EWT presents Cheetah Award
His contribution towards conservation goes above and beyond the call of duty, showing individual commitment and passion in his actions for the good of the environment.
The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), based in Modderfontien, recently presented its Cheetah Award to Mr Rudi Kruger, a corporate specialist in the environmental management within Eskom’s sustainability division.
Mr Kruger has contributed towards advancing wildlife and power line related conservation efforts in South Africa.
The Cheetah Award is awarded to individuals who have gone beyond the call of duty and extended themselves over a prolonged period of time in support of achieving the mission of the EWT, which is to conserve threatened species and ecosystems throughout the region to the benefit of all.
The EWT Cheetah Awards are highly prized and valued for the acknowledgement of the individual’s role in supporting the work and sustainability of the EWT.
Mr Kruger’s first involvement with the EWT dates back to 1995, when he was alerted to vulture electrocutions in the Lichtenburg area.
When the Eskom/EWT partnership was established in 1996, Mr Kruger was one of the major role players, and still is today, some 19 years later.
Mr Kruger demonstrated outstanding leadership, guidance and direction within the EWT/Eskom partnership and continues to demonstrate an ongoing commitment not only to the EWT, but the cause of conservation in his everyday actions.
His contribution towards conservation goes above and beyond the call of duty, showing individual commitment and passion in his actions for the good of the environment.
Regarded by many as the father of the Eskom/EWT partnership, Mr Kruger has worked relentlessly to address the issues around the impact of electrical infrastructure on South African wildlife.
Mr Kruger also played a major role in the development of many technical bulletins and technical instructions, including standards relating to wildlife and electrical infrastructure within the Eskom/EWT partnership.
One of Mr Kruger’s biggest accomplishments was to introduce a biodiversity standard in Eskom which led the national energy provider to only use ‘bird friendly’ structures when constructing new power lines or upgrading existing infrastructure across South Africa.
