Sun City’s Fauna & Indoor Plants Manager Marinell Munro has a “huge passion for environmental education and animal rehabilitation,” which she lives out in her daily tasks at the resort.

The 39-year-old Pretoria-born animal lover studied Nature Conservation at the Tshwane University of Technology and completed a course in Game Lodge Management. Munro moved to Sun City with her husband in 2012, where she first worked at Kamp Kwena as a Child Coordinator and then as an Administrator at the Maintenance Department, before joining a landscaping supplier, which maintains the Sun City grounds and golf courses, in 2018.

“In my current role, I am responsible for the maintenance, including watering, checking and spraying of plants against diseases and ensuring that all the indoor plants and pots across the resort are clean and litter free. We also make sure that all the artificial plants are clean. On the fauna side, I am responsible for the wellbeing of all living creatures in Sun City,” Munro explains.

“At the animal shelter and clinic, we make sure the animals are taken care of and fed balanced diets, and that the area is kept clean and tidy. We make sure the walk-through aviary is clean and that the birds and parrots are healthy.”

The new parrot enclosure was designed and decorated by Munro and her team, who also put their creativity to the test in making toys to keep the birds occupied.

Munro adds that she is a “firm believer in treating people the same way as you would like to be treated – no matter if it's a general manager or a cleaner. If you want your staff to respect you, you need to equally respect them.”