MEET THE TEAM

I am a qualified Speech/Language Therapist and Audiologist, with a passion for children in need and for education. I believe a holistic approach to learning is

essential for children to reach their full potential and unlock opportunities in the future.

 

During the past 10 years of my 30 year work life, I have been actively involved in my community, volunteering on a variety of projects. My skills include the ability to

identify needs within communities, suggesting possible solutions and creating platforms and opportunities for individuals to get involved in terms of giving time,

resources, knowledge and skills to make a difference. As we know, “It takes a village to raise a child”.

 

I believe we have a God-given responsibility to make a difference and I try to practice what I preach: “If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem”.

What inspires me is the sun through new leaves and on old buildings in Africa. I’m an average soccer player and horrible guitar enthusiast and therefore love my job as a minister at Durbanville Gemeente where I’ve been for five years.

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I’m currently doing a joint post-graduate degree at Stellenbosch- and Radboud University on the imagination with which people imagine our society and church. This does not however give me energy, what really awakens me is working in teams and being a part of partnerships like the one of the Loekie van Wyk Technical project.

My hope is to see many young people discover their callings through both the story of Oom Loekie and the school we are striving to imagine.

I am married with 2 boys, and an actuary by qualification. I specialize in new ways to do insurance and partnerships, with the ultimate goal to solve for the risk protection gap in South Africa. The problems that I solve for in my work often stem from a wider problem in society, with many scenarios pointing back to a lack of education and employment opportunities in South Africa.

 

Inspired By Jakes Gerwel Technical School in Bonnievale, I believe we can make a significant difference to the education and employment prospects for many children in Fisantekraal and the wider area.

I have been a resident of Fisantekraal for the past 23 years and am happily married to Patricia Briekwa, owner and founder of Angel's Only Daycare Centre. I grew up in the Eastern Cape on a farm called Cranemere where Kudu and Springbok are in abundance. I moved to Cape Town in 2000 as a job seeker. I have worked in the pool and irrigation industry for the past 22 years and still enjoy it to this day.

 

My love for this community started when my wife started her Early Childhood Development Centre in 2008 when she saw an opportunity to keep children of working parents safe and healthy. The Loekie van Wyk Technical School will give the youth in Fisantekraal new direction through increased educational opportunities.

I am an aftercare and substitute teacher in Fisantekraal where I supervise and care for children in my community. My main roles at the aftercare centre is to plan and prepare lessons to help with early childhood development, activities to help with physical development, homework of older children, preparing of meals and cleaning of the school.

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I dedicate my life to ensure that the children I work with have the best possible chance of success in life.

I am a town planning consultant doing both private and public sector work. I hope that my professional skills will enable me to contribute to this dream.

I am married and have two children who are now busy with tertiary studies. They have been very privileged to attend public schools with very dedicated teachers. I come from a teaching family and was a member of the Governing Body of my children’s school where I learnt a lot about how schools operate and the challenges they experience.

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My children had access to a wide variety of activities in their schools. Through my involvement in this project, I hope to offer more children the opportunity to attend a high-quality school where they will be offered the opportunity to reach their full potential.

I am passionate about young people and the future of Africa. I see hope in ordinary beauty and feel best when in community. I am enthusiastic about justice and reconciliation and believe it should be done in concrete spaces.

 

I am a full-time minister in the Dutch Reformed Church, Sonstraal. I am a bit of a nerd and am in the process of completing a joint PhD between the Vrije Universiteit and Stellenbosch University on the topic of justice and justification. I am married to Esbé, and we have two cute pugs, Pablo and Frida. I cannot wait for the Loekie van Wyk Technical School to open its doors!

I am the principal of Fisantekraal Primary School. I got involved with this project when I was the principal of Attie van Wyk Primary School. Oom Loekie and I discussed the need for learners to attain practical skills. I have a passion for teaching and would love to see our learners reach their goals.

 

To be confident adults who are able to make a living for themselves. This school will present the opportunity for them to gain practical and technical skills. There will be another choice from only the academic schools available in Fisantekraal. I am proud to serve the community through being a member of the trustees. This school will be a beacon of Hope.

I am an independent actuary currently consulting at Sanlam. I am also a husband and father of a 3 year-old daughter and a 1-year old son.

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This project started unofficially when Oom Loekie van Wyk and I met over coffee on the 7th of February 2020 and it quickly became clear that we shared the same vision of increased options and opportunities for primary and high school learners in the wider Durbanville community including Fisantekraal. I am determined to bring the best of what the public and private sectors have to offer together to ensure the success and long term sustainability of this project.

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It is a real privilege to be part of such a talented and diverse team of hard-working people on a mission to build a better future for the youth of our country.

I am a retired principal and currently a trustee of the Durbanville Schools Foundation (DSF). I visit the schools that are part of the Foundation on a regular basis and continue to run a number of projects on behalf of the Foundation.

 

Some of the current and past projects include maths and spelling olympiads, a character-building project, oversight of bursary programmes, building projects, amateur wrestling classes, arranging sports days, liaising with donors, arranging end-of-year parties at the schools with Rotary, assisting in the fundraising efforts to support schools financially where needed and community initiatives such as an Art and Culture evening which led to an art auction raising funds for the Foundation. I also provide general advice and support for the principals of these schools on an ongoing basis.

I am a retired resident at Clara Anna Fontein….am married with three children and nine grandchildren .

I experienced 40 years in the furniture industry, locally and abroad and still casually consult.

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As a family, we spent 10 years of our lives on a smallholding in Fisantekraal where we, together with local churches, introduced an outreach and basic education program to the local farming early learning community.

A visit to the Jakes Gerwel Technical School in Bonnievale opened my eyes as to what could be achieved in poor communities where unemployment and crime rates were out of control. Hence my involvement in a project I believe can be used as an educational blueprint to make a positive difference in communities with similar challenges throughout South Africa.

I am an Educational Psychologist who chose my trade because of the injustice that entering further education is not accessible to all. I have spent the last 14 years mainly in learner and student emotional support and career guidance within school and tertiary contexts. The importance of training, education and well informed decision making is instrumental in the future of our youth. Unfortunately, it is currently only a privilege available to some.

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The WHO defines mental health as a “state of wellbeing in which the individual realises his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stressors of life, can work productively and fruitfully and is able to make a contribution to his or her community”. 

A school that gives learners an opportunity to upskill themselves on all levels, will therefore contribute to healthy individuals, a healthy community and a healthy generation to come.