Meet Dr. Lize van der Merwe, SAHTA Secretary.
Originally from Bredasdorp where she grew up on a Honeybush farm, she studied Conservation Ecology at Stellenbosch University. Postgraduate studies followed, and she specialized in biodiversity conservation of large-scale corridors for her MSc and PhD. Subsequent research focused on effective management practices, specifically as it pertains to environmental management in corridors among commercial forestry plantations.
In 2020, Lize left the university and started her business Veldtology (Pty) Ltd. The business focuses on sustainable agriculture, which means different things for different crops. For Honeybush, it means growing sales in the industry so that SAHTA as an industry organization becomes less reliant on external funding.
Apart from her secretarial duties, Lize developed a Quality Management System to enable traceability in her family’s business, Agulhas Honeybush Tea. This QMS has been so successful in streamlining processes and cutting time spent on certifications that it is now in the process of being rolled out to other Honeybush businesses.
Lize sits on the BIOPANZA Sustainability Cluster, which entails working with government and other entities to sustainably grow the biotrade sector in SA. She is involved in tons of paperwork for all sorts of things, including Biotrade permit applications. She comments on legislation related to the trade of Honeybush, which can be infuriating but is very VERY important.
Lize is the project manager for the registration of Honeybush as Geographical Indicator, a project that is due to kick off in 2026… and something that we will talk more about as progress is made