Meet The Team
Here at Light of the World Mission, by God's grace and with Holy Spirit in the midst of all of us, we are a highly collaborative and supportive team, coming together on every project to ensure our clients get the very best result.
Anele MKunqwana
Hello there! My name is Anele MKunqwana, and I am the youngest son of a great traditional healer. Born in the Cebe location of Kentane, in the beautiful Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Well-educated and well-trained in our traditions, customs, and culture, I grew up using muti and various powers. My older brother was a soldier fighting for our democracy, and he died. I saw a very painful funeral. All that made me grow up with anger and want to avenge him when I grew older.
I wanted to be the better version of my father. In 2001, just as I was planning on killing someone, God sent LIGHT OF THE WORLD MISSION TENT CRUSADE TEAM. I was invited to join the tent service on a Saturday night, and in that service I gave my life to Jesus Christ to be my Lord and Saviour. My new life started then, and my mind became a battlefield. But in 2010 my father gave his life to my Saviour Jesus Christ, and 3 months later he passed away. Because of the polygamy drama, we were chased away from our home. I joined Light of the World Mission in 2012 as a volunteer, giving back for what they had done for me. Then in 2016 the Mission asked me to work for them full time. Humble, straight forward, passionate about Soul winning, I am now the Chaplain.
My favourite scripture verse is John 10:10 because it has proven itself to be true in my life, and my favourite Bible story is the story of the Samaritan Woman.
What I can say is Jesus Christ has been good to my beautiful family and me. Thank you!
Frik Labuschagne
Hi there! I’m Frik Labuschagne, born to an Afrikaans family in Pretoria many years ago. The photo on the left is of a much younger me. I’m recently retired (2026 – due to illness) from Light of the World where I was the Mission Father since 1997.
GOD saved me in 1978 at the age of 25. He started working with me and changed me from someone who did not really have any interest in church to someone who (tries to) reflect the inner worth of Holy Spirit. This is still a work in progress.
It was back in 1978 that God saved me when I met a lovely young woman at a Bible Study when she took me to church. I heard the gospel for the first time and responded to the altar call. I was a changed man. God went to work in me and called me to full time service. It was a wonderful experience and will, I pray, continue through to the end, to the Great Day of the Lord.
Sue Labuschagne
Hello! I am Sue Labuschagne and I’m married to Frik. Born in Lydenburg, I speak both English and Afrikaans and have been at Light of the World since 1997. In my role as Mission Mother and Overseer of Catering and Accommodation, I have to be very focused and committed, which I am.
Saved in 1974, I was at boarding school where I encountered two girls have a “quiet time,” and asked them about the Lord. They shared a little booklet titled Four (4) Spiritual Laws with me. The booklet had a great impact on me and I prayed to accept the Lord. Later, a group of lay preachers came to the hostel, and I responded openly. I was discipled at Youth Group in Cape Town and was baptized as a believer at a Christian Camp. I went to a Bible School after completing my Nurse’s Training, where I met and married Frik.
I enjoy finding a peaceful, quiet place to be alone with the Lord.
My favourite Bible verse is Philippians 1:6, where Paul tells us that the Lord will complete the good work He has started in us. Oh, I can’t wait for the day when I will get to see Him as He really is (1 John 3:2), in all of His glory!
My favourite parable is the one about the farmer sowing seed. It is so true what Jesus said…
Meryl McGee
Grateful, positive, and diligent, with a strong sense of perseverance, I’m Meryl Mc Gee, and I hail from Lydenburg in Mpumalanga. I was born into an English family, but over the years have become fluent in Afrikaans as well.
I started working with Light of the World in January 2026, as a General Factotum (someone who is available to serve anywhere and whenever necessary).
When I was a teenager, my older sister went to nurse in Cape Town. Whilst in Cape Town, she was born again and began adding scripture verses in her letters home. She and I had attended church and Sunday school but knew nothing about a personal relationship with God. During my sister’s holiday home in 1976, she shared with me how her colleagues had encouraged her to invite Jesus to be her personal Lord and Saviour, and how this had changed her life completely.
Watching her as she handled life’s challenges, there could be absolutely no doubt that her life had changed.
One evening, as I knelt at my bedside to say my evening prayers, I became acutely aware of my sin and asked God to “Make me like Susan.” I cried and went to sleep feeling the wonderful peace of God, knowing that He had forgiven me, and that I was on my way to heaven. With that wonderful fact of life in mind, my favourite Bible verse, among those thousands, is 1 Corinthians 2:9 – “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived- the things God has prepared for those who love him. And love Him I do.
Ian, Helena and Daniel Barnard
Hi there! We’re the Barnard Family. Ian and Daniel were both born in Nelspruit, in Mpumalanga, whilst Helena (mom and wife) was born in De Aar in the Cape Province. I worked with Light of the World from 2015 to this year, 2026, handling Maintenance and Support. We are an Afrikaans family, but are also (all three of us) completely fluent in English.
Helena came to kneel before her Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, in 1979, whilst I (Ian) was saved in 1985, and our son Daniel bowed his knee to his Lord and Saviour in 2005.
As a family, we have come to know the Lord’s hand in every situation and every place in our lives. Over the years, we have come to love the Lord with all our hearts, all our strength, and all our minds.
His presence has always been with us, His Spirit in us, and we have come to experience His provision in every aspect of our lives. Many times, we have gotten rid of everything we owned to follow the Lord’s leading in a direction and start all over.
Every time He has been there, holding our hands, supporting us, and loving us. So in short, ” The Lord is my Shepherd is not just a verse but a reality in our lives. Praise the Lord forever and ever. Amen
As a family, our favourite scripture verse is Colossians 3:1, and our favourite Bible story is the story of Noah, his unbelievably hard work in building the Ark, and, in God’s hands, saving humanity.
Annelie Sweetnam
Hi! I’m Annelie Sweetnam – Duke’s wife. I was born in Pretoria quite a long time ago into an Afrikaans family, but am proficient in both languages, Afrikaans and English. I am the Mission Secretary as well as assistant to the Manager. It’s difficult to identify just one scripture verse as a favourite because there are so many that are favourites, but I guess if I were pushed to do this, I would pick Isaiah 40:28-31, with my favourite Bible story being about the woman at the well, found in John 4:1-26, simply because it shows the redemptive power and promises of God, through Jesus Christ.
Even though I grew up in a Christian home where my parents taught us a lot about God and His love, I always had that longing and emptiness inside me for that love and belonging. Like so many others, I searched in the wrong places for that love and connection. I wasted much of my life on the search when all the time Jesus knew exactly what I needed. He sent me to a place
where I could experience His loving touch in practical and tangible ways. This was at a ministry in Cape Town called Straatwerk (Street Work). I went there to serve, but God came to serve me and met me there with His Father’s love. As I shared His love with broken women on the street, He started me on a journey of change – changing me on the inside. As I worked through my brokenness, I met the Father through Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit during a weekend retreat in Wellington around 2006.
If asked to describe myself, I would say that I am a friendly person, loyal and compassionate. I’m a good team player because of my love of people, and as such, I am task-oriented and big on detail. I hate it when people say “the devil is in the details,’ because it’s not true. Its GOD Who is in the details, like this very biography that you are reading. I am passionate about Lord Jesus and want to share Him with as many people as I can.
Duke Sweetnam
Hi! I’m Duke Sweetnam, and I’m the manager here at Light of the World Mission.
I was born in Polokwane, which used to be known as Pietersburg, in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. Fluent in both English and Afrikaans, I am gifted to be a part of a warm and loving family. I’m quiet and soft-spoken. I seek understanding and attempt to put what I find into practice, which means, like my wife, I am a stickler for neatness and detail.
It was in 1988, at the age of 5, when I chose to invite Jesus into my life during a Sunday school event. I didn’t notice any significant difference in my life and continued to live my life under the love, guidance, protection and Biblical instruction of my parents, Uncles, Aunts and other God-fearing people. I experienced struggles in life, but nothing drastic, needing major
intervention. At age 23, I began to question God on my salvation. What had He needed to save me from? I was a good young man! I had never become addicted to any sociable substances (drugs, alcohol, women, etc.) nor had I developed any bad behaviours etc. After a few months of this questioning, Father God answered through the wedding where Jesus turned water into wine (John 2). Jesus had not been invited to attend the wedding because of His reputation as a miracle worker. Still, because He was there, He was able to stop the bride’s family from suffering extreme shame and embarrassment after they ran out of wine. The wedding organiser got the praise but had no idea how close he’d come to disaster and social shunning of the bride’s family. Father showed me on numerous occasions how close I had come to various disasters I was blissfully unaware of, simply because Jesus was in my life. Father then challenged me.
“It’s good and well that you have Jesus in your life, but are you willing to make Him the CENTRE of your life???” He asked me one morning…
Answering this question changed the course of my life.
Annelie and I took over the running of Light of the World Mission in August of 2023.
If pressed to identify a favourite scripture, I’d have to say 1 Samuel 2:30. And as regards a favourite story, I absolutely love the story of Gideon and 300 of his men fighting off over 135,000 soldiers! (Judges 7 & 8)
Ntombizanele (Monica) Myoyo
Ntombizanele Monica Myoyo is a local lass, having been born right here in Tylden, and has virtually grown up in our kitchen. Her mother tongue is Xhosa, but she is fluent in English as well. Monica has been with Light of the World since 2005, 21 years now.
In her own words, “In my previous life I was in darkness I did nothing I drank alcohol I smoked and drank while I was in sin and darkness but one day I met Lord Jesus I accepted him as my Lord and Savior of my life the difference I saw Things changed I stopped smoking and drinking alcohol God changed my life I saw my eyes opened and I found freedom and now I am free in life My dear, it is good to accept Jesus because when you open your heart and surrender to him All the things that were difficult you find easy when you trust in him I am grateful to meet the Lord Because today I am in the light because of his name.
I am a loving mother and a caring parent. My children and I sacrifice everything so that they can sleep, eat, and have clothes. I am a loving parent, and I care about them and other people.
Phumla Milose
Pumla was born in Cathcart, South Africa. She has been with Light of the World since June 2018 and works as a cleaner (often regarded as the most important of all jobs). Fluent in Isixhosa and English, Pumla was saved in April of 2016. Her favourite Bible verse is John 15:1.
She is a very good person who loves praising God. She loves children and enjoys having people around her all the time. A very positive thinker, she hates seeing people get hurt, both physically and emotionally.
She once followed the wrong path in life, doing whatever she wanted to do – the wide road. From the moment she was saved she changed from the wide road to the narrow road, and became a holy person, doing the right things in the right ways. Today she lives for Jesus and Jesus alone. Whenever she prays her main prayer points are the protection of
everyone, including her children and family. The power of a Praying Mother is a powerful weapon against the evil of this world. She continues to pray and ask God to be her pillar of strength and to strengthen all of us here at the Mission when we are tired and weak.
"Shoes" Sithembele
I say when I look at my life before and now there is a big difference where God I have not taken my desire to serve God truly and truly I do not want to miss Jesus because He is the Lord of my life yes I have not done well but my desire Is to follow Jesus and I want to be used by Him more in all things What I have experienced in my life I have seen the power of Jesus helping me and I think it is an opportunity to get closer to Him and I believe that He is truly and truly the Lord of my life.
I would describe myself as a big difference From before because now I work in emission and I am a patient person Who loves people and is dedicated to work.
Sisonke Zenzile
These photographs are just placeholders for now; please send me better ones. Also, I need a short (+/- 250 words) biography for each person/couple, please.
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your moral excellence and your praiseworthy, noble, and good deeds and recognize and honour and praise and glorify your Father Who is in heaven.
(Matthew 5:14–16 - Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC))
