Amanda van der Merwe, CEO

Amanda van der Merwe, CEO

As a dedicated breadwinner, businesswoman, mother, and grandmother, I am deeply proud of the journey that has shaped my life. My greatest accomplishments are my two remarkable daughters, who continue to inspire me every day. Since the age of 16, I have been driven by an unyielding resilience and a steadfast belief that quitting is never an option. This determination has been the foundation of my personal and professional growth, propelling me to overcome challenges and achieve success in every endeavor.

My career path began in nursing, driven by my deep desire to help people. While I cherished my six months as a nurse, God had other plans for me. My mother introduced me to the corporate world, where I quickly discovered my distaste for repetitive tasks like filing. The thought of becoming a secretary didn’t resonate with me—I wanted to have one. That vision fueled my drive to work hard and push through the red tape, biases, and glass ceilings that defined the workplace in those days.

I knew I had to crawl before I could walk, so I embraced every opportunity to learn. During the 1990s, I immersed myself in new and evolving technologies: Mainframe, DOS, the Internet, Intranet, Windows, and MS Office. I became a Novell Administrator and MS Office Professional Supporter, building a strong technical foundation that set me apart in the corporate world. After 16 years, however, I decided it was time to venture into the private sector.

I launched my first business, designing activewear for babies and children. While it was a creative and rewarding endeavor, I quickly realized I needed more challenges to stay fulfilled. My next chapter began with a deep dive into compliance with legislation, including the Skills Development Act, Employment Equity Act, and B-BBEE. I identified a critical gap between the government, businesses, and the complex legislative framework. This discovery led to the creation of my second business, where I became a trusted advisor to business owners, helping them navigate and comply with government regulations.

Over 25 years, I’ve faced many challenges, but none more significant than managing human resources. However, my commitment to bridging the gap between legislation and business operations has remained steadfast. Today, I continue to serve as a vital medium between the pillars of legislation, empowering business owners with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed.

My journey reflects my belief in resilience, lifelong learning, and the power of adaptation. Every challenge has been an opportunity to grow, and every success has reaffirmed my commitment to making a meaningful impact.

  • SDF Corp. has over 20 years’ of providing our clients with the best strategic business solutions to help them navigate complicated and often cumbersome legislation in order to get the most out of Skills Development.
  • As a sustainable Exempted Micro Enterprise, we understand the challenges of running a business in South African development legislation and we can provide strategic solutions that serves to the benefit of every client’s business.
  • Our vision is to create a business solution for Skills Development that provides service excellence in all client dealings, the highest customer satisfaction, and a 100% success rate on our clients’ outcomes.
  • We believe that providing Skills Development in the workplace will make our business and economic landscape soar and we want to see each of our clients and their people succeed and benefit from South African legislation.

Client Testimonials