraud and as such an unacceptable offence at the College. If a student is found guilty of plagiarism after a disciplinary hearing, he/she will be disciplined or even expelled from the programme, pending an appeal by the student.
The Southern African Wildlife College is an appointed Centre of Specialisation in conservation education, training, and skills development within the SADC region.
Find out more about the Colleges memberships, accreditations, awards, training projects and partnerships.
The SAWC is an accredited and registered NPO and you can find all our pertinent documents here. You can also contact us for more information.