Alida Venter

Director: Kids Court SA

Born: 8 February 1957 in Pretoria

Grew up in Welkom in the Free State (Still the loudest Cheetah fan)

Went to Bedelia Primary School and Goudveld High School where I matriculated in 1973

Went on to study education at the University of the Free State and graduated in 1978.

Got married and had 4 children. Three sons and one daughter.

1995 second eldest son committed suicide.

11 months later in 1996 eldest son was killed in a head-on collision with a drunken driver.

6 months later got divorced.

Relocated from Pretoria to Cape Town.

2004 graduated from UNISA – Adult Basic Education and Training.

Training as a driving instructor. This is where the passion for road safety took a serious turn.

2006 Presented a document to Department of transport on the revising of the K53 and the regulation of driving schools.

Founded Drive More Safely in 2007

Under Drive More Safely I grew from driver training to where I am today. Child restraints, driver fatigue, medical conditions affecting drivers, road conditions. Collaborations with government.

Launched Child safety in the vehicle – recycling of child restraints to ensure every child is safely restraint. This project played a active role n the changing of the NRTA to include all passengers when it comes to buckling up. Law changed in 2025.

Take a break – A roadside camp with a 24 hour roadblock, partnering with traffic, police and emergency services.

Highlights and accolades:

2011 – Winner of the SEBPC Western Cape (Social Enterprise Business Plan Competition)

2012 – Lead SA Hero of the Month October for the child restraint project

2013 – Extra-Ordinary woman award Lotus FM

2015 – Stellenbosch University Diploma Forensic Crash Investigation and Reconstruction.

2017 – Woman in Law Enforcement Award

2022 – African Excellence Business Awards – Best Run Road safety NPO Western Cape

2022 – African Excellence Awards – Best Road safety Education and awareness organisation

2023 – African Excellence Business Awards – Best Road safety NPO – South Africa

2024 – African Excellence Awards – Best Road Safety activism and awareness

2024 – Thami Radebe Road Hero’s Award

2025 – MEA MARKETS Business Awards – Best Road Safety Education and Advocacy NPO

2024/2025 – Project EDWARD (Every Day Without A Road Death). Collaboration and partnership between all road safety entities and civil society. 19 years it took to bring all together.

2026 – Kids Court SA – 5000 primary schools to participate in this program that will change the face of safety around schools

Farai is an energy transition, climate and sustainability specialist with over 10 years’ experience working at the intersection of strategy, policy

and implementation. He advises governments, international organisations and private-sector partners on translating sustainability and climate ambitions into practical, measurable and investment-ready outcomes.

His expertise spans sustainability and climate mitigation across the energy, transport, industrial and agri-food value chains. Farai leads and contributes to policy and business case development as well as regional collaboration initiatives that align decarbonisation objectives with economic development, energy security and long-term competitiveness.

With deep experience in African and emerging market contexts, he supports institutions in designing credible sustainability frameworks, aligning with international standards and structuring resilient value chains that deliver both environmental integrity and socio-economic impact. He is actively engaged in advancing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) value chain development in Africa, particularly through linking low-carbon fuels to regional agricultural and industrial systems.

Farai holds a master’s degree in chemical engineering and is finalising his PhD focused on developing SAF value chains linked to South Africa’s sugarcane industry. His combined technical, policy and market expertise positions him as a recognised knowledge leader in sustainability and climate-aligned industrial development.