I was born in Sunland, Eastern Cape Province in 1948.  I was the 3^rdyoungest of 8 children; 4 boys and 4 girls.  After school I studied missionary work at Hugenote Kollege Wellington, Western Cape Province, but later changed my career path to social work.  I started my career in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal Province at the Dutch Reformed Church.  After I met my husband-to-be we decided to reside in the same city instead of in different provinces to further avoid a long-distance relationship.

I am passionate about family and communities and love to make a difference in people’s lives. My vision is to empower people – including children – and inform them about their uniqueness, potential to grow, and to empower them to make informed decisions when facing challenges.

On 4 May 2010 I obtained my Doctoral Degree in Philosophy on the subject of Social Work at the University of South Africa.  Being a registered social worker with many years of experience in the service field, I am an expert in victim empowerment.  I worked for 19 years at different churches and 25 years for the State. My latest contribution as a state official was with the National Department of Social Development, Pretoria, on the preparation and implementation of ‘Act No. 7 of 2013: The Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act, 2013’.