Malibongwe brings a strong foundation in Vulture conservation from his time on the Southern Drakensberg Vulture Conservation Project to his new role as Priority Species Monitor at Manyoni Private Game Reserve. With an Advanced Diploma in Nature Conservation and a conservation career stretching back to 2012, he brings over a decade of dedicated field experience to protecting endangered and priority species.
Malibongwe is from Manguzi, Zululand, and his conservation career began in 2012 after completing his Matriculation, when he joined a community Rhino ambassador programme with a provincial conservation authority at Tembe Elephant Park, working to combat poaching and other environmental crises. This experience lit a passion for conservation that led him to pursue formal studies, completing a Diploma in Nature Conservation through UNISA and an Advanced Diploma in Nature Conservation through Mangosuthu University of Technology. He joined Wildlife ACT in 2024.
Malibongwe built his Wildlife ACT experience on the Southern Drakensberg Vulture Conservation Project, working across the Underberg, Midlands, Maloti-Drakensberg World Heritage Site, and the Lesotho Highlands on the monitoring and conservation of Cape Vultures and the Critically Endangered Bearded Vulture, encompassing nest monitoring, safe feeding site management, long-term camera trap surveys, boundary conservation work, and emergency response to threats facing Vultures and other priority species.
He now brings this depth of field experience to his role as a Priority Species Monitor at Manyoni Private Game Reserve, contributing to the daily monitoring and protection of endangered and priority species across one of Zululand's most important conservation landscapes.
Outside of work, Malibongwe enjoys spending time with family and friends, staying active, reading about new developments in conservation, and exploring new places.
"The most important thing that fuels my work is knowing that whatever small action I take today can have a long-lasting impact in the future. For future generations to enjoy what we have now, we must start conserving it today."