OUR TEAM

Jacolette obtained a Master of Science in Zoology from the University of Pretoria in 2000. Her thesis, Roads as Ecological Edges for Rehabilitating Coastal Dune Assemblages in Northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (published in Restoration Ecology Vol 11, Issue 1, p: 43-46) was based on field work conducted in the rehabilitating forests of Richards Bay Minerals, north of Richards Bay. In 2019 she also obtained a LLM degree in Environmental Law.

For this degree, her dissertation assessed the ‘Legislative challenges with wetland mitigation banking in South Africa’. This included aspects such as the available and required policy, tools and frameworks required for implementing wetland banking, specifically also addressing the finance options, such as BIOFIN and debating the commercial aspects of wetland banking.

Since completion of her MSc, she has gained 22 years of professional experience in the environmental sector, and has been a certified Professional Natural Scientist since 2002 (400088/02 ). She is a registered Environmental Assessment Practitioner with the Environmental Assessment Practitioner of
South Africa (2019/1040).

She is also a Fellow member of the Water Institute of South Africa (WISA).

She has successfully conducted project management for numerous environmental assessments in terms of various legislated processes throughout South Africa for a wide range of clients, including the mining sector, the large-scale housing developments, private lodge developments, telecommunication industry, various engineering projects including pipelines, road construction, road upgrades. She has been responsible for various strategic projects such as Integrated Environmental Management Programme for municipalities as well as Provincial State of the Environment Reporting. Due to her training as an ecologist/zoologist she provides the specialist skill of wetland and ecological assessments. She qualified as a Carbon Footprint Analyst in 2015.

Jacolette has proven the capability to complete environmental assessments of challenging projects with various approvals required from different authorities, including Department of Environmental Affairs, Department of Forestry, Department of Water and Sanitation and Department of Mineral Resources.

Her expertise is in managing these complex projects with the wide range of specialists, and identifying the key issues which need to be mitigated. In line with the newer developments in the environmental field, she has obtained valuable experience in compiling biodiversity offset documents and negotiating these aspects with relevant government Departments and related authorities.

Johan matriculated in 1981 at Grey College in Bloemfontein and then did his compulsory military service in the Parachute Battalion. He obtained the following theoretical qualifications: B Eng & B Eng (Hons) Industrial Engineering (University of Pretoria, SA), MS System Engineering (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA), Certified SAP MM and ASAP consultant, COBIT(ICT Governance) and TOGAF (Enterprise Architecture) basis certified, Six Sigma Master Black belt Certified.

He started his career in the manufacturing environment and gained experience in Manufacturing Statistical Process Control and Continuous Improvement Projects in the ARMSCOR environment. He moved to the design and development discipline where he was responsible for Weapon System Reliability Improvement and Life Cycle Effectiveness. He also participated in the overall Systems Engineering Process to bring these complex weapon systems into being. He furthered his career in the Information, Communication & Technology (ICT) environment by being employed as manager by the State Information Technology Agency (SITA). He participated in the total ICT system development lifecycle. Johan specialised in Enterprise Architecture Planning. Johan’s last permanent employment was at PBMR (Pebble Bed Modular Reactor) as Chief Engineer: Process Engineering. 

In 1998 Johan founded Exigent.  He has being an independent consultant since 1998 delivering services in Leading Multidisciplinary Engineering Teams, Business Reengineering & Excellence, ICT Consulting, Enterprise Architecture, Safety & Risk Analysis, Optimization and Improvement, Process Engineering, Quality and ISO9001 implementation.

Johan has 33 years of experience and his passion is to participate / manage the process of bringing quality complex systems efficiently and safely into being on schedule and within budget that satisfies the intended need within an overall enterprise architecture context and to further be involved with the evaluation and improvement of integrated systems of people, projects, assets, knowledge, finance and energy.

Other than his professional capability Johan is a qualified PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor and Yacht Master. Johan’s main hobby is participating in water sports during his free time.

Ishmael Sikhonde is a member (30%) of Exigent Environmental cc and our Public Relations Officer and Field Technician. He obtained his N5 Certificate in Business Management from Richtek College in 2004. Ishmael has been working in the environmental field for 15 years. He has worked closely with Jacolette Adam, gaining valuable experience in the environmental field.

He is proficient with liaising with community members throughout the environ-
mental authorization process and facilitating Environmental Public meetings.

Ishmael engages with community members on environmental matters pertaining to projects and translating publications from English to Zulu. He is a valuable member of the team and he has hands-on experience in conducting environmental monitoring and water quality and soil samples. He has gained extensive experience being part of environmental monitoring (collecting plant samples, identification of fauna and flora, as well as data capturing after field work) and field work teams responsible for executing mining and other industries’ permit conditions and license requirements

Kelly Joubert is a member of the South African Affiliate of the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIASA) and Professional Natural Scientist (142182). She has obtained her BSc degree in Environmental and Biological Science in 2015 and her BSc Honours Degree in Environmental Sciences, specializing in Ecological Interactions and Ecosystem Resilience in 2016 from the University of North-West (NWU) in Potchefstroom.

She completed and obtained her Masters degree in Environmental Management, part-time, in 2021, specializing in Ecological Water Requirements

through NWU.

Kelly has been working in the environmental field for 5 years and has been involved in a variety of different projects. She has especially gained experience in environmental report writing, research and analysis, environmental impact assessments, applying Environmental Legislation, Environmental

feasibility studies, water sampling, GIS data analysis, mine closure plans, water use license applications and wetland delineation and functionality assessments. 

The various projects in which she has been involved with, include mixed-use housing developments, low-cost housing developments, mine closure plans, road upgrades, the construction of a traffic circle, pipe bursts impact assessments, Solar farm projects, sewer line installations, the construction of a poultry farm, the development of a pineapple juicer plant, coal storage projects, industrial developments.

Michelle is a Senior Environmental Assessment Practitioner (EAP) in the Environmental Business Unit. Michelle obtained a Master of Science in Entomology from the University of the Northwest in 2005. Her thesis, An Ecological Study into the possible Reclamation Value of Reed beds in a Wetland System on a Coal Mine in Kwa-Zulu Natal focused on the creation of an artificial wetland and the use thereof in acid mine drainage for a coal mine in KwaZulu-Natal.
 

Michelle has over 20 years of professional experience in the environmental management sector where she has performed leading roles in government departments (as Assistant Director in EIA’s at the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (KZN DEDTEA) and later as Manager Environment at the Rio Tinto: Richards Bay Minerals operation in Richards Bay and has served on various forums such as the Environmental Policy Committee (EPC) at the Chamber of Mines, the South African Mining &

Biodiversity Forum, uThungulu Coastal Management Forum, The Chamber of Industries uMhlathuze, The Tugela Forum and also served as Director of the Richards Bay Clean Air Association (RBCAA) from 2015 till 2018. 

Michelle’s work experience is not limited to South Africa as she also performed work in Madagascar for Base Resources to align their permitting requirements to the Malagasy laws. She has also traveled to Salt Lake City, America, to complete an air quality management course in 2011. Michelle has extensive knowledge and experience in environmental management projects in South Africa and the wider southern African region.

Amanda completed her Bachelor of Science majoring in Environmental Sciences and Earth Science at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2014 and completed her Honours in Environmental Sciences in 2015.

Amanda started her career as research intern at the KZN Sharks Board in 2019 and joined Exigent in 2021 as Junior Environmental Consultant.

Since joining Exigent Amanda has gained skills in surface and groundwater monitoring, conducting work as an Environmental Control Officer and assisting with field work, research and GIS and drafting wetland, ecological assessments and Basic Assessments.

Amanda has also worked on environmental impact assessments for road upgrades, housing developments and renewable energy projects in Limpopo.

Siphesihle is a registered Environmental Assessment Practitioner (EAPASA 2021/3615). She completed her Bachelor of Social Science, majoring in Geography and Environmental Management at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2017 and completed her Honours in Environmental Science at UNISA in 2022. Since the completion of her BSc degree, she has gained 4 years of experience in the field of environmental management. She has been actively involved with numerous legislated environmental processes (Basic Assessment Reports and Water Use License processes) in South Africa working with a range of clients which includes engineering projects such as housing developments and road infrastructure construction and upgrades. Siphesihle has gained skills in water monitoring, conducting work as an Environmental Control Officer and assisting with field work and drafting wetland and ecological assessments, identifying site-specific species, planning and compiling of public participation documentation for a variety of public participation processes as part of Environmental Authorisation WUL applications.

Franciska obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Management at the University of South Africa in 2015 followed by a Bachelor of Science Honours degree in Geography in 2022. For her dissertation, Human-resource interaction of the Jukskei River: From Stjwetla, Alexandra informal settlement to Waterfall City, the focus was based on the effect that socio-economic differences have on freshwater resources, specifically in terms of informal settlements. This interest will also be a main focal point for her Master degree in Environmental Management for 2023.

She has over four years of specializing in the field as an Environmental Control Officer, compiling audit reports and monitoring compliance in construction and rehabilitation. As part of the Exigent Environmental team she is based in Gauteng, compiles environmental assessments and conducts Environmental Audits.

Salona Reddy completed her Bachelor of Science and Honours majoring in Environmental Sciences (Life Sciences Stream) at the University of KwaZulu-
Natal (Pietermaritzburg) in 2014. She has obtained her MSc in Environmental
Sciences through the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2023.

Since the completion of her degree, she has gained 6 years of experience in the field of environmental management and applied science. She has been actively involved with numerous legislated environmental processes (Basic Assessment Reports and Water Use License processes) in South Africa working with a range of clients which includes engineering projects such as housing developments and road infrastructure construction and upgrades.

Salona has gained skills in report writing, water quality monitoring, Environmental Compliance, field work, wetland and ecological assessments, planning and compiling of public participation documentation for a variety of public participation processes as part of BAR and WUL applications.

Salona has worked on some prominent projects that include GIS, Water Use
Licenses, Wetland Assessments, ecological specialist reports and Basic As-
sessments for The South African National Road Agency, uThukela District
Municipality , Mzingazi Village, Zini River Estates, mining right applications along the South Coast, Umzimvubu Local Municipality and a filling station in the Empangeni CBD area (to name a few).

She also assist with environmental compliance audits on various projects
such as:

• SANRAL Manguzi Road Development
• Kwambonambi P232 road upgrade
• Tronox Fairbreeze Mine expansion project
• Rio Tinto RBM Zulti South
• RBIDZ 1F groundwater sampling

Brittany Schultz is an environmental consultant of the Ecology Team within Exigent.

Brittany obtained a 4-year BSc Conservation Ecology and Entomology from the University of Stellenbosch in 2016. This course had focused on a variety of ecological disciplines, including wildlife management, entomology, invasive biology, GIS, freshwater monitoring, botany, microbiology and zoology. She received a distinction for her final-year project, Caracal Crossing in Cape Town: The spatial and temporal patterns of caracal in relation to urban roads was based on the radio-tracking fieldwork and GIS analysis of individual caracals surrounding Cape Town and how road ecology impacts their behaviour.

In 2020 she also obtained a Master of Science in Conservation Ecology from the University of Stellenbosch. Her thesis, A spotted landscape: Threats to leopard, Panthera pardus pardus, & their prey within the Boland Mountain Complex, Western Cape. (Chapter 3 published in African Zoology Vol 56, Issue 2, p: 1-13) was based on field work, GIS and interviewing stake-holders within in the mountainous and agricultural region of the Boland Mountain Complex, stretching from Wolseley to Kleinmond in the Western Cape.

Since completion of her MSc, she has gained 3 years of professional experience in the environmental sector and has been a certified Candidate Natural Scientist since 2021 and her Professional Natural Scientist registration is currently in review. She is also a member of the South African Wildlife Management Association (SAWMA).

Brittany has proven the capability to complete environmental assessments,
particularly ecological reports and GIS technical duties.

Selma Otto is our project coordinator, and provides operational and project support to Exigent. Her administration skills demonstrate her commitment to excellence. She is responsible for liaison with clients, NGO’s, a variety of specialists, local, provincial and national authorities and stakeholders. She is skillful in liaising with Interested and Affected Parties, as well as local community members throughout environmental authorization processes. She provides support with the facilitation of Environmental Public meetings, environmental awareness training and translating Exigent environmental publications from English to Zulu. Her duties include the development of tenders and project proposals, as well as managing project timeframes.

Petro Hardwick is our Financial Administrator and liaises with Creditors and Debtors. Her duties also include invoicing, reconciliation of accounts, general support to Management, updating of calendars and managing timeframes of projects.

Anita is our project assistant and provides support wherever needed. Anita assists in the collection and compilation of data, provides support during the Public Participation Processes and the compilation of report templates. She provides support with the facilitation of Environmental Public meetings, environmental awareness training and project planning. Her duties also involve managing project timeframes, printing and binding reports, keeping minutes of meetings and general office work.