Our Trustees


Russell Loubser

Non-Executive Director of FirstRand Limited
Non-Executive Director of FNB Divisional Board
Non-Executive Director of RMB Divisional Board
Council Member of University of Pretoria


Ursula du Plooy

Change a Life Cycle Tour founder and Tour Director


Jonathan Scott

Director of DTR Finance
Change a Life Route Master

Ian Hayes

Director, Corporate and Commercial:
Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr


If you would like to donate to our projects, please make payment to:


The Mike Thomson Change a Life Trust
First National Bank Corporate Branch
Account No: 62588543051
Branch Code: 255005

Please direct queries to: info@changealifecycle.co.za


The Mike Thomson Change a Life Trust

The Mike Thomson Change a Life Trust was established in 2008 in memory of Mike Thomson, a Computershare financial services manager who was murdered at his family home in 2007.

Over the past decade, the Mike Thomson Change a Life Trust has raised millions for crime prevention and youth development projects which are creating more sustainable futures for young South Africans and their broader communities. With the funds raised and careful selection of highly effective projects.

The Trust has been instrumental in:

  • Legislating the use of DNA in South Africa’s criminal justice system.
  • Providing sports training, nutrition, early childhood development, academic support and skills or tertiary education to lift our young Change a Life beneficiaries out of poverty.
  • A growing number of our beneficiaries have become sportsmen of note, with some representing South Africa internationally in rowing, cycling, gymnastics and handball.
  • Even those who have not excelled know that a different, more sustainable future is now within their reach.

The pace of achievement by its beneficiary projects has accelerated and the projects have celebrated significant milestones, some of which are highlighted below. Many of these are the result of increased funding support.

2014

The DNA Project celebrated the passing of the DNA Act it had lobbied through Parliament. In the same year, the Martin Dreyer Change a Life Academy achieved a significant breakthrough as Sbonelo Eric Zondi won his first Dusi Canoe Marathon with Andy Birkitt.

2015

  • Nhlanhla Nene won the Non-Stop Dusi with Michael Mbanjwa
  • John Ntuli won the inaugural 1070 Munga MTB race
  • Nemato Change a Life’s Athenkosi Hlekani graduated from UJ with a BBusSci degree
  • Nemato’s champion gymnast, Onke Mangele was named Best SA Junior Trampoline gymnast, a title he still holds
  • 2 Nemato rowers were selected for the SA National Team.

2016

The RMB Change a Life MTB team was competing successfully in premier South African events and Martin Dreyer transformed his running league into a team of high-performance athletes trained to compete in the extreme ‘Black-Ops Elite’ category of the National Warrior Race Series. In addition:

  • Change a Life ambassador Sbonelo Khwela won the Non-Stop Dusi
  • Isaac Mdletshe achieved the Change a Life Karate-do’s first black belt
  • Nemato students attained a record 18 BD matric passes.

2017 

Proved to be a bumper year with Change a Life projects achieving their best results ever across the disciplines of paddling, mountain-biking, running and academic support. Highlights included:

  • A historic win for Maza Ndumiso and Mboneni Ncgobo in the Dusi2c MTB stage race – the first black team to win a major MTB stage race
  • Sthembiso Masango represented SA at World Marathon Championships in Germany and World X-Country Championships in Australia, and Mboneni Ngcobo received KZN colours for X-Country
  • The Merchants CAL Running Team participated in all 8 National series Warrior races across SA
  • A record 5 Nemato gymnasts represented SA internationally
  • A Nemato handball player competed in the U17 World Champs in Mauritius
  • 25 Early Childhood Development teachers were trained for schools in the Eastern Cape.

2018

The upward momentum of achievement continues with Martin Dreyer’s Change a Life Academy athletes achieving podium positions across their three sporting disciples. Nemato athletes have achieved the following so far:

  • Of the 4 SA trampoline gymnasts selected for Youth Olympics trials in Egypt, 3 were from Nemato, confirming that Nemato is a feeder club for national champions. The Nemato team won gold at the African Championships and Siyabulela Siwa ranked as African Champion in double mini-trampoline
  • Nemato rowers won gold medals at the SA Championships in Johannesburg, while top Nemato rower and talented mathematician, Odwa Ntamo, was awarded a full scholarship to study at Grey College, Port Elizabeth
  • 2 Nemato handball players won silver medals at the Zone 6 Championships in Zambia, while 2 fencers are ranked nationally in 15th and 26th positions.

2019

Both projects continued to go from strength to strength as they achieved sports excellence and empowered their participants in other areas of their lives:

  • Nemato’s trampoline gymnasts were the strongest in South Africa and Africa and performed admirably in World Championships; one Nemato gymnast was identified by SASCOC as a contender for the 2024 Olympics
  • Nemato fencers and handball players dominated Eastern Cape provincial teams in both sports
  • The maths results of Nemato students continued to improve as a result of an innovative maths programme introduced during their homework classes
  • Martin Dreyer’s Change a Life Zulus achieved unprecedented success in the 2019 FNB Dusi Canoe Marathon, taking up 50% of the top 30 places
  • Cyclists from the FNB Change a Life Mountain Bike Team were first all-Black team to complete the grueling Absa Cape Epic
  • Merchants Change a Life Running Team endurance athletes competing in the Black Ops Elite category of the National Warrior Race Series feature regularly in the series’ top ten.

2020 / 2021

Sport continued when possible however they used additional funding to provide emergency food relief and other humanitarian support to their members and communities during the pandemic.

  • Martin Dreyer’s Change a Life Zulus blew the lights out at the 2021 Dusi Canoe Marathon, with Sandile Mbanjwa winning the competitive U/18 Junior category and 7 Change a Lifers placied in the top 15 positions, including three top 10 gold medallists
  • With many of the major competitive stage races cancelled due to COVID-19, the FNB Change a Life MTB team focused on the rigorous local cross-country (XCO) lap racing
  • Mboneni Ngcobo won the sub veteran category of the KZN provincial XCO event in May 2021 and Lindokuhle Ngubo placed 2nd in the U/18 category
  • Lihle Ngidi won the two-day Ride the Berg Mtb Race in the Northern Drakensberg
  • Sithembiso Masango came 2nd overall in the 500km Tankwa Karoo Munga Grit and 11th overall in the Gauteng 500km Munga Grit. Sithembiso has won the development category of the grueling Munga series for three consecutive years
  • With obstacle course racing on hold as a result of COVID-19 the Merchants Change a Life Running team members have maintained their fitness levels with trail running.

2022

Nemato Change a Life Highlights:

  • Two Nemato gymnasts competed at the World Championships in Azerbaijan and were later recruited for the Zip Zap Circus’s Dare2Dream four-year vocational training programme in Cape Town.
  • Nemato’s rowers, fencers and handball players won medals at national and international events.
  • With mathematics and computer-based problem solving at the heart of Nemato’s academic and skills development programmes, club members learned to code and used their skills to maintain the club’s website, provide commercial website development services and build a cloud-based membership database.
  • The club accelerated its skills development and small enterprise development activities to create functional futures for its members through income-generating social entrepreneurship.
Martin Dreyer Change a Life Academy (MDCAL) Highlights:
  • The MDCAL paddlers achieved 2nd, 3rd, 5th & 6th gold medal places in the 2022 Dusi Canoe Marathon. Nine double canoes in the top seventeen positions overall were CAL paddlers. MDCAL paddlers delivered another phenomenal performance in the gruelling Non-stop Dusi, placing 1st, 2nd and 3rd overall. An MDCAL paddler represented South Africa at the U23 World Sprint Champs.
  • The MDCAL running team placed 5th in the top 10 overall and 9th in the top 20 positions of the competitive Titan Hybrid Heroes obstacle race.
  • The Citi CAL Mountain Bike Academy featured in the top 10 positions of several provincial competitive events. Youth development riders Nhlanhla and Thando represented the academy in the 2022 Absa Cape Epic MTB Race. Sithembiso Masango won the development category of the gruelling 500km non-stop Munga Grit, and put his prize money towards the building of his home. Lindokuhle placed 33rd overall in the Elite category of the 85km SA Marathon Championships.

2023

Nemato Change a Life Highlights:

  • Two former CAL leaders won international rowing medals. Nemato fencers placed 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the combined under 17/20 and senior age group at a provincial fencing competition in Gqeberha. A CAL fencer was selected as a non-travelling reserve for the African Championships in Ghana.
  • Nemato experienced a surge in employment, skills development and social entrepreneurship opportunities. Other members secured employment in the hospitality, IT and entertainment industries. The acceleration in the club’s skills development and small enterprise development activities resulted in skills such as electrical wiring, welding, sandbag construction, carpentry, driving, CV typing, cooking, fly and fish farming, snake handling and herb gardening being put into practice at the Nemato CAL centre or offered as commercial services. One member opened a small car wash enterprise, and others are producing beeswax candles and jewellery from recycled plastic.
  • Five Nemato members travelled with Global Leading Light Initiatives to Chicago where they teamed up with the Chicago Knights to participate as One Team, Two Continents in a robotics competition. They won the first Midwest Regional Judges Award for unique efforts, performance and dynamism.

The Martin Dreyer Change a Life Academy (MDCAL) Highlights:

  • Five Citi CAL paddlers finished in the top 10 gold medal positions and 11 in the top 20 overall in the 2023 Dusi Canoe Marathon. Citi CAL paddlers placed 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the Non-Stop Dusi (90 kms of paddling and 30 kms of running with the canoe). Citi CAL paddler, Sandile Mtolo, was selected to represent South Africa in the World Sprint Championships in Italy. Citi CAL’s Bongani Ntinga, a top 10 Dusi competitor was employed as a coach at the Midlands Paddling School where he trains paddlers from affluent schools in the area. Bongani’s CAL paddling partner, Kwandokuhle Mzolo, is studying in Johannesburg.
  • The Citi CAL Mountain Bike Academy riders competed in the 60 km Illovo mountain bike race, where they displayed their fitness for selection in the CAL team that participated in the Wines2Whales three-day mountain bike stage race. Three Citi CAL teams placed in the top 20 overall of the competitive Sani2c mountain bike race.
  • Four Citi CAL runners placed in the top 10 of the KwaZulu Natal Warrior obstacle race. One runner placed 2nd overall in the Cape Town Warrior race, and another six finished in the top 10. The Citi CAL team also dominated in the Red Bull Quicksand Challenge in Durban. Six CAL warriors placed in the top 10, with one making it onto the podium in 3rd place.

2024

Nemato Change a Life Highlights:

  • Nemato athletes competed in rowing, gymnastics, handball and fencing events. Nemato rower Agcobile Nikelo was selected for the national rowing development squad.
  • Participation in high performance sport opened up significant career opportunities for Nemato members, some of whom are employed as coaches at South African universities and private schools, while two gymnasts continue to excel in the Zip Zap Circus’s Dare2Dream vocational training programme.
  • Many Nemato members have completed studies in fields such as Engineering, Business Management and Tourism and received skills training in firefighting, lifesaving, scuba diving and driving.
  • To combat high unemployment in Port Alfred, Nemato continues to accelerate is entrepreneurship programme. Members have established micro enterprises in recycling, catering, car washing, snake handling, beeswax candle making and township tourism. Nemato is currently exploring opportunities to establish a business incubator at a farm, with enterprise development initiatives in fish and herb farming, training and tourism.
  • Nemato’s maths class is a cornerstone of its daily programme, instilling logical thinking and practical application through coding.

The Martin Dreyer Change a Life Academy (MDCAL) Highlights:

  • MDCAL K2 crews finished 2nd and 3rd in the 2024 Dusi Canoe Marathon, with three additional CAL crews placing in the top 10 gold medal positions overall. CAL defending champions, Thabani Msia and Msawenkosi Mtolo overcame challenging technical and weather conditions to win the Non-Stop Dusi event for the fifth time.
  • Citi CAL Mountain Bike Academy riders participated in the Cape Epic stage race alongside Olympic and world champions. They also rode in the popular Wines2Whales and Sani2C stage races and competed in several other races.
  • Five members of the Citi CAL running team finished in the top 10 overall of the Black Ops Elite Warrior race in Gauteng. CAL zulu, Hlelani Radebe was second overall in the KwaZulu Natal warrior race. The team placed 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th and 8th overall in the South African Championships three kilometre obstacle course race. They also performed strongly in several popular trail runs.
  • Two CAL athletes athletes graduated in Chemical Engineering and Social Sciences degrees. Two additional athletes are studying ICT in Business Analysis and Civil Engineering.

2025

Nemato Change a Life Highlights:

  • Nemato gymnast, Liyema, was selected for the Zip Zap Circus’s professional team which performed Cirque du Soleil type shows for sold-out events in Brazil and France. Liyema won Zip Zap’s 2025 Best Performer Award.
  • Nemato gymnast, Lukholo won a gold medal at the Eastern Cape Gymnastics trials and a bronze medal at the South African Gymnastics Championships. Nemato fencers won medals in the Under 13, Under 17 and Under 20 categories at the Eastern Cape Fencing Championships and in the Under 13 and Under 15 categories at the National Fencing Championships. A Nemato handball player was selected for the South African Handball team to compete in the African qualifiers for the World Handball Championships.
  • Nemato members secured employment in IT and administration, sports coaching, lifesaving, hospitality and entertainment with employers such as Telkom, Rhodes University, Royal St Andrews Hotel, National School of the Arts, PJ Olivier High School and Port Alfred Gospel Festival.
  • Nemato members have created 20 functional micro enterprises that operate under the motto, “Don’t take jobs, make jobs.” These include glass recycling and plastic upcycling, solar-powered chain saw services, welding services, IT and administration solutions, cell phone repairs, taxi services and photography. Nemato is currently exploring fund-raising opportunities to establish a business incubator.
  • Nemato increased the adoption of artificial intelligence in its after-school maths classes. Four members completed the Nelson Mandela University Tanks coding course and one member completed the next level (kTurtle) coding course.

The Martin Dreyer Change a Life Academy (MDCAL) Highlights:

  • CAL achieved its best-ever 2025 Dusi Canoe Marathon results, with its crews finishing 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 14th, 18th and 20th.
  • Sbonelo Kwela won the gruelling Non Stop Dusi overall in a single canoe – a great achievement!
  • In other canoe events, CAL paddlers Msawenkosi, Thabani and Syanda finished in the top 10 of the Berg Canoe Marathon; CAL placed 2nd, 4th, 9th and 10th and also won the Juniors in the Liebenbergsvlei Canoe Race in the Free State; CAL paddlers finished the Fish River Canoe Marathon (also the SA Double Canoe River Championship) with three boats in the top 10.
  • Seven CAL paddlers completed the challenging Surfski Ocean World Championships. The CAL juniors placed 2nd in the Under 18 junior category, earning a World Championship silver medal.
  • Citi CAL Mountain Bike Academy riders participated in the prestigious Sani2c and Wines2 Whales stage races.
  • The Citi CAL riders performed well, with strong finishes in the technical Drak Descent, the Wartburg Classic and the Karkloof Classic.
  • CAL runners placed 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the 15 km Woolworths XTri trail run.

While these stand-out performances attract attention, Change a Life and its partners contribute more broadly to the creation of sustainable futures for: More than 300 young South Africans who benefit directly from Change a Life programs, and more than 5 000 family and community members, who benefit indirectly.