Today is Heritage Day in South Africa, a day to celebrate the cultures, traditions and stories that make the country what it is.
So it feels like the perfect day to introduce you to Lewyn Maefala, our local expert in the South Africa Adventure Journal.
Lewyn is the Founder and Project Manager of the Bush Babies Environmental Education Programme, which works with children and communities around the Greater Kruger to build a connection with wildlife and the natural world. The programme began in 2015, after Lewyn joined Transfrontier Africa as a student and saw the work of the Black Mambas first-hand. She recognised that protecting wildlife also meant helping local communities, especially children, understand and value the natural world around them.
And she’s still doing that today. In fact, Lewyn is currently a finalist for a 2026 WESSA100 Conservation Leadership Award, part of WESSA’s centenary awards recognising people and organisations who have made a significant contribution to conservation and environmental education in South Africa.
We first came across Lewyn through her work with The Bush Babies, which is what led us to her for the journal. Then we started talking, and it became clear that there was much more to her story, she’s deeply proud of her Pedi heritage, but just as curious about the traditions and cultures of the people around her.
“I’m a proud Pedi and I love South African traditions because of the bright, beautiful colours that show we are a Rainbow Nation,” she told us. And her favourite celebration is Heritage Day.
Every year, she challenges herself to wear a different cultural outfit. And she doesn’t just choose something because it looks beautiful. She takes the time to learn about the culture and traditions behind it. That Lewyn, curious, open and always learning.
We want children to see that a place isn’t just its wildlife or its landscapes. It’s also the people who live there, the traditions they carry, the stories they tell and the things they care about.
Lewyn knows the Greater Kruger in a very particular way. She has worked alongside The Black Mambas, founded The Bush Babies and spent years helping children experience the bush for themselves, not just learn about it in a classroom. The Bush Babies uses schools, bush camps and hands-on experiences to help children understand the wildlife and environment around them.
And now she is one of the people helping us bring that world into the pages of the South Africa Adventure Journal.
Because sometimes the best way to learn about somewhere is through someone who knows it, loves it and is still curious about it themselves.
So today take a little inspiration from her Heritage Day tradition too. Wear something that tells a story, ask someone about a tradition you don’t know. Try something new, and take the time to find out where it comes from.That’s very Zwela.
Happy Heritage Day, South Africa. 🇿🇦