Mike Esternhuizen, a much-loved member of the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) Board of Trustees since 2001, passed away after a long battle with cancer on 4 October 2025. He was 77.

Mike’s relationship with the EWT began when he offered the pro bono services of his advertising and marketing agency, Lesoba, to support the organisation’s marketing and communications, says his widow, Michelle.

He played a key role in shaping the EWT brand, from helping to develop the first Corporate Brochure in 2002 to the website redesign in 2022, with multiple projects along the way.

As a member of the Board, he was one of the founding members of the Social and Ethics Committee.

“Even when he was wracked with cancer, he would always contribute.  He was always present in a quiet and unassuming way,”  said former Board member and chair of the Social and Ethics Committee, Karin Ireton.

“Having been part of the EWT’s leadership and brand DNA for more than 2 decades, Mike was instrumental in shaping the EWT,” says Yolan Friedmann, EWT CEO. “Mike’s support of and love for the EWT spanned almost the length of my career, and I am blessed to have been influenced by his unwavering commitment, his quiet strength, fortitude and his relentless love for Africa’s wildlife. Mike was one of those who always put his hand up for a new role and made the effort to always show up. Mike was reliable, and you could count on him for anything. I will miss him greatly”.

Dirk Ackerman, EWT Board of Trustees Vice Chair, said Mike was a stalwart and always “someone we could rely on”.

“He set a fantastic example through his complete dedication. He was unselfish with his marketing expertise and made a high financial contribution to the EWT,” said Ackerman. “His fortuity and character were visible in the fact that he remained on Board despite his health issues.  He was tireless and dedicated to the last, and he will be sorely missed.”

Mike’s family described him as a “special, loving, and deeply caring man, and a passionate conservationist whose wisdom and generosity left a lasting mark on those who knew him”.

Mike and his wife built their own marketing agency, which he led as CEO for nearly four decades. Mike’s love for the bush began in childhood, fostered by his father and deepened when he and his family invested in a bungalow at Olifants River Game Reserve almost forty years ago.

In 2019, Mike was diagnosed with Stage 4 oesophageal cancer. He met the illness with quiet courage, grace, and determination throughout a long six-year journey. Even after losing his voice following a laryngectomy, he remained steadfast, continuing to participate in life and Board meetings with resilience and dignity.

He is survived by his wife, Michelle, and their five children and three grandchildren.