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MANAGEMENT TEAM

Sr Cecily van Heerden

CEO

Cecily is a professional nurse with extensive knowledge in both Health Care and Leadership. She graduated from Stellenbosch University with a degree in Nursing, worked in primary health care for 15 years before starting with Hospice. 

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She has mentored and coached clinical teams in palliative assessment, care planning and holistic care. Cecily was contracted by the Hospice Palliative Care Association of SA to offer assistance, mentoring and coaching in the following aspects of an organisation: governance and leadership, human resource management, risk management and quality control, monitoring and evaluation, holistic patient care. She was contracted by Ukuphela Training, a Health and Welfare SETA accredited training provider as a facilitator and assessor for various courses. Cecily is CEO of Hospice Plett.

Mr Edward Muchenje

Professional Nurse

Edward trained as a professional nurse in Zimbabwe and moved to South Africa in 2007. He did private nursing for a number of years and joined Hospice Plett in 2014. Ed is currently doing the short course in palliative care through the Hospice Palliative Care Association of SA.

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Ed’s entire family, wife Carly, two sons and brand new baby daughter are part of the Hospice Plett team and they assist in a voluntary capacity at local street collections, selling donated goods and doing health and wellness outreaches.

Annesta Hofer

Psychosocial Manager

Annesta is a Clinical Social Worker and a Psychosocial Therapist with over 22 years’ experience in both social work and therapy. Annesta is passionate about creating and motivating compassionate communities which can learn how to take care of vulnerable individuals. 

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She heads our Psychosocial Department which incorporates individual counselling, home visits, bereavement groups and training of professionals and medical health care workers on the importance of emotional wellbeing and healthy grief and bereavement.

Debbie Bruinders

Admin Manager

Debbie has several years’ experience in administration, stakeholder engagement and events management. She started working at Hospice Plett in 2017 and has since completed an 18th month Leadership Development Programme course through Breede River Hospice.

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Debbie cares deeply about the vulnerable in our society and hopes that through her expertise she can make a difference in the lives of the people the organisation serves.

CLINICAL TEAM

Sr Yvonne Samuel

Sr Marlene Joseph

Sr Dorett Herbst

ADMIN TEAM

Top row (left to right): Sr Cecily van Heerden, Shaun Terblanche, Nontokozo Dladla, Sharon Kleynhans

Bottom row (left to right): Debbie Bruinders and Beryl Langdown

HOSPICE TEAM

Top row (left to right): Lonwabo Charles, Roseline Gysman, Jacqueline Windwaai, Anthea May, Mr Edward Muchenje

Bottom row (left to right): Marie Pluim, Clara Lawrence and Sr Heléne Pieters

COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE WORKERS

Top row (left to right): Anthea May, Shanice Nomdoe, Marie Pluim, Jacqueline Windwaai, Sindiswa Siyila, Sarah Mc Cullum, Poppy Matola, Linda Sofika, Funeka Mvandaba, Neliswa Mpondo, Beauty Ngamlana, Sidumo Marau, Phindiwe Khuzwayo, Manzikazi Febana

Bottom row (left to right): Beulah Everts, Clara Lawrence, Vivian Dephe, Valencia Maxim, Maureen Shembe, Kaylene Juries, Christelle Jansen, Anette Cupido, Austin Plaatjies, Roseline Gysman and Nomonde George

NEW HORIZONS WELLNESS TEAM

From left to right: Clara Lawrence, Sr Heléne Pieters, Sarah Mc Cullum, Jacqueline Windwaai, Vivian Dephe, Valencia Maxim & Sr Yvonne Samuel

KRANSHOEK WELLNESS TEAM

From left to right: Shanice Nomdoe, Justice Lose, Austin Plaatjies, Anthea May, Sr Marlene Joseph and Beulah Everts

KWANOKUTHULA WELLNESS TEAM

Top row (left to right): Chumisa Lupondwana, Mr Edward Muchenje, Poppy Matola, Happiness Magwebu, Phindiwe Khuzwayo, Neliswa Mpondo and Nomonde George

Bottom row (left to right): Queen Ntukantu, Maureen Shembe, Cynthia Gobisiba and Beauty Ngamlana

WITTEDRIFT WELLNESS TEAM

From left to right: Roseline Gysman, Ronel Thorne, Sr Marlene Joseph and Anette Cupido

CRAGS WELLNESS TEAM

From left to right: Sr Heléne Pieters, Marie Pluim, Sindiswa Siyila, Sr Marlene Joseph, Mariana Terblanche and Funeka Mvandaba

BOSSIESGIF/TOWN WELLNESS TEAM

From left to right: Sidumo Marau, Linda Sofika, Manzikazi Febana, Elize Davidson and Sr Yvonne Samuel

MOBILE WELLNESS TEAM

From left to right: Danray Le Fleur, Mr Edward Muchenje and Nomsa Madaka

COUNSELLORS TEAM

Top row (left to right): Justice Lose, Chumisa Lupondwna, Danray Le Fleur, Nomsa Madaka, Mariana Terblanche, Happiness Magwebu

Bottom row (left to right): Queen Ntukantu, Cynthia Gobisiba, Ronel Thorne and Elize Davidson

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Hillary Matthews

Chairman

Hillary Matthews graduated from Wits University and taught English in SA and abroad for 20 years. 

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She then moved into Reconstruction and Development as the first manager of the Nedcor Development Fund after which she and her husband David “retired” to Plett in 2003. 

Not one to be idle, and having a passion for quality education, Hilary managed the Bitou 10 Foundation for a number of years, assisting the educators of 10 schools in the Bitou region to hone their teaching skills. Hilary joined the Board of Trustees and was elected chairman in 2014 and her extensive knowledge of the principles of sustainable development practice in the NPO and civil society sector, with especial concern for the practice of good governance based on the key values of leadership, accountability, meticulous fiscal oversight, inclusivity and transparency, has proved to be invaluable to PlettAid.

Lady Conyngham

Vice Chairman

Lady Conyngham joined the Board in 2014 and is the Vice Chairman of the Board. 

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She is also a most successful local fundraiser and through the combination of her fine arts patronage, support of musicians countrywide and her energetic involvement in environmental issues and health and welfare issues in Bitou, Annabelle is widely revered as the go-to person when fundraising events need organising in Bitou.

Born and educated in South Africa, Annabelle attended finishing school in Florence where she obtained her A level certificates in History of Art and Italian. Annabelle joined Christie’s Fine Art Auctioneers in London in 1972 and became the first woman auctioneer in the firms history. Having assisted with auctions all over the world and opening three Christie’s representative offices in South Africa, she is currently an independent consultant for Christie’s.

Annabelle married the 7th Marquess Conyngham in 1987 and went to live in the Isle of Man where she was chairman of the Council of the Most Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalem, on the Island and also sat on the Ladies Guild of the St John Opthalmic Hospital in Jerusalem. For her phenomenal contribution Annabelle has the privilege of having been invested as a Dame of the order of St John.

Bruce Ward-Smith

Treasurer

Bruce Ward-Smith is the treasurer of PlettAid and joined the board in 2015. 

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Bruce and his wife retired to Plett in 2014 after a long career in finance and administration with a large company in the steel industry where he served as the financial director for more than 20 years.

These skills made Bruce an ideal fit for a growing organisation that needed very tight fiscal controls. Bruce has been a strong contributor to PlettAid’s financial sustainability and strengthening strategy over the last two years.

Sr Lana Peters

Sr Lana Peters

Sr Peters started her nursing career at Tygerberg Hospital in 1989 where she worked for four years in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit.

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In 1993 she moved to Plettenberg Bay and started working at the Plettenberg Bay Community Day Centre in the areas of public health care and community services as well as assisting with minor theatre cases and recovery from surgery. In 2007 she was appointed Operational Manager of the Kwanokuthula Community Day Care Centre managing a staff of 42 and serving a population of over 24 000. In August 2019 she was appointed  Assistant Primary Health Care Manager  of the Bitou Clinic supervising one Community Day Care Centre, four Clinics, one Satellite Clinic, one Mobile Clinic and 85 staff  serving a population of over 57 000. 

“I love my job and will always strive to give my best. The dedication and Vision of our staff is to ‘be bright in the corner where you are’. Our Mission is ‘do good and good will follow you’”.

Gavin George

Gavin George was born and schooled in Johannesburg. On entering the Insurance Industry after school he got to see and enjoy most of South Africa, living in all the coastal cities and Pretoria before settling back in Johannesburg.

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A major portion of his 47 year career was in insurance broking where he was an executive Director of GlenrandMIB, with national responsibility for the Corporate and Commercial areas, and Marsh S.A. before combining his passion for wildlife with his insurance experience at Safari and Tourism Insurance Brokers from which he retired and disinvested, happily moving down to Plettenberg Bay, with wife Lynn, in 2013.

He still is involved in some insurance consulting whilst sculpting a little, getting into the bush and enjoying the Plett lifestyle as well as trying, unfortunately with not much success, to play reasonable golf.