Fanie was born and raised in Molepolole, a village in southwestern Botswana. He grew up in a farming family, where agriculture and conservation efforts were often in conflict. Witnessing farmers kill predators that preyed on livestock deeply affected him, and he made it his mission to find ways for humans and wildlife to coexist peacefully.

Fanie pursued a course in conservation to deepen his understanding of animals and went on to educate farmers in his community about the importance of protecting wildlife. He holds a National Diploma in Nature Conservation from Tshwane University of Technology in South Africa.

Fanie has guided at camps across Botswana, including Kalahari Plains in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, where he became head guide after two years. Since 2016, he has been based at King's Pool Camp, leading a team of five enthusiastic guides. Fanie has been a guide with Wilderness Safaris since 2007 and became a Nat Hab Expedition Leader in 2024.

In addition to guiding and watching wildlife documentaries, Fanie enjoys photography and traveling.

Praise from Nat Hab Travelers:

S. White
"Fanie is extremely knowledgeable about Botswana's animals, birds and vegetation and shared his knowledge in a captivating and fun way. He is an excellent tracker and worked hard to find animals and teach us how to read tracks. He was a pleasure to be with at meals,  and our family group grew very fond of him. I can’t imagine having a better guide!"

K. Danielson
"Wow, where do I start? We all fell in love with Fanie! He is an expert in Botswana, and each and every one of us was so impressed with his expertise, knowledge, tracking experience and the effort he put in to give us the best experience. Everything went smoothly, and his relationship with the camp staff was genuine and appreciative, which made it extra nice. His love for nature, his job and the people he works with was clear and contagious. We had the best time ever, and who knows, maybe we'll go back again to have the experience in the summer. Fanie says it's a different experience and well worth it, and if Fanie says it, it must be true!"

L. George
"We couldn’t have had a better guide! Fanie’s knowledge of the bush, the animals and their behaviors and his tracking skills are unsurpassed. He is an excellent planner and leader. His admiration and respect for his fellow workers in the camps was exceptional. Fannie was able to manage the varying personalities in our small group and made each of us extremely comfortable. He made our trip an absolute joy. His love of nature and Botswana and the bush especially with regard to conservation was infectious. We miss his joyous personality and wish we were right back in the bush with him. If we ever have the chance to take this trip again we would insist that Fanie be our guide!"

M. Foley
"The entire trip was above and beyond, and Fanie had a huge hand in that. Between his professional education, experience, attention to detail and sense of humor, we laughed for 12 days straight. We saw things even he had never seen before and we saw many species and examples of animal behavior that are rarely seen by guests. Were I to take another safari, or recommend the trip to a friend, my two pieces of advice are go with Nat Hab and schedule with Fanie specifically!"

S. Van Tassel
"Fanie is so knowledgeable about the wildlife as well as the different habitats. He was always able to point out the various animals to us and anticipate their movements. I love his laugh! We were lucky to have him on safari with us."

K. Marbourg
"With Fanie's extensive background and multitude of skill sets, I felt that he was an exceptional guide. I enjoyed Fanie's sense of humor. I saw every animal that I was thinking about, plus more. Fanie kept on doing more and more for our group, and his knowledge base is extensive and growing each day. I was very, very, very impressed with Fanie and would absolutely recommend him as a guide for future trips to Botswana."