Staff and Board
At Afesis-corplan we believe that the most appropriate way to provide professional and innovative services to all our stakeholders is to ensure that our staff focus on and are organised according to the organisation’s competencies.
The organisation currently employs 14 staff members. The staff are skilled professionals with years of experience and professional or post-graduate qualifications. The organisation strives to achieve racial and gender representation both in terms of overall staff composition and leadership opportunity.
Staff
She has worked in the public, academic and NGO sectors in the past and has extensive experience in the design and use of participatory research methodologies, an approach which still characterises her work. Her present interests are the attainment of Afesis-corplan’s strategic goals, its resilience and sustainability, as well as ensuring that it remains a partner of choice in efforts aimed at deepening participatory local democracy.
Bridget van Wyk is the Finance and Administration Manager at Afesis-corplan. She holds an Honours BCompt degree and is a registered professional accountant with SAIPA. Before joining Afesis-corplan in May 2018, Bridget worked as a Financial Controller at an insurance brokerage for 6 years and prior to that completed her article training.
In her position, Bridget is responsible for ensuring that all organisational programmes adhere to achieving the overall objectives within their stipulated budgets. She provides financial advice, planning and operational support to the organisation in line with its strategic plans. She manages and controls audit processes and prepares financial reports. Bridget also ensures effective implementation of key operational and administrative processes.
Ronald Eglin is the Sustainable Settlement Specialist at Afesis-corplan. Before joining the organisation, Ronald studied City and Regional Planning at the University of Cape Town. Ronald joined Afesis-corplan in the early 1990s as a Project Worker in the Projects Department. His present work predominantly focuses on land access and sustainable settlement work. Ronald has a keen interest in development planning, community development, environmentally sustainable development and participatory planning. Some of his more recent interests include the People’s Housing Process (PHP), co-operative housing, incremental settlement development, land access, and urban and rural land tenure and land use management.
Ronald enjoys the challenge of learning about and trying out new approaches to development that encourage community control of the development process. His vision for land and housing in South Africa is one where everyone has access to land and basic services as a first step towards incrementally improving their housing situation..
Vanessa’s strong work ethic coupled with 23 years of experience makes her an asset to the effective functioning of the organisation.
Nontobeko Gcabashe has a Master of Social Science focusing in Conflict Transformation and Peace Studies from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN); a BA Honours in Development Studies from the University of South Africa, and a Bachelor of Social Science (majored in Geography and Rural Resource Management) from UKZN. Nontobeko has extensive experience in programme planning and coordination, research and stakeholder engagement. She is interested in tackling issues related to social injustices and inequality; and the need for inclusive participation of women and youth in development processes. She is a Programme Manager: Kagisano at Afesis-corplan working towards promoting social cohesion and preventing collective violence.
Jim Mkhuseli Madiba is a Community Development Practitioner with over 15 years of local and international experience in community development; having worked in several South African provinces, Canada, Ghana, Italy, and the Philippines. He holds a BA Hons in Community Development and comes with extensive knowledge in effectively engaging and capacitating members of diverse communities with civic education, conflict resolution, and socio-political navigation toolkits. He is a Programme Officer working on the Kagisano project in Cape Town.
Mduduzi Ntongana is a Programme Officer in the Basic Services Unit at Afesis-corplan and he joined the team in April 2022. Mduduzi studied Urban and Regional Planning at the University of the Witwatersrand and went on to join a town planning consultancy in East London. His previous experience includes developing Spatial Development Frameworks, Integrated Development Plans, Precinct Plans, Housing Sector Plans and other policies for municipalities across the country. Presently at Afesis-corplan Mduduzi’s line of responsibility focuses on sustainable human settlements work, participatory planning and community development in the Basic Services unit. Mduduzi also possesses other skills such as drone photography, video editing, basic 3D modelling and layout planning using AutoCad. Equipped with the urban & regional planning profession knowledge, Mduduzi finds purpose in being part of an inclusive and transformative team that actively works on addressing the growing housing crisis, local economic development, inadequate infrastructure services, safety of women and children, and the growing number of neglected spaces (informal settlements) in South Africa.
Vusi Gqomose is a Programme Officer in the Basic Services Unit, working specifically on the Asivikelane campaign. After pursuing his national diploma in Electrical Engineering with Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Vusi had an opportunity to be employed by the first national lottery operator in South Africa where he received extensive IT training in Data Center Network Infrastructure Management through an online gaming environment using Prosys for Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). He has Information and Communication Technology (ICT) qualifications from institutions such as Damelin, Siemens, Unihold, NIIT and GTECH Corporation. He has a certificate on Broadcast Management from Rhodes University.
His work experience includes Systems Development, Programme Management, Skills Training, Social Facilitation, Communications and Stakeholder Management. Before joining Afesis-corplan, Vusi had spent over 5 years focusing on Sustainable Community Development.
Sikhander, a Programme Manager – Policy and Strategic Communication at Afesis-corplan graduated from the University of Witwatersrand with a Higher Diploma in Adult Education and from Royal College of Surgeons with an International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance. Sikhander has over 20 years experience in the field of local governance and has worked extensively in the NGO, academic and private sectors. The focus of his activities at Afesis-corplan is on Deepening Participatory Local Governance.
Zimasa Mpemnyama is a Programme Officer for Strategic Communications at Afesis-corplan where she works on various projects focusing on internal and external communications, content creation, research, stakeholder relations and media engagement. She holds a Master’s degree in Media Theory and Practice from the University of Cape Town, an Honours degree in Journalism and Media Studies from the University of the Witwatersrand and a BSc in Human Physiology and Microbiology from the University of Cape Town. Her Masters dissertation examined the representation of black voices in a 1980’s newspapers, the precursor to the Mail and Guardian, The Weekly Mail. It tied together questions of race, gender, journalism history and representation. She has interests in the arts, social justice, feminist politics and media history. She has written and worked for a number of publications and media organisations.
Sibulele Janda is a Programme Officer for Strategic Communications at Afesis-corplan with a focus on strategic communications, social media management, content creation and policy research. She holds a National Diploma in Journalism at the Walter Sisulu University. She has held internship positions in the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and the Eastern Cape Liquor Board. She has experience in the local government sector and now the NGO sector.
Her passion is community building and unleashing the potential that community members have in bettering themselves and creating opportunities for themselves. She is an activist at heart.
Unam Mlisana graduated with a Bachelor of Honours in Development Studies from the University of the Western Cape (UWC) and with a BA in Geography & Environmental Studies, Tourism and Psychology from the same university. She volunteered at the Gender Equity Unit based at UWC for two years. Her interests are in feminism, queer rights and good local governance.
Lubabalo Mtengwane holds a degree in Social Sciences and Honours in Social Anthropology from Walter Sisulu University (WSU). His research study was on the distribution of land along the lines of tradition and gender in the rural Eastern Cape. His interests include community development, local governance, cultural diversity and social cohesion. Before joining Afesis Corplan he did his in-service training at the Eastern Cape Department of Public Works and some volunteer work for the Nelson Mandela Museum.
Board of Directors
Registered as a not-for-profit Section 21 company, Afesis-corplan operates under the governance of a Board of Directors comprised of prominent members of the public and private sectors.
Gafeee consults with government and its agencies. She is the past president of National Association of Social Housing Organisation’s (NASHO), and is also currently a board member of the Own Haven Housing Association and the Siyafunda Trust. She has held membership of several national policy task teams set up by the National Department of Human Settlements and participated in the development of the housing chapter of the NDP.
