Our team
AfriPaw Ambassadors live in the communities we serve and are trusted connectors between pet owners and services.
Rahab Letsoalo
Ambassador in Overcome Heights
Rahab has lived in Overcome Heights for 20 years. She knows her community very well, so she plays a very important role in helping us locate pet owners in this densely populated, informal residential area characterised by compact housing and intricate passageways. Rahab is our longest standing Ambassador.
Denise Lewis
Ambassador in Seawinds & Vrygrond
Denise’s work, especially leading up to and during Spay Days, has been a vital contributor to our success. She has also successfully completed a grooming course and has groomed dozens of township dogs in need. Denise is administratively strong, which is why she plays an important role in registering pets who attend our Pet Clinics for the first time.
Denise Lewis
Ambassador in Seawinds & Vrygrond
Denise’s work, especially leading up to and during Spay Days, has been a vital contributor to our success. She has also successfully completed a grooming course and has groomed dozens of township dogs in need. Denise is administratively strong, which is why she plays an important role in registering pets who attend our Pet Clinics for the first time.
Florence Jacobs
Ambassador in Vrygrond
Florence was born in Vrygrond and has lived there for 50 years. Florence runs her own Early Childhood Development Centre from home and the fact that she can speak English, Afrikaans and Xhosa fluently is a great asset in communicating with pet owners.
Gillian Plaatjies
Ambassador in Vrygrond
Gillian is a key contributor to our work. She has also completed a grooming course, for which she has a natural flair. She has done dozens of “make-overs” of pets in Vrygrond. Her helpful attitude makes her versatile in all aspects of our work.
Gillian Plaatjies
Ambassador in Vrygrond
Gillian is a key contributor to our work. She has also completed a grooming course, for which she has a natural flair. She has done dozens of “make-overs” of pets in Vrygrond. Her helpful attitude makes her versatile in all aspects of our work.
Hajiera Chowglay
Ambassador in Hillview
Hajiera has lived in Hillview for 24 years. She manages our Pet Taxi and is instrumental in assisting both AfriPaw and TEARS with facilitation of collections and drop-offs of sick and injured pets. She is especially gifted to work with cats, but is passionate about all animals. Hajiera assists with crowd control at Pet Clinics.
Lusanda Gcakeni
Ambassador in Vrygrond
Lusanda has lived in Vrygrond for 27 years. She has a deep love for animals and is especially passionate about protecting them from disease. Lusanda is instrumental in helping with door-to-door sterilisation sign-ups and helps with food parcel distribution at our Pet Clinics.
Lusanda Gcakeni
Ambassador in Vrygrond
Lusanda has lived in Vrygrond for 27 years. She has a deep love for animals and is especially passionate about protecting them from disease. Lusanda is instrumental in helping with door-to-door sterilisation sign-ups and helps with food parcel distribution at our Pet Clinics.
Steve Sitheke
Ambassador in Overcome Heights
Steve has lived in Overcome Heights for 20 years. He plays a key role in helping with logistical support during Spay Days and Pet Clinics and he is a role model, especially to the children, in his community.
Bernadette Jacobs
Ambassador in Seawinds
Bernadette has lived in Seawinds for 37 years and has become instrumental in helping us gain the trust of pet owners in her community. She is a well-known figure in the community, as she is often seen pedalling her bicycle to do sterilisation sign-ups or assist pets in need.
Bernadette Jacobs
Ambassador in Seawinds
Bernadette has lived in Seawinds for 37 years and has become instrumental in helping us gain the trust of pet owners in her community. She is a well-known figure in the community, as she is often seen peddling her bicycle to do sterilisation sign-ups or assist pets in need.
Vivian Job
Ambassador in Vrygrond
Vivian has lived in Vrygrond for 32 years. She is instrumental in helping with door-to-door sterilisation sign-ups and helps with food parcel distribution at our Pet Clinics. She says that being an AfriPaw Ambassador has changed her life.
Thozama Gola
Ambassador in Vrygrond
Thozama has a natural flair for working with dogs and is instrumental in helping us at the Puppy station during Pet Clinics. He also helps with practical tasks, like making cat boxes.
Thozama Gola
Ambassador in Vrygrond
Thozama has a natural flair for working with dogs and is instrumental in helping us at the Puppy station during Pet Clinics. He also helps with practical tasks, like making cat boxes.
Mirriam Duna
Ambassador in Overcome Heights
Mirriam has lived in Overcome Heights for 17 years. She has a quiet confidence about her and is administratively strong. She assists with registration at our Pet Clinics and also helps us locate pets and owners when we are unable to reach them telephonically. Mirriam appreciates how her work allows her to connect with her community and she is motivated by the positive impact she makes every day by representing AfriPaw.
Kathleen Shuttleworth
Programme Co-Ordinator
Kathleen runs her own middle distance and cross-country coaching consultancy and works part-time for AfriPaw. She has been instrumental in upskilling our Ambassadors and Volunteers and putting systems and structures in place to streamline our operations. Kathleen holds a BSc Honours Degree in Applied Mathematics from Stellenbosch University and is a creative problem solver and systems builder.
Kathleen Shuttleworth
Programme Co-Ordinator
Kathleen runs her own middle distance and cross-country coaching consultancy and works part-time for AfriPaw. She has been instrumental in upskilling our Ambassadors and Volunteers and putting systems and structures in place to streamline our operations. Kathleen holds a BSc Honours Degree in Applied Mathematics from Stellenbosch University and is a creative problem solver and systems builder.
Anél Wesson
Director and Co-Founder
Anél qualified as a Public Relations Officer in 1995 and spent eight years working for PricewaterhouseCoopers in the United Kingdom before returning to South Africa. In 2017, she co-founded AfriPaw Animal Welfare with the aim of making veterinary care and responsible pet ownership more accessible in under-resourced areas.
As Director of AfriPaw, Anél has been involved in developing and growing the organisation’s programmes, working closely with partners, donors and residents to improve access to animal welfare services. Her background in communications has helped shape AfriPaw’s approach to advocacy, fundraising and stakeholder engagement, supporting the organisation’s continued growth and impact.
Volunteers
Both Spay Days and Pet Clinics are conducted with the help of a dedicated group of volunteers, many of whom are local residents of Vrygrond. This has helped us to build capacity directly in the community.
