Catherine was born and bred in Phake Ratlhagana Village, Mpumalanga province and this is where she completed her Secondary Education. She moved to Gauteng in the beginning of 1999 for tertiary education and studied Computer programming in Cobol Language for one year at Luso Zakheni College.

In February 2000, she was introduced to the travel world which she did not know existed. She joined CC Africa where she worked as temporary reservations administrator for seven months and was employed permanently afterwards. Coming from a rural area, Catherine decided to move to CC Africa foundation as she was fascinated by the help they were giving rural and needy communities around their lodges. Things did not work out as she had planned and in 2004 she moved back to CC Africa reservations and worked as a reservations consultant.

Both of Catherine’s parents are domestic workers and they unfortunately did not get to travel when she was young, she spent school holidays at home or visiting her mom where she worked. Catherine’s travels started in August 2000 when she visited Phinda Private Game Reserve in Kwa-Zulu Natal.

As it was her first time traveling, the experience was just fantastic. Afterwards she traveled to Londolozi Private Game Reserve in Sabi Sands, Bongani Mountain Lodge in Mthethomusha, Ngala Private Game Reserve in Kruger national Park for her honeymoon and Tau Game Lodge in Madikwe Reserve.

Catherine’s most memorable travel was to Phinda, obviously as it was her first and she remembers saying to the person she traveled with that it felt as if someone took a hotel room and put it in the bush. Her first time sleeping in luxurious accommodation, eating five star food, seeing the big five face to face at close range, meeting overseas people and learning about their culture.

Dealing with only CC Africa products was not enough for Catherine and she felt she needed to grow and expand her knowledge in the travel industry. She had developed a love for it and knew that the only way forward was to work for a Tour Operator. In October 2006, Catherine moved to Journey Beyond

“Journey Beyond has made me realize that loving the travel industry, was not a mistake.

The knowledge and new skills that I have acquired here allows me to sell any destination with confidence. At this stage selling Southern African destinations is my favorite. I am a person that loves serving people and to me the best part is to put suitable packages together that would make guests’ holidays unforgettable.”