Vuyani Mbuzwa (30) graduated from the Tracker Academy several years back. He later joined the Wilderness Leadership
School as a Wilderness Trail s Guide. He has completed the three-week Spirit of the Wild Progamme, and the Bergplaas team is now training him to be
a Spirit of the Wild facilitator.
Vuyani grew up in the rural Eastern Cape village of Lusikisiki where his home language is Xhosa. His father passed away when he was very young. His mother, who raised him, has also since passed away. "Coming to Bergplaas for me was a very big step but I think I was following my soul because when I arrived here, my soul had a very big smile and the people here were calm and collected. I felt like a new person meeting a new life.
"I love the peace that I get on Bergplaas and the Spirit of the Wild really feeds people's souls. My experience on Bergplaas has also helped me to understand that animals have emotions like we do; that when I get afraid and my heart is beating fast, it is the same for an animal when they feel fear. We need to respect them and my time here has inspired me to be a leader for nature who helps people who have never tasted its beauty."
"I think we all need to be connected with nature so that we can be able to experience the same god and not point fingers at other people. I feel joy when I am working with people on the Spirit of the Wild programme and I would love to serve Spirit of the Wild for the rest of my life."