Our Team
A few Helderberg locals were dreaming the same dreams. Once we met up and started sharing our individual strengths and expertise, we realized that we have a shared vision and complementary skills to start building stronger schools through leadership development and empowerment.
Advisory Board
Service Providers
Finleys
Accountants
NB Media
Graphic and Website Design
Pyper Turner
Chartered Accountants (SA) – Registered Auditors
Nashua
Complete
Office Solutions
Camino
Consulting
Nokuthula Shezi
“I joined SSCC because its values and purpose strongly align with my passion for working with children, youth, and families in vulnerable communities. As a Child and Youth Care Worker registered with the South African Council for Social Service Professions (SACSSP), I believe in holistic development that recognises a child’s life space which is family, school, community, and culture. I believe that when schools are strengthened and supported, learners are empowered to grow into whole, confident, and independent individuals. SSCC’s commitment to empowering schools in disadvantaged communities resonates deeply with me, as it supports learners to become whole, independent, and productive citizens. I am excited to contribute to positive change by helping schools educate future leaders who will strengthen themselves, their communities, and the world and being a part of an amazing organisation like Strong Schools to make a positive impact“.
Annette Botha
“It is a privilege to be part of the Strong Schools team. As a team player, I believe that with my gifts I can add value to this amazing organisation.
For the past 10 years I have worked as an administrative coordinator at a church and am looking forward to support the rest of the team.
I strongly believe in the African proverb: “It takes a village to raise a child“. With Strong Schools I can be part of the collaboration between the entire community and the schools where children can experience and grow in a safe and healthy environment”.
Amanda Swanepoel
Amanda obtained a B. Diac degree at the Huguenot College in Wellington and started her career as a youth worker at Abraham Kriel Children’s Home in Johannesburg, and thereafter at the Dutch Reformed Church Vanderbijlpark South.
Countless Walk Thru the Bible seminars were presented by Amanda and she was co-coordinator of the Children’s Seminars with WorldTeach Southern Africa.
She was involved in the establishment and development of the inter-denominational In His Hand Ministry, as well as the organizer of the Woman who Believe movement, which was initiated by Finesse magazine.
Amanda is co-CEO of BrightStar Lifestyle, a program that is presented at businesses, churches, organizations and schools. We believe that individuals with a clear life purpose and effective relationships, as well as good leadership skills, are the major change agents of moral transformation in society. BrightStar’s Transformational programmes, Workshops and Inspirational talks guide individuals (of various ages) to win at work and life.
Amanda’s personal vision is to inspire others to ‘Show up and Shine’ – discovering and then living their God-given purpose.
Wynand
Wynand Cillié is involved with the feedback sessions of the Compass Calibration Survey Reports (a whole-school audit which all the staff of a school complete anonymously). He was principal of De Hoop Primary School in Somerset West for 27 years. Currently he is retired and shares his experience with our schools and our team to help build stronger schools.
Gary Janeke
He is a networker, relationship builder and project coordinator.
Gary has a 21-year experience with management in the banking sector, has a completed Bachelor’s degree in ministry and a background of more than 40 years in leadership and disciple-making.
He was the regional manager for the NGO Cotlands for 5 years. Gary comes with high energy and enthusiasm. He grew up in the Helderberg Basin and has been involved in community work in Sir Lowry’s Pass for many years.
Dr Henk Punt
STRONG SCHOOLS is excited to welcome Henk Punt as part of the team.
Henk grew up on a farm in Phillipi, where his parents farmed with vegetables and flowers. He did his matric at Zwaanswyk High School in 1971 and attended Paarl Teacher College, where he completed his Primary Teachers Diploma specializing in wood and metalwork.
Henk furthered his studies by completing his BA degree in School Psychology and Geography. He successfully filled the positions of Deputy Principal at Oude Molen Technical High School Pinelands and Headmaster at Groote Schuur High School. He served the roles of IMG Manager and Circuit Manager at Metro East Education District.
Henk’s mission statement: “I strive to be amongst the best in what I do.” He loves children and is passionate about developing and supporting people.
Marguerite Wahl
Marguerite has proven herself as a successful woman in many ways. Not only was she part of a space project for Denel for many years, but she is also the proud owner of M. Wahl CC for the past 25 years. She is well known to many in the East Metro district, therefore knowing the schools in the basin very well. Marguerite combines science with architecture and people with beauty. She has a refined eye for revamping houses, cellars, and restaurants. Marguerite prides herself as a person that has a special relationship with her workers. She re-invests in society and builds a better place through knowledge and experience.
Tershia De Wet
Tershia has a demonstrated history of working in the Hospital & Health Care Industry as a Marketing Manager for the past 26 years. She enjoys people’s uniqueness, therefore completed her bachelor’s degree in Counselling Psychology. Tershia offers Life Skills coaching/counseling and is also a Trauma Release Practitioner. Tershia is looking forward to being part of the Strong Schools Team as she firmly believes in uplifting education, transforming people, and implementing change.
Vonnie Mostert
Vonnie is the founder of Camino Consulting and a registered Counselling Psychologist. He has 25 years of experience in Organisational Development Interventions, Executive Coaching and Leadership & Management Development processes. He is a faculty member of the University of Stellenbosch Business School and a Certified Facilitator of Young Presidents Organisation (a global organisation for CEOs). His integrity and value-based leadership made Camino Consulting a company with a strong reputation in the market that is known for its professional customer service. In 2016 The Rupert Foundation partnered with Vonnie to develop school leadership in the Helderberg Basin and because of his heart for whole school improvement programmes, Strong Schools was birthed to build on the momentum created by this school leadership development project.
Abeedah Hendricks-Lalla
I am a Clinical Psychologist registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). I hold two master’s degrees in MA Clinical Psychology (SU) and MA Psychology (UWC), BA Honours in Psychology (UWC) and a BA in Social Work (UCT). My professional journey is driven by a deep commitment to mental health promotion. My journey into the field was particularly influenced by the noticeable gap in mental health awareness I observed while engaging in community work.
At the heart of my practice is establishing a genuine, collaborative therapeutic relationship. I am particularly invested in providing mental health services to children and families, with a focus on reparation, strengthening the family unit, and capacitating children and families to develop insight and develop adaptive coping strategies that improve mental health.
Trudie Schoeman
Trudie has a heart for community development and upliftment through teaching, training and community involvement. She believes in upliftment through empowering people: “give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”.
She is a former Mathematics and Bookkeeping teacher, has always been involved in various school ventures/projects and served at the Helderberg Development Training center for 5 years. Trudie expands her networks with people, organisations and NPOs with a similar passion and focus. She earned her PG Diploma in Leadership Development for NPOs at the USB in 2020.
Adré Potgieter
It is a privilege to have been asked to become involved with Strong schools. It is my passion and spiritual gift to help people heal from emotional hurt and trauma and to help them grow from a space of surviving to thriving.
Teachers are the heart and soul of our society and possibly the most undervalued members of our workforce. Having worked in a school system for the past 8 years opened my eyes to the real struggles and difficulties the school system and our learners have.
In the words of Dr Gabor Maté: “Children don’t get traumatised because they get hurt, they get traumatised because they’re alone with their hurt.”
Palesa Qhalane
Palesa is a Client Experience Manager at Capitec and focus on Strategic Initiatives for Emerging Markets. She says: “It is with great pleasure that I accept the request to join the Board of Strong Schools as a Director. I am really looking forward to serving the Schools and Communities and taking SSCC to the future and beyond. As an individual deeply committed to educational equity and social upliftment, I believe that my unique skills, experiences, and passion align perfectly with the mission and objectives of SSCC.”
Zelda Coetzee
Zelda has a BMin degree and was the Founding Director of TiCs Leadership Institute for 21 years. With more than 40 years’ experience with the youth and more passionate than ever, she is inspiring young people to discover God’s true identity and purpose for their lives. Her heartbeat is to equip and produce young leaders with Godly character and faith that will impact and change the history of our nation.
The focus is on creating and maintaining a culture of wellbeing through strategic involvement in the spiritual, emotional, and physical wellbeing of the school community – teachers, learners, and parents.
Caryn Maree
Caryn joined Vonnie and Trudie to put structure to their dream of improving WCED schools in the Helderberg. Driven by the conviction that a school can be the vehicle of transformation for a community, she is the operational team member behind the scenes. She has a big love for teaching and education – from toddler to adult – life is for learning. She completed her BComm Honours at Stellenbosch University majoring in industrial psychology and marketing and at the ripe age of 31 she passed her PGCE (Intermediate phase) through UNISA cum laude.
Nokwazi Mniki
Nokwazi is a former primary school principal and a grade 7 mathematics wizard. She is from Nomzamo and is very passionate about her community and driven to uplift the schools in that area. She operated her own extra classes facility before joining Strong Schools. She wants to share her experience with current school leadership teams and inspire and support them in their mammoth tasks of leading through some of the most challenging circumstances. Her voice is invaluable to our team as she speaks from grass root encounters, guides us with practical wisdom but most importantly, she has the belief that schools that are committed to excellence and dedicated to serve their children, have the power to transform their communities!
Sonja van der Bank
Sonja is our schools’ leadership coach and psychological development manager and facilitator. She works with Camino Consulting and has been investing in the individual leaders (principals and SMT members) over the past four years. She is a registered Psychometrist with the Health Professional Council of South Africa. Her work experience includes psychological assessments, developing competency models, leadership development, coaching, and leading change processes. The passion and enthusiasm for her profession makes Sonja a contagious and inspiring leader.
Johann Hunter
Johann provides loads of experience and is passionate about working with NPOs. He is a qualified chartered accountant and director at CloudSmart accounting.
Peter Miller
Pete is currently a governor, educator, community development advocate and passionate dad. He believes in the value of vision, the future, teamwork and the goal of achieving a greater tomorrow together. Pete’s personal vision is to see the potential in others released and realised, which is why he sees value in improving the lives of our youth.
Marlize Stander
Marlize Stander has been working within the hospitality industry for the past 20 years and is also a certified growth coach through Transformational Leadership Institute. Her services include Social Media Marketing, Photography and Copy writing as well as Life Coaching to a diverse group of clients.
Mario Rosseau
My reason for joining the Strong Schools family is that there is such a massive space to reach and impact our society. I see every school as a platform to bring transformation to these societies and Strong Schools really embody building strong foundations through building strong schools.
Fiela Opperman
It is my hearts desire to bring about change to our young kids so that they can live out their full potential, be unapologetic and have the heart to take up their own space breaking every barrier in their way. I believe that Strong Schools has the same principles and provides the opportunity for me to do so. This platform is bringing change, and I am honored to be part of something that is effective.
Berthold Alheit
Berthold comes from a successful business background, a career which lasted more than four decades. His expertise accumulated after attaining his B.Sc.Engineering degree, combining it with a B.Com and an MBA. His professional career was mainly in the high-tech engineering industry, working both locally and internationally. Since his retirement, he feels compelled to bring some of the valuable lessons and knowledge from his vast experience to previously disadvantaged schools. His vision in particular is to ensure that their learners would benefit from receiving high quality literacy education which is also coupled to maths and science training from a very young age, right up to matriculation.
Strong Schools presents a unique opportunity and a valuable platform to participate in enabling the disadvantaged schools in the Helderberg Basin. Through these efforts, the input of Strong Schools can become the primary vehicle to equip and empower school leaders and teachers to meet each school’s special and diverse requirements, while striving to optimize both community involvement and donor support. He looks forward to make a contribution to Strong Schools and dreams of well-balanced, well-trained and rounded individuals as the fruit of these efforts.
𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭
I embrace what SSCC wants to achieve and their vision. It would be one of the most rewarding roles I have taken on and I know I can add value using my skills, experience and genuine interest to help SSCC in any way I can.
The people are real. The intentions are honest. The challenge is huge. The opportunity is amazing.
I have a love and talent for organizing and communication and I see an opportunity for this within Strong Schools.
Bringing hope to children in SA, educating them, empowering them, providing them with a safe and happy space and helping them to build a solid foundation for their future, is surely something that anyone would want to be part of.
Jannett Skinner
“𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑗𝑜𝑖𝑛 𝑆𝑆𝐶𝐶, 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝐼 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑡 𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑜𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑎 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑐𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑜𝑝𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑆𝑜𝑢𝑡ℎ 𝐴𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎’𝑠 𝑓𝑢𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒. 𝐵𝑦 𝑓𝑜𝑐𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑛 𝑆𝑘𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑠 𝐷𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡, 𝑐𝑜𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔, ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑢𝑚𝑎 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑢𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠, 𝑤𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑛 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝 𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦 𝑒𝑛𝑣𝑖𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑙𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑥𝑡 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑓𝑢𝑙𝑙 𝑝𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙.”
Jannett has an extensive background in financial management, having held leadership roles at prestigious organizations in the FMCG. She is a proven leader, known for building successful teams, improving efficiency, and managing profitability through financial analysis and strategic decision-making. Her diverse skill set also extends to human resources, counselling, and coaching
She is deeply committed to her community, volunteering for over a decade with the SAVF, managing orphan care initiatives, and facilitating grief support programs. She is also a facilitator for trauma coaching at local schools and has been involved in various extracurricular activities related to social welfare and skills development.
Jannett has pursued extensive education and training in a variety of fields – a B Com Degree from UNISA and various certifications in financial management, early childhood development, theology, pastoral counselling, trauma therapy, grief facilitation and leadership development.
𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞 d𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐡
As a child of God, I believe it is my calling to bring hope to the hopeless in vulnerable communities and use my skills, gifts, and talents to be the hands and feet of Jesus in a practical way. Strong Schools is a great example of this and has awakened in me a new desire to be part of a team that bring tangible change the way they do.
I also found great alignment of my personal and professional values with the Strong Schools Values and principles and are keen to live this out and make a positive impact in the lives of our vulnerable school communities. Coming from a marginalised school and community myself, I understand the context and realities the programme beneficiaries face and are humbled that I get to play a part in changing the narrative through the Strong Schools programs.
Xolisa Nakele
I’m here to help everyone that’s part of this organisation understand that this is bigger than all of us and each of us uses our skills and knowledge in order to try and achieve our common goal of improving education institutions to create a more well-educated and sustainable society.
Strong Schools is trying to bridge the gap by helping schools and students with the most crucial resources that they need to make something positive out of their lives, no matter their background. I want to use my marketing skills to reach more people to join us in helping every child get a fair chance at being successful.
Furthermore, I want to inspire more people in my age group to get involved in helping Strong Schools reach their objectives.
Petie Viljoen
The future of our country lies in the way we think about our challenges and opportunities. “Nothing is either good or bad, but thinking makes it so” – Shakespeare.
The way we subconsciously think determines our future collective reality. Our challenge towards a happy future lies in the extent to which we can break out of our old molds, imagine and dream in new ways, and work towards that – literally change the way we look (think of) at things, and the things we look at will change in return. The people who are most susceptible to a fresh new way is our youth. Let’s help them with that – let’s start small and dream big!
Lito Shone
I aspire to be part of Strong Schools because they foster a supportive environment that benefits both our institution and learners. By promoting academic excellence and providing much needed resources, Strong Schools empower the next generation of leaders, equipping them to shape the future of our nation.
Sesethu Mdolomba
I want to be part and parcel of the deeply rewarding experience facilitating Life Skills to the youth. I want to make a positive impact, shaping young lives, fostering growth and learning.
Juanita Moller
I earned a BSc Degree and Higher Diploma in Education from UCT in 1993 and 1994, respectively. I have a total of 24 years and 7 months’ experience in the Training and Development field, of which 7 years was spent as an Educator in the Further Education and Training and General Education and Training phases. I have spent 17 years and 7 months in Skills Development, of which 15 years has been spent in the Sector Education and Training Authority space, specifically within the Health and Social Development Sectors.
I believe that each person is born with a specific set of gifts and talents to achieve the vision they were born with. Many people however do not recognise this within themselves. By employing my passion for skills development, as well as my innovative and creative abilities, I want to unlock and unleash these gifts and talents by empowering anyone and everyone I meet on life’s journey, so that they can achieve their vision and life goals and in doing so ignite their families, communities, our country, and the world, to build a better and brighter future for all.
H.J. “Blackie” Swart
Mr Blackie Swart is an accomplished educational leader with more than 38 years of experience across public and independent schooling. He has served for two decades as a Principal in diverse educational contexts, and over a decade in Provincial Senior Management. His leadership roles include Director: Assessment Management at the WCED, Circuit Manager in the Metro East Education District, and Deputy Director for the National Assessment Programme at the DBE. He is known for his strategic insight, integrity and commitment to strengthening teaching quality, assessment credibility and learner achievement.
He brings extensive expertise in organisational development, school improvement, governance, and quality assurance. Highly respected for his ethical leadership and his ability to mentor, support and empower others, he remains deeply committed to developing strong schools, confident educators, and learning environments where every learner can flourish.
Anna Durand
“Being able to assist a non-profit organisation with their annual audit means to the staff and management of FinHub that we can give back something (in a practical manner) of what we receive in abundance – on a daily basis – by the grace of God. We need to help create opportunities for those who did not get any, by supporting the project leaders.”
Sumaya Gabier
“I am so grateful to the Almighty who has granted me 43 years in this noble profession (36 years at Dr GJ Joubert Primary in Strand). I see this as a calling and therefore I loved teaching and the children so much. That is one of the reasons why I wanted to become involved at Strong Schools – in order to live my passion as a teacher, by supporting and mentoring teachers.”
Campher Serfontein
Campher has 28 years of experience the in public, private and non-profit sectors with a passion for transformation. Campher loves the Lord and wishes to see Jesus change the people and circumstances of the people of our nation and has decided to come alongside the Strong Schools team to use his abilities and network to help multiply our impact in our schools and community.
Campher has a passion for education and joined the SSCC team as he believes the Strong Schools model will assist to bring sustainable change to the national education system.
Henriette Van Greuning
I work for Capitec Bank where each employee has the opportunity to be a Capitec Volunteer. As part of our Corporate Social Responsibility, Capitec has various ways of assisting staff members that volunteer their time, skills and money towards a cause aligned with the CSI strategy.
I identified with the vision and the way that Strong Schools act as change agents to work towards a better future for learners and immediately felt drawn to the organization. Volunteering at Strong Schools enables a better future for our children in South Africa.
Ina Malan
“I love children and my heart ache for the many challenges they face. I cannot change their circumstances, but I can hopefully change the way they see themselves and give them tools to tackle their challenges.
My goal is for pupils to discover how unique and special they have been created and to guide them into developing that potential. Ultimately my hope is that they will not only be able to achieve their full potential but that they will become anchored in Christ”.
Doug Johnson
I help you build your team, so that you have …
The right people, in the right jobs, at the right time, doing the right things, and doing the right things right
Jackie Wiehahn
Jackie is qualified in Industrial Psychology, has vast experience in the Education field and a sound understanding of Human Capital Management and diverse career fields. She started Clever Heads in 2003.
Services she offers:
Recruitment, Interviewing, Referencing, Screening
Why Clever Heads Personnel is a valuable partner to Strong Schools:
“As a former educator myself, I understand the significant impact education has on shaping lives and communities. I am honored to assist the NGO in recruitment efforts as I share their mission to build effective and STRONG SCHOOLS. Our goal is to teach learners to become independent and productive citizens and help schools become empowering centers in their communities.”
Sandra Oosthuizen
Sandra is a seasoned professional, registered with SACSSP (The South African Council for Social Service Professions), bringing extensive experience in Child and Youth Care Work and Child and Youth Development.
Amanda Goncalves
Why I decided to get involved in Strong Schools:
After 10 years of ministry in and with schools, a degree in education, and being a teacher myself, it is safe to say that I have a long-term passion for schools! Working with Strong Schools was an easy decision to make because I have known some of the SSCC staff for many years, our values are aligned, and practically, I could see that what Honey Badger has to offer aligns with the next strategic steps for Strong Schools. I am so excited about our collaboration and look forward to seeing schools strengthened through it.
Andre Venter
I am an Industrial & Organisational Psychologist registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). Following the completion of my Master’s degree in I&O Psychology at the Potchefstroom University of Higher Christion Education (PU for HCE), I worked as an I&O Psychologist in the corporate world for close to 40 years and started consulting in private practice after retirement. In this last chapter of my life, I sought opportunities to serve the community by applying my skills and experience as an I&O Psychologist in a meaningful way. Strong Schools crossed my path, for which I am truly grateful. At SSCC I met a team of dedicated people with passion and a vison to serve schools with their skills and time. I was offered an opportunity and challenge to assist with the establishing of Wellbeing Hubs, focussing on the psychological wellbeing of pupils, teachers and principals of the various schools journeying with SSCC.
Adewumi
Philip Adewumi is a South Africa–based digital creator, mentor, and founder of Hopespring Africa. He works at the intersection of faith, storytelling, and digital media, helping individuals and communities break destructive cycles and build sustainable futures. Through video production, teaching, and digital wellness initiatives like Break Free, Phil equips young people and families with practical tools for growth, discipline, and purpose. His work blends biblical insight with real-world experience, focusing on transformation that is honest, accessible, and deeply human.