Danielle Jones is the eldest of three children born to hard-working parents Daniel and Loëta Thomas. Born and reared in Cape Town she refused to pursue job opportunities elsewhere in SA and abroad due to her passion for the Cape. Married to Troy for the past 8 years. They have no children but are very involved in the lives of Danielle’s niece and nephew, Skye and Cullan. Danielle works as a Legal Services Manager in the International Business Division of Engen Petroleum. She supports the legal requirements of 15 Sub-Sahara African countries outside of South Africa. This includes countries such as Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Reunion, Mauritius, Ghana, Gabon, DRC and Burundi. Prior work experience includes stints working as an attorney in law firms (Bornman & Hayward and later Gunstons Inc) also as a legal consultant and director at Nosa and Implex Compliance Solutions respectively.
Danielle believes that “we cannot truly move forward in South Africa (or indeed in any country) without doing all we can to address poverty and unemployment. Many of the social ills we have to deal with as a country have roots in these two phenomena. I believe that all people have a need to contribute positively (consciously and sometimes unconsciously) to society. Being able to earn a living is an important factor in building dignity in people, and also the first step to helping to people to aspire to greater things for themselves and their future generations. I believe that we are all born with a special purpose to be fulfilled and that as we are all part of the body of Christ we have an obligation to contribute where we can. I have previously contributed to good causes on a very ad-hoc basis and have over the last few years prayed for more guidance in this. Last year I was introduced to FCD and was very excited about the work they do. From the testimonies of learners, I realised the real difference this organisation makes in the lives of the community and I knew that this was where God had lead me to, to do my bit on a more structured basis. I feel absolutely blessed to be part of this amazing organisation!â€