Altin Gysman

Altin Gysman

Head: Protected Area Integrity Unit

“Law Enforcement Officers should have passion in what they do and dedication and hard work will ultimately pay off at the end.”

Biography

Altin was born in a small Eastern Cape town called Humansdorp, and is the eldest of five sons. Altin joined the Southern African National Defence Force in September 1993. Where he worked his way up through the ranks becoming an officer (Second Lieutenant) in July 1994. This was the beginning of ranks such as Lieutenant, Captain, Major, and ultimately being promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 2016.

In 1996 Altin was selected to attend the Southern African Military Academy degree course, where he obtained a military degree. Later qualifying in Senior Management which he obtained from the University of Pretoria in 2015.

During Altin’s military tenure he was involved in leadership positions in United Nations and African Union Operations in Burundi(2000), Burundi(2005), Sudan(2006), Democratic Republic of Congo (2013/2014).

Altin joined the Southern African Wildlife College in January 2018 as the Senior Course Leader and Mentor within the Protected Area Integrity Unit. Altin has been assisting with the training of Field Rangers in Mozambique and is also a lecturer in the Natural Resource Management Department for Higher Education and Training students. Because of his leadership skills, Altin was involved with the development of the Ranger Leadership Development Programme (Braveheart). This was the first leadership course for Ranger leaders in conservation. Altin was further promoted to the roll of Programme Manager at the Protected Area Integrity Unit, and is currently, the Acting Head of the Department.

Qualifications

  • B(Mil) Human Science at the Faculty of Military ScienceUniversity of Stellenbosch