A mother’s tears at a maternity ward have never left Mark Rossouw.

She was holding her newborn. She had nothing: no blanket, no clothing, no nappies. Then Rossouw handed her a Pamper Pack, part of the Lions Club of Tokai’s Baby Project, and her eyes filled with tears.

“She told me that if it was not for the Pamper Pack I had given her, she would not have had a blanket, clothing or nappies for her newborn when she was discharged,” he said.

It is the kind of moment that has kept Rossouw anchored in community service for more than a decade and the same conviction that saw him installed as the club’s 50th president at a ceremony on Saturday, June 27. He will lead the Lions Club of Tokai through the 2026/27 Lions fiscal year.

A long road to the top

Rossouw first joined the club in June 2013, drawn by a deep commitment to those on the margins of society.

“I have always been avid about service,” he said, “especially for the downtrodden and the less fortunate. Serving and giving to those who cannot fend for themselves.”

Over the years, he has held various roles from membership chairperson, Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) coordinator, vice president, disaster relief and humanitarian aid chair to marketing and media chair, a portfolio he has held since July 2018.

This is his second term as president. His first ran from 2021 to 2023, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. “It was a particularly difficult time, especially my first year,” Rossouw said. “But I had very good support from the club members and we pulled through.”

From the moment he addressed members at his installation, Rossouw made his intentions clear. His presidential motto is two words: Selfless Service.

“Serving others, by its very definition, is a selfless act,” he said. He pledged to lead with integrity, commitment and enthusiasm, and called on every member to embrace the motto as a guiding principle for the year ahead.

He outlined three priorities for his term: service delivery, leadership development and membership growth.

“We want to increase the number of people the club has served,” he said. On leadership, his focus is on succession.

“I want to inspire leadership amongst the club members so we can ensure the club keeps going long into the future.”

Membership growth, he said, serves one purpose. “More hands mean better service. An increase in membership simply means we can serve our communities better.”

While the club will continue its existing projects, Rossouw hinted at an exciting addition. “We are already working on adding a new project to our GBV initiatives,” he said. The details will be revealed during Women’s Month.

A call to the community

Rossouw used his inaugural address to speak directly to anyone considering joining the club.

“If you are passionate about doing something for someone else, without expecting anything in return, then please consider joining the Lions Club of Tokai,” he said.

Away from Lions, Rossouw is employed by the City of Cape Town’s Development Management Department. He also volunteers for the City’s Disaster Risk Management Department and serves as the Lions 410W District chair for Disaster Relief and Humanitarian Aid.

“Success for me would be that I have achieved all the goals I set out to achieve,” he said, “and that the club members were happy with my leadership.

“We are ordinary people doing extraordinary things and you can become one of these ordinary people,” Rossouw concluded.

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