Meet the Team

Jesse Doorasamy has been a member of the SAID Committee since mid-2015 and was elected Chairman of SAID since mid-2017.

He has a background in Human Resources and adds value to the Society by ensuring strong co-operate governance, strategic oversight and provides Human Resources support to the team at SAID.

Jesse is passionate about animal welfare and is a firm supporter of The Society's mandate to make a difference in disadvantaged people's and animal's lives.

JESSE DOORASAMY

CHAIRMAN

Andrew joined the Society as Treasurer in mid-2019.
Andrew is an Associate Member of CIMA and Professional Accountant (SA) with extensive experience in corporate finance management and strategy. These experiences contribute to strategy, financial management and internal control oversight which ensure accuracy and transparency in financial reporting.

Andrew is a family man and animal lover, dedicated to the upliftment of animals and people in impoverished communities and honoured to work alongside the heroes at the Society.

ANDREW FAIRLIE

BOARD MEMBER

Chantelle Murray has spent 26 years in the Human Resource Development and Organisational Development sector. She gravitated in this career direction because of her firm belief in the potential of human-beings. Her career has spanned time spent in both the public and private sector, along with private consulting. Chantelle is currently the Head of the Human Resource Development Unit (HRDU) at the University of the Witwatersrand.

Chantelle is the Founder / Director of PAWS R US (SA), a small, private shelter for dogs, established in 2011 and based in Midrand, Johannesburg. This journey has afforded Chantelle the opportunity to gain insight into the companion animal welfare sector in South Africa – both from the hands-on perspective of running a shelter, and from the perspectives gained through the completion of her PhD study which focused on governance and donor funding in the non-profit sector. Stemming from this research, she has established ONE Revolution Foundation (ONE-R) and has co-created the ONE-R digital platform – this ground-breaking work focuses on uplifting the NPO sector in SA.

Chantelle holds a PhD from the University of Johannesburg, and a Master’s degree in Leadership, Performance and Change, and is the proud mom of a herd of furry friends.

DR CHANTELLE MURRAY

BOARD MEMBER

Isabel joined the society as board member in 2021.
Isabel is a systems researcher and veterinarian, with a passion for finding ways to ensure that development efforts deliver impact and sustain their benefits. Her research includes community development projects, and sustainable welfare management strategies for animals at industrial sites. She collaborates with universities to create opportunities for student research on animal health and welfare systems. Isabel considers access to veterinary services as critical to animal welfare and is keen to contribute to the Society’s vision of access to care for animals in resource-constrained environments.

ISABEL MEYER

BOARD MEMBER

Dr Patience Ndawana joined the Society as a board member at the beginning of December 2021.
Patience is a dedicated veterinarian with a big heart for animals. She is involved in animal welfare training and providing primary animal health care services to the underprivileged communities. Patience is honored to be part of the Society and excited about the opportunity to make a difference in the disadvantaged communities.
She enjoys spending time with her family, walking, hiking and travelling.

“Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much”

DR PATIENCE NDAWANA

BOARD MEMBER

Meg has been involved in animal welfare for over a decade - with an undeniable passion and affinity to animals, she has dedicated the majority of her adult life to serving and protecting animals.

Her career started at the NSPCA in an administration role where she soon qualified as an inspector and worked through the ranks of the organization - she then went on to manage a local SPCA.

She has a keen interest in law, human psychology, and the link between crimes against animals and crimes against humans, as well as the positive mental health impact that animals have in people.

Meg is getting married in October 2023 and has a daughter (8) and son (2) who are both animal crazy, and a rescue cat and dog.

In 2017, she summited Mt. Kilimanjaro while on a quest to raise funds and awareness for animal welfare in South Africa and enjoys mountaineering and the outdoors.

She believes that the change that our country and world desperately needs starts with engendering compassion to all animals in the youth - that if young people were taught to respect every creature - they would in turn respect humans too.

She feels incredibly privileged to be part of the Society for Animals in Distress as it is an organization that strives for the change that our country needs.

MEG WILSON

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

From a very young age Anelda wanted to become a veterinarian and qualified from Onderstepoort in 2001.
She owned her own practice for 14 years, but her passion has always been welfare. She loves giving back what the profession gave her. Working at SAID is a dream come true!

Surgery, including sterilizations of small animals, is a very big passion of hers. She will rather spend her days holding a scalpel in theatre than sitting behind a desk.

As for her personal life, she is happily married and have twin boys aged 16 years.

She is the proud mom of 13 dogs and 3 cats of whom 7 are rescues. She resides in Benoni on a big plot.

In her spare time, she loves sport, played provincial cricket, and enjoys watching her sons on the sports field every weekend. When time allows, she enjoys long walks with her dogs.

DR ANELDA VAN TONDER

VETERINARY MANAGER / PRINCIPAL VETERINARIAN