Dr Botes is a surgical gastroenterologist specialising in colorectal surgery; or surgery of the colon, rectum, anus, pelvic floor and abdominal wall.
He has a specific focus on robotic and minimally invasive surgery, colorectal cancer surgery and organ-preserving rectal cancer treatment; robotic and complex abdominal wall hernia repair and reconstruction; gastrointestinal failure; screening and advanced therapeutic colonoscopy.
Training and career
Dr Botes first qualified as an engineer in biomedical engineering before studying medicine at Wits — a background that still shapes his affinity for surgical technology. After qualifying as a general surgeon at Stellenbosch University, he worked as a trauma surgery consultant at Tygerberg Hospital, where the devastating gastrointestinal injuries he treated drew him to gastrointestinal failure and abdominal reconstruction techniques.
He then completed two further years of sub-specialist training, earning his surgical gastroenterology fellowship with a focus on colorectal surgery — a fellowship that coincided with the arrival of robotic surgery at Tygerberg. He remains a senior lecturer and staff member at Stellenbosch University, training the next generation of surgeons in both open and robotic techniques.
He has been an active member of the Da Vinci robotics team, involved in multiple robotic firsts for the country. He ris also the first surgeon in South Africa accredited in robotic surgery for both colorectal and hernia surgery. Dr Botes remains a senior lecturer and staff member at Stellenbosch University.
Professional leadership
Dr Botes serves on the executive committees of the South African Society of Endoscopic Surgeons (SASES) and the South African Hernia Interest Group (HIG). He is a founding executive of the SAM Registry — the national outcomes registry through which his own patients’ results are tracked and audited — and a long-standing member of the South African Colorectal Society.
Proud Supporter of:
