Benonian Grace van Zyl, a familiar face in local Rotary club circles, was recently inducted as the District Governor of Rotary District 9400.

District 9400 covers clubs across South Africa (Gauteng, parts of the North West, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga), Botswana, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), and Southern Mozambique.

Van Zyl’s induction was held at the Country Club Johannesburg, marking a deeply personal milestone for a leader whose own life was rebuilt through the very organisation she now leads.

ALSO READ: Van Rooyen ready to steer Rotary Aurora into a new era

Her journey with Rotary began 26 years ago when Van Zyl was at one of the lowest points in her life.

She was jobless, and her husband at the time had suffered several heart attacks and was unable to work.

A single Rotarian saw something in her and offered her an opportunity – a lifeline that changed the trajectory of her career and her family’s future.

Within eighteen months, she had risen into the top 10 financial advisors in South Africa. “I am so grateful to what Rotary did for me. Hitting rock bottom, 26 years later being able to stand strong in front of you, taking over as District Governor of this fantastic district, is an honour,” Van Zyl said at her induction.

A legacy of global impact

Van Zyl used her induction to remind Rotarians of the scale of what their organisation has already achieved:

Polio eradication: Since 1987, Rotary’s global vaccination campaign has helped reduce polio cases from roughly 1 000 per day in the 1950s to just 35 per year worldwide today.

Malaria vaccine production in Africa: Through a Rotary Global Grant, Rotary has helped bring malaria vaccine production to African soil in Uganda, with $7 million invested over the past four years.

Cervical cancer intervention in Egypt: A global grant has funded treatment and prevention efforts to protect young women from cervical cancer.

Maternal health in Nigeria: Rotary-equipped hospitals and clinics, along with trained health workers, have helped reduce maternal deaths during childbirth.

Safe learning spaces in Diepsloot, Gauteng: The Rotary Club of Morningside has built after-school facilities for learners using eco-bricks – two-litre plastic bottles packed tightly with plastic waste – clearing more than 40 000 tons of rubbish from the township while creating safe, sustainable spaces for young people to learn.

Planting trees for a future she may never see

Reflecting on the long-term nature of service, Van Zyl offered a reminder of why Rotarians give of themselves for causes whose full benefits they may never witness.

“When someone plants a tree, they know very well that they may not live long enough to enjoy the shade of that tree. That is what we are doing today. We want to ensure that Rotary survives long enough to serve more people even when we are gone.”

A vision built on peace, nutrition and education

Van Zyl outlined peace as a guiding theme for her term – not defined by the absence of conflict, but by the presence of opportunity.

“Peace is not the absence of war. We need to eradicate poverty through education, and the opportunity to feed themselves,” she said. “I also want to impact the Early Childhood Development Centres, to work with pregnant mothers to get the nutrition for their children.”

Her ambition is to help raise a generation of doctors, lawyers and engineers – starting with the basics of nutrition and care for children today, supported by an expansion of Rotary’s grant-making capacity to match the scale of the challenge.

A call to action

Van Zyl closed her address with a direct challenge to every Rotarian in District 9400 to put their skills and networks to work for the causes before them.

“Just think – if every one of us applied our knowledge and contacts to the problems we face in this country, this continent and the world, what we could all do.

“My challenge to everyone is that let us leverage the networks we have for the betterment of humanity.”

ALSO READ: Rotary E-Club inducts new members