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RuReSA Award for the Rural Rehab Healthcare Worker of the Year
In 2014 we created an Award that could be given to anyone working in rehabilitation and being an inspiration to others. The Award was inaugurated at the Rural Health Conference, September 2014. We aimed to inspire people to contribute to rural rehabilitation, create awareness of excellence in rural rehabilitation practice provide opportunity for the nominee to share their rural rehabilitation knowledge and skills. In 2023 we decided to offer a new Award specifically for therapists. 
RuReSA Award for the Rehabilitation Worker of the Year 2023 Joe Menoe North West
Mogomotsi, affectionally called ‘BraJoe’, is a physiotherapy assistant, who was nominated by Undine Rauter, Gelukspan Hospital in North West, for over 30 years of work in the area. His work moved from hospital based to outreach and developing new service areas. At times he was the only rehabilitation worker, and at other times he was a mentor to therapists and students. Read more about Joe by clicking on his photo. Click image for his story  RuReSA Award for the Therapist of the Year 2023 Katy Miller Eastern Cape
Katy was nominated by the staff at Madwaleni Hospital, Eastern Cape, for her deep commitment to serving the hospital and its surrounding community since 2013. While Katy’s husband (Dr Andrew Miller) is both the clinical manager of Madwaleni Hospital and previous recipient of the RuDASA rural doctor of the year award, he often shares that they would not be at Madwaleni Hospital were it not for Katy’s dream of living and working at a rural hospital. At Madwaleni she developed a rehabilitation ward and Block System for cerebral palsy, she also set up an NPO, Layita, which would not only support hospital services including employing three rehabilitation translator assistants but with a vision to bring hope and positive change and to see the rural community around the hospital thrive. Click image for her story 
RuReSA Award for the Rehabilitation Worker of the Year 2022 Mpho Mohlolo
Mpho was nominated by the OT team at Tintswalo Hospital, Mpumalanga. Initially they were working with him as an out patient but recognised he was an unusually motivated, reliable, and skilled young man involved in shoe repairs, gardening and the car wash project. Mpho never got the opportunity to complete his Matric due to his illness but this never deterred his ambition to improve his life circumstances. Click image for his story 
RuReSA Award Winner 2021 Adri Cronje Manguzi Hospital KZN
Adri Cronje is an occupational therapist who has remained at Manguzi hospital since 2006. She has single handedly dragged CP services from a 1 star to a 4 star service over the years. Therefore she is a firm favourite with the mothers and children and always goes the extra mile, often fundraising to try and secure safe housing or food parcels where welfare has failed. Adri is passionate about hands, and through her own initiative managed to entice a hand specialist surgeon to provide monthly outreach services (including some surgeries) from the central urban hospital to Manguzi, saving patients a lot of money and improving hand outcomes exponentially. This is the first ever rural hands specialist clinic that we are aware of, and she and the surgeon have presented on national and international platforms. Adri also took it upon herself to travel to the tertiary hospital, 300 km away, and learn the Ponsetti method, to save mothers a weekly 3 day round trip. After applying what she had learned, she was contacted by the Steps foundation and this enabled a further 2 colleagues to be trained in Ponsetti. Today the rehab team, in conjunction with the medical manager, provides the majority of all Ponsetti services- including the tenotomies- at Manguzi hospital. Adri’s clinical excellence, hard work and dedication have made Manguzi's occupational therapy services really exceptional. 
RuReSA Award Winner 2020 Sibonisile Precious Buthelezi, Programme Manager, uMgungundlovu Health District,KZN
From 2010-2019 she worked as Programme Manager for Rehabilitation, Precious is currently working in the uMgungundlovu Health District as Programme Manager for Rehabilitation, Disability, Mental Health, Non-communicable diseases and Oral Health Services. She also works with the uMsunduzi Mayor on the rehabilitation of street children. Precious is a kind, bubbly, hard-working therapist. 
RuReSA Award Winner 2019 Undine Mmatumelo Rauter, Gelukspan Hospital, NW.
"Undine is a fluent SeTswana speaker, highly regarded among the disabled and general community in Mafikeng where she lives, and is known to everyone as ‘Mmatumelo’ (mother of faith). I know Undine Rauter both professionally and personally. In my 20 years of experience in rehabilitation in SA, including working in rural areas and government services, I have not met another rehabilitation worker who has committed them self as completely, and has so effectively uplifted, supported and inspired rural disabled people." Read her Story 
RuReSA Award Winner 2018 Thandi Conradie Madwaleni Hospital EC. "Having worked closely with Thandi for the last four years, and having seen her passion and commitment to the team and the community, I have no doubt that Thandi Conradie deserves this award, and I am certain you will find many rehab therapists in our hospital and our surrounding hospitals who would easily agree. She is a shining example of someone who has been faithful to her commitments here, and has served the community with all the passion, energy, wisdom and skill she has to offer." Read her story
RuReSA Award 2017 Elin Hem Stenersen
You know you have a special nominee when the nomination form is from a doctor; and you see the words "volunteer therapist" who is named Nosiqhamo by the local community. Elin Hem Stenersen from Norway works in the Canzibe area of Eastern Cape. Read her story - we are happy to say Elin did get her wish for therapists to join Canzibe in 2018! 
RuReSA Award 2016
Rural audiologists are a rare breed, and we stand in awe of what Lineo (or Dineo) achieved - a "gold standard audiology service" at Zithulele Hospital EC. Yet she remains the type of therapist we all appreciate, one who takes great respect for her work, and joy in helping people to hear again, and who is well appreciated by those people who she helps. Click here for full story 
RuReSA Lifetime Achievement Award 2015
RuReSA is proud to recognise the "brave and daring heart" of Dr Pam McLaren for her commitment to social justice for people with disabilities through the development of community based rehabilitation services and policy; and challenging therapists to recognise and share the ethos and ethics of community based rehabilitation. Click here for full story 
RuReSA Award for the Rural Rehab Healthcare Worker of the Year 2014
The first recipient was The 2014 Award to Jabu Ndlovu , occupational therapist from Manguzi Hospital, KZN. Jabu is one of those rare people who loves working in mental health, and is an amazing rehab mentor. Click image for her story |
Scroll down for Nomination Criteria |
Criteria for nomination
The Award is for someone currently working in the field of rural rehabilitation and who has shown dedication, excellence or innovation in rural rehabilitation practice. We are keen for young therapists working as service providers to be recognised, as well as our other rehabilitation colleagues, such as assistants, but will keep an open mind as to the contribution of each nominee.
Nominations should be accompanied by details of the nominee, including his/her place of work and contact details, as well as a clear motivation as to why the nominee should be considered for the award. Nominators should also provide all their contact details in case more information is required. Please note that current members of the RuReSA EXCO are not eligible for nomination.
Nominations should be accompanied by details of the nominee, including his/her place of work and contact details, as well as a clear motivation as to why the nominee should be considered for the award. Nominators should also provide all their contact details in case more information is required. Please note that current members of the RuReSA EXCO are not eligible for nomination.
- Due date for nominations is: 30 June annually
- Nominations forms should be emailed to the RuReSA secretary at info@ruresa.org.za or click here to submit an online nomination.