Bergzicht Training and Development, a Stellenbosch-based NGO, celebrated and honoured its working alumni during its fifth consecutive annual Celebration Day last month
Prizes awarded to alumni during the event totalled in excess of R50 000 in value.
Keynote speaker Nicolette Booyens, the socio-economic development director at Visit Stellenbosch, reminded every alumnus that life is all about how we recover from setbacks. She encouraged them to “fail forward”.
“Success is not a destination but a journey of continuous growth, resilience, and unwavering belief in your own potential,” Booyens related. “Failure is not fatal and teaches us humility and empathy, innovation and creativity, and resilience and perseverance.”
Gadia Cornelius, 2022 Frail Care alumni and current frail-care worker at Helderberg Society for the Aged, took home the Top Achiever award, along with a prize valued at R10 000, sponsored by Reenen Kok, CEO of Global Stay. Graham Walker, general manager of Commodore Hotel, Legacy Hotels donated an extra night and an upgrade and dinner vouchers.
“This is how Bergzicht thanks people for their hard work and makes them feel appreciated,” Cornelius said. “It doesn’t need to give these prizes, but that’s what makes it so unique.
“It’s more than a training campus; Bergzicht motivates one always to do one’s best in delivering, and this win should motivate others always to give their best in everything they undertake in life.”
Runners-up, 2021 Food Service Assistant alumni Siphesethu Ngotyi of the Lanzerac Hotel and 2022 Child Care alumni Leonie Pietersen of Junior Akademie shared their feelings of overwhelming gratitude.
“Bergzicht was a life-changing opportunity that did not only impact me, but my family at large,” said Ngotyi. “Words can’t express how grateful I am.”
Added Pietersen: “The award gave me extra motivation to study part-time next year while still working. I don’t know where I would have been without Bergzicht.” Each of the runners-up received a smartphone donated by Global Stay.
The programme category winners were Dimakatso Kunyane (prep chef at Hazendal Estate), Zintle Macopozo (frail care worker at Spescare Stellenbosch), and Angelique Alexander (teaching assistant at AF Louw Primary), who each received a microwave donated by private sponsors.
During the event, Bergzicht also paid tribute to 62 working alumni who completed programmes in 2021 and 2022. Tribute was also paid to TK Foundation-funded, year-long chef learnership 2022 winner Welethu Tsungu. Thanks to the foundation Bergzicht has been able to give six of its Food Service Assistant 2021 skills-programme graduates the opportunity to benefit from further education. The foundation is passionate about youth advancement and funded the 12-month Cathsseta-accredited professional learnership for the past six years.
Bergzicht CEO Renske Minnaar said without the organisation’s Work Integrated Learning partners and employers it wouldn’t have been able to celebrate any successes. “We have exceeded our fundraising budget, remained a low-cost operator and retained a throughput rate of 95% during 2023,” she related. “I thank our directors, the Bergzicht team, our funders, training partners, our employers and our friends of Bergzicht.
“Together we make a formidable team, and together we create success and achieve our focused objective of teaching the basic skills to unemployed people from our local community so they can be employed, changing the lives of so many people forever, like these lovely Bergzicht alumni, whom we celebrate today.”
Bergzicht board chairperson Nathan Motjuwadi acknowledged the importance of the role alumni play in the contribution to the successful continuity of Bergzicht. He also made special mention of the dedication of Minnaar and her team and thanked Nathalie Skippers for mentoring and supporting students and alumni.
Skippers, the social development and training manager, said alumni employment soared to an all-time high to 77% by September this year. “We value job retention as part of our core mandate, and this event is also aimed at reinforcing the importance of resilience and self-leadership.”
Prospective employers interested in becoming part of support career development in frail care, hospitality or child care can contact Corine Mans at studentsupport@bergzicht.org.za or 021 883 3525.
