Tribute and Recognition

Recognition of Past Members

This section of our website is dedicated to members of the community who have contributed or helped us achieve the noble ideology of assisting those people who were emotionally brave enough to ask for help and to heal their emotional trauma.

Tribute to Capt. Anna-Marie Potgieter

Anna-Marie as part of our team

Anna-Marie was a Captain in the South African Police Service. There was never once that Anna-Marie complained about the "job" when helping woman or children in distress.
Tragically, Anna-Marie was murdered in 2006.
We lost more than a colleague, we lost a friend!

Amanda Senekal

Amanda was one of the founder members of Alpha House. Someone who, when the vision was cast to her, her response was as spontaneous as she is.
Amanda was the treasurer and with her input Alpha House was able to refurbish the counselling rooms and the décor of the centre.
Due to her employment, Amanda could not attend the meetings on a regular basis and eventually withdrew from being an active volunteer at the House.

Dr Nelda Van Zyl

Dr. Nelda van Zyl is one of those individuals who are always the same whenever you meet her. Social Worker by qualification and it would be difficult for one to imagine that she was equally comfortable in the corridors of the Rand Afrikaans University and the remote part of Mpumalanga, which she loves so dearly.

Dr. Nelda van Zyl trained our volunteers in assisting sexually abused victims. She also assisted us, as a volunteer, at the House with the counselling of rape victims.

Dr. Renee van Heerden

Our first trauma debriefer, who in the initial years of the "House" did most o, if not all, the on-the-scene crisis interventions.
Together with many other volunteers (mostly trained by Dr. van Heerden and her associate at that time, Marietjie du Toit), many victims of crime received hours of empathy and compassionate care.
Dr. van Heerden has moved on to what she believes is greener pastures. However, she is still doing her first passion.

Other Professional who made a therapeutic contribution from time to time