Our People
We have made it our life mission to give captive bred lions a sanctuary, a forever home where they can live as naturally as possible with dignity. We could not do this without the dedication and hard work of our people.
Our current board members are Andi Rive (RSA), Christo Engelbrecht (RSA) and Bradley Mitchell (USA).
Andi (Thandi) Rive (Founder)
Andi stumbled into the world of lions quite by chance where she learnt about the lion world of breeding for exploitative reasons such as hunting and the bone trade. Her passion was ignited and she became dedicated to creating a true, ethical sanctuary where lions could come to live out the rest of their lives in safety, dignity and privacy.
Andi began her career in caring for lions in 2011 when she saved 53 lions from an auction. Working for these lions became her passion and in 2015 she set up a lion sanctuary of her own, Love Lions Alive Sanctuary.
Andi is the Founder of LLA and is known as “The Lion Queen” from the TV series on Animal Planet.
Christo Engelbrecht (Founding Director)
Christo became a backer and partner of LLA’s unofficially at first. Helping in the fight for lions, he used his acumen as a lawyer and his integrity as a man of good moral fibre and astute intelligence. Later, in 2017, he became a founding director of LLA and he remains a board member to this day.
Bradley Mitchell (Current member of the board)
Husband and representative of Carol Mitchell, Brad offers a rational, objective point of view and a steady voice of reason. He has a way of seeing what the priorities are at LLA and cuts through the ego and deliberations, going to the core of the matter. He joined founding members Andi Rive and Christo Engelbrecht on the board when Line Risa stepped down in 2024.
Andre Smith (Founding Director)
A founding director, Andre played a vital role in the creation of LLA as a non-proift company, a Non-Profit Organization and a Public Benifiary Organization. He drove the registration processes, accounting and business compliance side of operations. Andre stepped down from the board in 2020.
Leon van Zyl
Leon was an integral part of the founding of LLA. Without him believing in me, I might not have believed in myself.
Everyday, when I was quite broken and possibly would have found myself spending most days lying down on the carpet instead of creating a sanctuary…. Leon would say “Thandi! Do not forget who you are or why you are here”.
Another thing he’d like to say to me was, “Boesman, eat the elephant one bite at a time”, yes, his pet name for me was Boesman.
Leon was a force of nature, a large man in character and stature. He had the softest heart embedded inside an iron frame. He expected a lot from himself and all those around him. He did not suffer fools, anything that wasted his time, trivialities or lily livered liers.
He did not back me and LLA because of a love for lions. In fact, for the longest time he refused to hear stories of the lions or to know their names. He did it for his love of me. And later, he fell in love with Taai, and he would have, in fact he was planning to, move the world for Taai.
Unfortunately, he died before he completed this plan. And I am unable to fulfil his legacy as I am not his size.
Line Risa
Line first came out as a volunteer when LLA was moving from the first farm it was on and we were busy constructing enclosures on Appin. Her interest and keen devotion to the project saw her returning several times before taking a sabbatical from the Norwegian Police force and becoming a long-term volunteer for the year of 2017.
Line was one of the very few humans willing to live on the side on a mountain, in a tent, caring for our big cats day in and day out for years. Her work ethic was amazing and her physical abilities and propensity for learning and then putting her learnt skill to practice, were perfect attributes for the job.
Line served as a Director on the Board from 2020 to 2024.
Tale Schulenberg
Tale gave generously of herself by coming back to LLA several times to volunteer and then, along with Line, staying for a year in 2017 as a long-term volunteer. She was a founding volunteer, and her time with LLA helped hugely in the creation of the sanctuary in the first years.
She is a strong woman, with a fantastic sense of adventure, always ready to live up to a challenge and to go the extra mile. She was proud of her work and did it well. She is now back in Norway, back in the police force, married and a mother of two boys.
Thokozane Nkabinde
Thokozane came to LLA as a young, fairly volatile but keen and good-hearted young man. He had been deeply disappointed in his previous job, an experience which made him realise that he truly wanted to work for the good of animals and he sort out a job where he would not be expected to exploit them.
He learnt and grew over his seven years at LLA as our foreman and lion team manager. He was always willing to do more and try harder. He took a personal interest in every single cat at LLA. He cared about the sanctuary and the people he worked with.
A good man. A true man. A man we were devastated to lose. Thokozane passed away on 23 May 2024 leaving 4 young daughters who were the light of his life.
Founding Donors
Without these people, we would not have been able to realise the dream of creating a sanctuary for lions.
Leon van Zyl, the Coetser family, Kevin Pieterson, Loof Foundation, Ramez Gosen, Katherine Scholfield, Ray Lee
Important People who were integral pieces of the puzzle that lead to the creation of LLA
Taiga Rive, Shanead Rive, Rhoan Rive, Pam Laing, Kathy Murrell, Mia Taverner, Tony Ingelson, Ansa Campher, Wessel Campher, George Galloway, Christo Engelbrecht, Andre Smith and Anton Leach.
Current Team
Mduduzi Lucky Moloi – Started at LLA in 2024. He is a gentle soul and a good-hearted man. A husband and father. Lucky’s integrity is strong, and he won’t compromise, always staying true to his core values. He had experience working with lions years before coming to LLA, and like Thokozane, he chose to rather forgo the security of a permanent salary, than follow orders that he felt were not inline with animal welfare. He is the team leader at LLA.
Lucky works with his team Thabo, Siphamandla, Sibusiso.