PRETORIA& MIDRAND
Meet our Pretoria & Midrand Regional MENtor:
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Meet our MENtors team:
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Thando Malepe - Regional Character & MENtor
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Thando has a B.Com degree in Accounting, but a heart for community development. He is determined to change his community for the better, whether it’s running a small children’s ministry every Saturday or the proactive work he does organizing wheelchairs for those in need in his community.
He is an active member of Network of Caring and is working to procure more community members. He has a quiet demeanour and compassionate heart. He is enthusiastic and always helpful, willing to be accountable and takes instruction or guidance with an open heart. Thando is our MENtor Intake Coordinator and an active MENtor in the Johannesburg North Region.
Laurie Morkel - MENtor
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Laurie has been in the corporate environment for 40 years and MENtoring younger colleagues have been his forte. He is enthusiastic, energetic and a realistic-optimistic person. He is even-tempered, predictable and keeps his promises and commitments to people. He has a faith-bases worldview and highly respects and loves people of all ages and walks of life. He is a team-player and will constantly share all positive life-experiences with the younger generation.
Danie Pretorius - MENtor
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Danie is working in the corporate IT environment with post graduate qualifications in the IT and Business fields. He loves nature and his happy place is in the bush around a fire enjoying all aspects of nature. His professional hobby is in the video production world where he is involved in filming and video editing events especially multicamera music concerts and shows.
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He has a strong moral character, he treats others with courtesy and respect. He communicates easily and effectively and establishes a definite rapport with people around him. He is an outstanding leader in his church’s youth-ministry that moves every person forward he interacts with. He focuses strongly on using positive aspects and talent in any individual’s life to motivate and encourage them, especially the younger generation.
Mentoring-by-example is one of his strong beliefs. His life testifies of great commitment and endurance. His dedication and enthusiasm are well recognised. Honesty, commitment, respect and humbleness form the moral building blocks of his life. His motivation and discipline contribute to his success in life.
Boipelo Motlhatlhego - MENtor
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Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.” —Margaret Mead.
Boipelo’s approach to life is ensuring one always has the mindset to apply world class excellence in every endeavor they pursue, including in the area of mentoring and empowering young boys to reach their potential. His goal as a TCC mentor is to help equip young men with the tools and skills they need to thrive and become world changers.
Boipelo is an entrepreneur in the supply chain technology industry with significant experience in the corporate and business environments. He is also a former five-time South African triple jump champion, and keeps active through martial arts and golf.
Trushil Rama - MENtor
Trushil is a determined and hardworking accountant with experience in a number of different environments. He loves playing sports and being outdoors. He loves seeing people succeed and achieve their potential and wants to inspire everyone around him to do the best they can to achieve their goals and dreams. He is always willing to offer a helpful hand and gives 100% in everything that he does.
He lost his dad at a young age so he understands what it is like for boys growing up without a dad and understands the void that is left by this. He hopes to make this void a little bit smaller by using his experience to guide boys to become the best men they can be.
Theo Welgemoed - MENtor
Theo is a coach for junior soccer team and a Sunday school teacher. He is a father to two boys. Growing up he struggled with insecurities and had self-worth issues. He was always trying to prove himself to his father. Coming to know the Lord has changed his life. In Him, Theo found his identity and self-worth.
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Theo is a warm-hearted person, caring, and encouraging to those around him. Both adults and children feel comfortable around him and can easily open to him. He has a humble, compassionate heart and he is not judgmental. Working as a mentor has been rewarding on so many levels. He has been able to pass on his knowledge and experiences to our boys. Being a mentor means him honoring God by coming along side these boys, shaping, building, caring, and developing them into men with strong values.
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The values he will be instilling from the Character Company is so fundamental. He wishes he had these values installed in him when he was growing up. Through the help of the holy spirit, he will live out these values to the best of his abilities to be an example to the boys. He is grateful to be part of The Character Company MENtorship program and giving him the opportunity to fulfill what he believes is God’s purpose for him.
Katlego Mangena - MENtor
Katlego (uncle coolkat) is a 24 year old, entrepreneur, IT graduate, professional fashion model, self taught fashion designer and etc. As a kindness activist, uncle coolkat, is a young dependable community builder with an impeccable proven track records of selfless services and dedication to serve through coolkats foundations where he played major part to help underprivileged children from all walks of life. His foundations is 2 years old and is excited that The Character Company also found him. He was able to enrol some of his boys from his foundations to mentor them with the help of The Character company, he is so eager to see the kind of good boys he will be raising.
Les Richardson was born in Pietermaritzburg in 1962. Educated in a public high school in Port Shepstone and matriculated in 1980. Took part in various sports and enjoyed being a member of the Boy Scouts in his youth achieving his Springbok scout award. He has had a very successful career in finance operations for many years and was able to retire at the age of 45.
Les is God fearing man blessed with a wife and two children who are successful in their own right. He has also been blessed with opportunity to foster young orphans and was able to step into five children’s lives in their time of need. His wife introduced him to the further challenge of raising guide dog puppies and again thoroughly enjoyed the responsibility of this undertaking. The joy of learning how the work that was put in to train a dog is benefitting the life of someone else is priceless.
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In 2021, he learned about The Character Company and went to experience this process myself. After going through the process and discussing the process with both his wife and God he decided that if he could help just one boy it would be a worthwhile experience.
Les Richardson - MENtor
