Turning water lovers into Champs
WELCOME TO
Kiddies Aqua
Swimming Academy
Meet Our Team
Lizette Botha
Co-owner & Head Coach
Lizette Botha is our infant- and toddler swimming specialist. She holds a degree in Human Movement Science (University of Pretoria) and was also a provincial athlete and -hockey player during her school- and university careers. She also completed three Comrades Marathons. She and Jean Fouace are the founder members of Amphibies Babies Africa™ and she also serves as project manager for the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation (South Africa). She started as swimming coach in 1989 at Debbie Vorster Swim School in Brooklyn, Pretoria...
Read more about
our head coach
Arrie Botha
Co-owner
Arrie only joined Kiddies Aqua on a full-time basis in March 2017 when the business started to expand its wings with additional branches and franchised outlets. He holds degrees in B Com Marketing Management and B Com Marketing Management (Honors) (Univ. of Pretoria).
Franchisees
Nandi Smit
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Nandi can be contacted at:
079 534 1545
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or emailed:
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or visited at
256 Chris Hougaard Street, Weirdapark, Centurion.
Centurion Franchisee
Nandi joined Kiddies Aqua in January 2019. It all happened by coincidence when she was tasked to come and do a photo shoot for Finesse Magazine at our swim school. Whilst observing all Lizette’s handling and teaching through her camera lens, she immediately felt the urge to get more involved in this fantastic world of infant- and toddler swimming. She contacted us two weeks later, inquiring about any possible vacancies at our swim school. A few days later she got appointed and was immediately placed in a six-week intensive training program (toddler swim) with Lizette.
Nandi immediately showed great potential and affection for our little swimmers. She has got a very friendly-, gentle- and soft-hearted approach towards the little swimmers and over the past two years developed beautifully as a swimming instructor. So much so, that she approached us for the possibility of opening her own franchised outlet in Centurion. With her strong swim knowledge and entrepreneurial spirit we felt confident that she will make a success of her own business.
Before opening the new branch she had to go through 400x hours of intensive training with Lizette on how to teach the babies to float and to be water safe. She also completed Swimming South Africa’s Learn-to-Swim Instructor’s Course and CPR & First Aid Courses. She became our proud franchisee in Centurion on 18 January 2021.
Rhoné Reynders
Alberton Franchisee
Rhoné can be contacted at:
079 938 1455
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or emailed:
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or visited at
Rietvlei Zoo Farm, 101 Swartkoppies Road, Alberton, 1448
Rhoné is our proud franchisee in Alberton. She has been a swimming instructor for the past 11 years already. She previously owned Penguins Swimming Club in Thabazimbi for four years, before they moved to Alberton. After one year of intensive training in our Self-Rescue Water Safety Method for Babies (Amphibies Babies Africa™),
Rhoné opened her branch in February 2018. Since then her business grew at a rapid rate and has she already made hundreds of babies and toddlers water safe. She is a registered swimming instructor with Swimming South Africa (Level 1 and Learn-to-Swim) and also holds a diploma in Somatology.
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She understands the sport of Swimming very well, seeing that she was a provincial swimmer throughout her whole school career. She also played provincial netball during that period. She is passionate about teaching the babies and toddlers and has got a very natural feel and touch with them. She sees the two programs as very complementary to each other where these young children can learn so many amazing swimming skills from a very young age already. Her own two-year old daughter, Diané, completed the Self-Rescue Water Safety Method with her and is already like a little fish in the water.
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Rhoné, and husband David, are also enthusiastic cross-fit athletes with many competition-titles under their belts.
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Maresa Scholtz
Cape Town Franchisee
Maresa can be contacted at
074 222 7235
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or emailed at either:
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or visited at
34 Avenmouth, Parklands, Cape Town.
Maresa is a fresh addition to the Kiddies Aqua family, our second franchised outlet, which opened in February 2021 and is located in Parklands, Cape Town.
At the age of 33, Maresa is a fully qualified and licensed instructor in our Self-Rescue Water Safety Program for Babies (Amphibies Babies Africa™) and a Learn-to-Swim Instructor through Swimming South Africa. She has got a lovely natural and soft touch with the babies and toddlers and shows great competence with these little ones.
She is a student of the sport and always readily willing to further enhance her skills in optimum contribution to the effectiveness of all required undertakings in this unique lifesaving method for infants. She herself was also a very competent swimmer and represented Namibia on international level during her school years. She was also a SA Triathlon Age group gold medalist.
In her previous professional career, Maresa was a well-qualified, extremely efficient Forensic Analyst with a B.Sc. Genetics degree (UFS) in the South African Police Services.
On a personal level, she demonstrates her passion for family and children. She is very excited about her new career as a full-time swimming teacher and cannot wait to be able to add specialized training to the safety of infants and little children. She is married to JS Scholtz and the mother of a busy toddler boy, Janu. Janu also completed the Self-Rescue Water Safety Course with Lizette Botha (Franchisor) which allowed Maresa to understand the process for parent and child when embarking this journey.
Mariëtta Herbst
Mariëtta can be contacted at
064 757 5050
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or emailed at either:
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or visited at
15 Speldekussing Avenue, Roodekrans, Roodepoort.
Roodepoort Franchisee
After one year (400+ hours) of intensive training in the Self-Rescue Water Safety Method for Babies (Baby Floating), Mariëtta Herbst opened the West Rand Branch in January 2022.
Mariëtta is a registered swimming instructor with Swimming South Africa (Level 1 and Learn-to-Swim) and holds a BA-degree in Education (Senior FET phase). She also holds valid CPR and First Aid Certificates and renews her Police Clearance every year. She attends in-house refresher training regularly to keep up with the high standards of the Kiddies Aqua franchisor.
As a former schoolteacher is she passionate about transferring knowledge and skills to children and more so now to her baby- and toddler swimmers.
She understands children very well and therefore the success with them in the pool. Her own son, Sion, completed the Self-Rescue Water Safety Programme (Baby Floating) with Lizette. Mariëtta gets assisted by her sister Juanita and mom Madelein.
Client Care
Jolanda Bender
Client Care Coordinator & Accounting officer
Jolanda joined Kiddies Aqua in February 2019. She holds National Certificates from UNISA for grading E, D and C as Security Officer. She also completed several other certificates in Computer Programming and Accounting and also holds valid CPR and First Aid Certificates.
Jolanda is a very well-organized individual and is in charge of all administration activities at our Tuks-branch. With 20 years of accounting background is Jolanda in charge of our accounting, SARS and payroll responsibilities. She serves mainly as Lizette’s personal assistant at our Tuks-branch, arranging her complete time table and diary on her behalf.
She is an exceptional dedicated individual who is totally devoted to her work and the tasks at hand. The ultimate professional who understands the various functions of the business, our clients’ needs and how they fit in together. She also assists us on the following, namely: 1) general client care, 2) the liaising between the swimming school and the client, 3) the placement of new clients, 4) personal assistance to our swimming instructors, 5) the management of the facility and 6) the assistance with any client account queries. She won our Golden Towel award in May 2019.
Marius Potgieter
Client Care Coordinator
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Marius joined Kiddies Aqua in September 2021 as a Client Care Coordinator (Moreleta Park branch). This versatile sportsman completed his matric at Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool in 2017 and is currently busy with his final year B.Com Law-studies through NWU. His dream is to become an advocate one day. He also holds valid CPR and First Aid Certificates.
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He is a strong leader with superbly well-organizing skills and is fulfilling this pressure position in our business with distinction. He enjoys the excitement and dynamics of this busy position very much and always tries to improve our internal systems wherever needed. He has got an excellent understanding of what our clients want and is always willing to go the extra mile for our business and for our clients.
Marius acts as Lizette’s personal assistant, arranging her complete time table and diary on her behalf at the branch. His other responsibilities include 1) general client care, 2) liaising between the swim school and clients, 3) the placement of new clients, 4) personal assistance to our instructors, 5) management of the facility and 6) assistance with any client account queries.
Cor-lee van der Walt
Assistant Client Care Coordinator
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Cor-lee joined Kiddies Aqua in January 2022 as an assistant to the instructors and clients swimming with us. She currently serves as our Assistant Client Care Co-ordinator at our Moreleta Park branch.
She is superbly well-organized and is fulfilling this pressure position in our business with distinction. She enjoys the excitement and dynamics of this position very much and has got a great ear and understanding of what our clients want.
She is always willing to go the extra mile for our business and for our clients. She acts as our swimming instructors' personal assistant, arranging their time tables and diaries on their behalf at the branch. Her other responsibilities include 1) general client care, 2) liaising between the swim school and clients, 3) the placement of new clients, 4) the management of the facility and 5) the assistance with any client queries and requests.
Elizabeth Shandukane
Administration Clerk
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Elizabeth joined Kiddies Aqua in November 2017. She holds a National Certificate in Further Education and Training: Information Technology and Technical Support. She also holds valid CPR and First Aid Certificates.
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Elizabeth is a very pleasant-, warm- and hardworking individual who looks after our clients’ needs during their visits to our facilities. She arranges the service order and queuing line in how Lizette receives her daily clients. Elizabeth’s other responsibilities include: 1) general client care and welcoming, 2) general administration and filing, 3) the placement of new clients and 4) personal assistance to our Client Care Coordinators.