Our Team
“We think our affiliates are incredible, each organisation is unique and made up of beautiful
people who dedicate themselves to working with women and children at risk.
We are proud to serve their joint commitment to see families thrive.”
Dr. Vaughan Standard, Chairperson
Board of Directors
Dr. Vaughan Stannard
Chairperson
Cheryl Anderson
Financial Governance
Errol Valentine
Community Networks Governance
Lloyd Williams
Board Member
Coordination Team
Grace Nkomo
Executive Director
Priscilla Muller
Network and Finance Administrator
Lindy Johnson
Network Project Administrator & QIS Coordinator
Campher Serfontein
Chief Financial Officer
Siyoli Waters
QIS Development Project Director
Heather McNiel
GBVF Project Director
Dee Moskoff
Dee is a social development entrepreneur dedicated to challenging systems that put children at risk. With 22 years of experience in the South African non-government sector, she has set up a counselling centre for women with crisis pregnancies as well as national network of counselling centres. Her vision is to see small to medium sized organisations as credible contributors to advocacy for children and social development. Dee was part of the founding team of Connect Network in 2004 and endeavours to enhance the efforts of the Network to remain cutting edge and relevant. She started her career as a registered nurse, midwife and paediatric primary health care practitioner, and has a Masters Degree in Public Administration from the Maxwell School for Citizenship at Syracuse University, New York. In 2013 Dee was awarded a Fulbright Humphrey Fellowship which gave her international work experience in the USA.
She is married to Ivan, they have four young adult children, a son and three daughters and their home is in Somerset West, Cape Town.
Camngca Mda
Camngca has a great passion and heart for development, facilitating economic growth and empowering people. Her desire is to apply herself to transform & improve the economy. Her varied experience within the financial services industry together with her experience in volunteer work, focusing on children and the elderly, have played a great role in fulfilling this desire.
She has a Master of Management in Finance & Investment Management; BCOM (Hons) Economics; BCOM Economics & Statistics, and four years of financial services experience inclusive of: Corporate & Investment Banking Risk and Economic Research; Financial Broking; Corporate Finance.
Currently she is a Country & Sovereign Risk Analyst at Standard Bank Group in Johannesburg. Her skills and experience in finance and risk management positions her on the board of Connect Network in the role of Risk Governance
Camngca, is an active member of the Shofar Christian Church and lives in Johannesburg.
Errol Valentine
Errol Valentine has committed his life to community development and has been involved in many initiatives to uplift various families, people’s groups and individuals over the years.
He is the co-founder, alongside his wife Tracy, of an NGO called Siyakhula South Africa (Siyakhula means ‘we are growing) and serve the Vrygrond and surrounding areas.
Errol holds a Bachelor of Social Science Degree at the University of Cape Town and has strengths in networking with various organisations. He loves hiking and the outdoors and loves various arts and crafts.
Errol and his wife have three daughters and lives in Muizenberg, Cape Town – they serve as elders at the Bay City Church.
Lloyd Williams
Over the last 20 years Lloyd has worked with organisations who understand what it means to eradicate poverty and who actively work towards this end. His motivation to undertake this work is deeply rooted in his desire to build an equal and just society – a place where every child is seen and provided with the safety, opportunity and resources to thrive.
While implementing education programmes in communities across South Africa, Botswana and Zambia, Lloyd observed how children and youth battle to overcome the systemic challenges they face in their homes, communities and spaces of learning. Growing up in Athlone, Lloyd was confronted by poverty and gangsterism, but lived in a family that valued faith and education – it is this paired impetus to which he ascribes his calling to actively dismantle all forms of injustice.
Lloyd started his career in the Corporate Retail Sector while also working as Youth Worker. He later served GOLD Peer Education Development Agency (2007-2012), Learn to Earn (2012-2017) and The Sozo Foundation (2017-2021), before joining Students for a Better Future (in June 2021).
He has experience in Human Resource and Finance Management; Organizational Development, Non-Profit Governance and Sustainability. He is a husband, father, motorsport enthusiast and aspirant golfer.
“Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity, it is an act of Justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life” – Nelson Mandela
Phumza Mhlonyane
Phumza is passionate when it comes working with people. As Connect Network’s Hospitality and Prayer Coordinator she provides essential support to the team and anchors the reception desk by managing the network prayer diary, welcoming visitors, assisting with events as well as ensuring that the office is well stocked and all resources are in good working order.
Previously she worked as a Community HIV Care Provider offering HIV and Tuberculosis counselling and testing, referring family planning and medical male circumcision. She also taught on the prevention of HIV from mother to child transmission and collected data on medication compliance for the Desmond Tutu TB centre under University of Stellenbosch.
She is mother of daughter Kungentando and lives in The Strand, Cape Town.
Lindy Johnson
Lindy Ann Johnson is passionate about applying her skills to help women and children at risk. As office administrator at Connect Network she ensures that all funded projects are administered, data management systems are maintained, digital communication is kept current and coordinates all the QIS online training.
She has an Executive PC Technical & Management Computer Diploma from Computer Career College and a Business Management & Computing Certificate from Damelin Campus Stellenbosch. Lindy owns immaculate organisation skills, is creative and detail-oriented.
When Lindy is not glued to her computer at work she is a lover of nature & enjoys spending quality time with her family. She is a mother of two young adult sons who she values greatly. She lives in Somerset West, Cape Town.
Linda Walters
Linda is hardworking and a real go-getter who loves a challenge. As Connect Network’s Community Coordinator, she brings with her a wealth of experience gained from many years of working for the Salvation Army, where she was the HIV/AIDS Health and Family Manager. Linda’s extensive experience of working with grass roots organisations in poverty-stricken areas of Cape Town qualifies her as an expert in community development. Her role is to develop relationships among network members and to encourage organisational leaders who are struggling. Linda is currently on the Board of Carehaven, a shelter for abused women and their children and coordinator of the Lansdowne Child Care Forum.
Linda lives in Wynberg, Cape Town. She is married to Gordon, has two grown sons and grandmother to Zac and Hannah.
Priscilla Muller
Priscilla is an admin ace. Her diverse experience in administration has included administration posts in the government and private sector. Her last position was personal assistant to the organisers of the Lausanne Convention in 2010, which gave her exposure and experience in coordination and hospitality with overseas delegates. Having lived abroad herself, she brings valuable insights to the network’s office environment. Priscilla’s role on the team is providing hospitality for meetings, managing reception and visitors, as well as ensuring that the office is well stocked and all resources are in good working order. She also administrates Connects Finance’s and data management system.
Priscilla is married to Grant and they live in Somerset West.
Beverley Stoffberg
Beverley is dedicated to seeing non-government organisations become sustainable and well-run financially. She is a qualified Chartered Accountant (CA) registered with the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA). Before joining Connect Network, she worked for eight years, six years in audit and accounting and two years in the corporate sector as a Project Accountant. Her position as Finance Manager at Connect Network is to manage finances, budgets, financial reports and participate in the strategic plans of the network.
Beverley is married to Gavin and is mom to Noah and Sarah, they live in Stellenbosch.
Zandi
Zandi is passionate about people and how they can work together better. She has vast experience working in the non profit sector over the last 15 years, which has included administration, project management and staff recruitment, and it was from this experience that she was inspired to study further. Zandi acquired a Bachelor of CommerceDegree from The University of the Western Cape in Industrial Psychology and Information Systems, and through this gained a greater understanding of the field of human relations. She has also been involved in church leadership with her husband for many years. All of this experience has led her to her role on our team as the Operational Manager of Connect Network’s support services.
Zandi is married to Oscar and they live in Strand with their three sons.
Chewe Adjasi
Chewe is passionate about access to education, especially for girls. She is a goal-setter and strategist with years of diverse experience from tomato farming, to
hosting a business magazine television programme, to financial management and stockbroking at Cavmont Capital Bank Zambia and Stanbic Bank Zambia, to marketing and investment advisory for the Zambian Stock Exhange, to lecturing at the Tertiary School in Business Administration (tsiba) College. All this experience culminates in her role as Fundraising Associate for Connect Network where she is able to package fundable network projects and match them to investors. Chewe has a bachelors degree in Public Administration and a Masters degree in Development Finance from the Stellenbosch University Business school.
She is married to Prof. Charles Adjasi and is mother of two little boys, their home is in Eden Park, Brakenfell, Capetown.
Rachelle Appelo
Rachelle is passionate about South Africa and our democracy. She is organized, detailed, and she dedicates her time and expertise to improving systems and processes in organisations that directly improve the lives of people in need. With her keen eye for compliance and her vast experience in the non-governmental sector and community development she is an ace at administrating Connect’s volunteer programme, iKapa Volunteers, ensuring that interns and volunteers from abroad are able to contribute meaningfully to the capacity of the Connect Network affiliates. Rachelle is well travelled and has a Masters degree in Development Studies from the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal. She is mom of two young adult daughters and lives in Somerset West.
Mariӫtte Jacobs
Mariӫtte is a registered counselling psychologist, who is passionate about child protection, ethics and community development. She believes that communities can best be served through ethical leadership and strong organisational structures where the shared vision is clear. Mariӫtte is currently the managing director and training coordinator of Ezrah Community Training and Development NPC, a non-profit organisation with the vision of promoting ethical service delivery and quality education where children matter. Ezrah, as a Connect Network affiliate, was mandated by Connect Network to coordinate their flagship programme, the Quality Improvement System (QIS). This capacity building programme equips Christian non-profit organisations with best practice standards and skills to collaborate in the best interest of children.
Marcia Sibara
Marcia attributes her professional success to being a very hard worker who’s willing to learn new things. Her role on the board of Connect Network is to ensure that sound monitoring and evaluation systems of the network are implemented and adhered to. She is the Executive Director of Think Twice, an organisation that promotes healthy sexuality, and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) degree, with a certificate in human resource management. She has extensive experience working with community development programmes that focus on prevention of HIV and AIDS, child abuse and sexual gender based violence. She is an International Exchange Alumni for United States Department of International Visitor Leadership Programme, a professional exchange programme for which she was selected to work with a team that dealt with best practice models of combating gender based violence in communities.
She is married to Khotsi, has a small son and daughter and lives in Langa, Cape Town.
David Nefdt
David’s passion is to bring hope to children and young people living in difficult circumstances. His role on the Connect Board is to provide Human Resource
Governance. He is the National Director of the United Christian Students Association, which focuses mainly on life skills in schools across South Africa. David has a history in education from teaching in local schools to assisting the Western Cape Education department, where he developed curriculum for Business and Economic Science.
He holds a Bachelors degree in Economics, as well as a second Bachelors degree in Education and a Masters in Philosophy. He enjoys outdoor sport, drama and youth leadership development.
David and his wife Eloise live in Jamestown with their son David Phillip.
Andre Mahoney
Andre believes that through collaboration we can see effective changes made in social development. An effective thinker and doer, Andre has proven experience in strategic planning, general business management and communications and he grasps development from a corporate and sociological perspective. His role on the Connect Board to provide Finance Governance. He is a senior marketing professional with over 20 years senior marketing experience both in South Africa and in the USA, and he is currently the Marketing Executive of PEP stores. Andre holds a Masters degree in Business Administration Executive Management from the University of Cape Town (UCT) Graduate School of Business, as well as a Bachelors degree in Organisation Psychology
and Sociology.
Andre is married to Leanne; they have two daughters and a son and live in Somerset West, Cape Town.
Dr. Vaughan Stannard
Vaughan is passionate about justice and mercy and finding ways to help vulnerable communities experience the transforming power of God’s love and purpose for their lives. His role on the Connect Board is to provide Network Strategy Governance. Vaughan is a qualified medical doctor who studied further in paediatrics, HIV and palliative care after becoming interested in children suffering with HIV and the effects of poverty while working in the paediatric unit of a local hospital. He is currently the Executive Director of Beautiful Gate South Africa, a child and family support non-profit organization.
Vaughan is married to Corné, has two sons and lives in Pinelands, Cape Town.
Cheryl Anderson
Cheryl is a professional in Sales and Marketing, she has worked at Beckman Coulter, a Global Diagnostic Company for 14 years that delivers innovative, reliable and efficient diagnostic solutions for patients across the globe. She is responsible for all laboratories in the Western, Southern, Eastern Cape and Namibia.
She initially qualified as a Medical Technologist (Haematology) and completed her training at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital. Subsequent to that she held the position of Laboratory Manager at Groote Schuur and commissioned the Professor Jabobs Bone Marrow Transplant Unit before managing a group of laboratories in private practice.
Further study in Psychology and Private Law with electives in Human Rights, Constitutional and Medical Law resulted in her obtaining a BA LLB. She then assisted in establishing the UCT Private Academic Hospital as HR Manager.
She worships at Christ Church Kenilworth, has been a leader of the Woman’s Beulah Group, is on the Welcoming Committee and writes for the 8 o’clock News. For a while now she has been drawn to serve in a NPO where she hopes to be able utilise her Strategic Business Management and Project Management qualifications and satisfy her deep-seated need to bring change to people’s lives.
Grace Nkomo
Grace strongly believes that the lives of women and children can be improved through effective equipping and collaboration. Grace has a good understanding of the NGO sector and was one of the founding members of Think Twice, which was established to empower children.
Grace has degrees in theology, community development and is currently completing her PhD in broader development studies with children and food vulnerability. In addition to this, her practical experience in trauma and crisis intervention counselling has given her a greater understanding of the challenges that women and children are facing and how to appropriately respond.
Grace is married to Woyisile and they have two young daughters.
Campher Serfontein
Campher strongly believes that the lives of people matter and that we should aim to rebuild God’s temples (the people) on Earth.
Campher has worked in the NGO sector for 14 years and was one of the founding members of Heaven on Earth Project, which was established to empower early learners.
Campher has a B Comm LLB degrees with some 30 years experience in Public, Private and NGO sectors in various financial and leadership capacities.
Campher has been married to Adéle for 28 years and they have three children.
Siyoli Waters
Siyoli is passionate about women and children receiving the opportunities to feel safe enough to just be themselves, to learn and to thrive. As a retired professional squash player who competed on the world tour for almost a decade, Siyoli worked at a logistics company for a number of years as a business analyst. Her first taste of the kind of work that NGO’s do and challenges that may face them has been in her involvement with a development squash programme, Ekapa Squash, that allows children of colour an opportunity to play the sport she was so passionate about.
She has a BSc Chemistry degree (UCT), a BCom in Transport & Logistics degree (UNISA) and a Business Systems Analyst certificate (UCT). She is currently completing her Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration.
She currently serves Connect as the QIS Development Director, where it was important to identify the system and digitisation requirements for the organisation in order to to support Connect’s strategic objectives, taking into account the incredible and diverse people that dedicate their lives to serve others in our network.
Siyoli is married to Dave and they have two young daughters.
Heather McNiel
Heather is passionate about developing healing interventions that have real impact in environments of on-going threat. She is committed to see followers of Jesus get un-siloed and take hands to move in unity towards wholeness in communities that face the most intense challenges.
Heather has been working with survivors of GBV, CSV and other forms of trauma since 2001. Her experience includes work with children of refugees, foster youth in residential care and young adults impacted by armed conflict. She has worked with youth and NGO staff in the townships of Cape Town since 2007. She holds MA in Intercultural Studies (2000) and is a graduate of the Institute for Transformational Leadership (2007). Heather has offered training to participants from more than 40 nations and serves as an assessor for the African Leadership Institute for Community Transformation. She is the director of Anchored Hope, an organization that builds initiatives in partnership to offset the impact of intergenerational trauma. She is originally from San Diego, California; but has made Cape town her home since 2007.
Heather is a member of Shofar Christian Church. She serves on the board of their Kibwe Kids Project and is part of the worship team at the Brackenfell branch. Heather is married to Arnaud and they have two beautiful daughters, Hannah-Ruth and Eliana. She enjoys drawing, journaling and deep vulnerable conversation over an excellent cup of dark French Roast.