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 10 staff members, 6 of whom have professional or post-graduate qualifications. 7 staff members are from historically disadvantaged communities. 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 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.
Qhamani holds a Masters degree in Urban and Regional Planning, a Bachelor of Spatial Planning Honours and a Bachelor of science in Environmental Geography all from the University of the Free State. His Masters dissertation explored the concept of Urban Equity from the lens of Studentification. Prior to joining Afesis-corplan he worked as a Research Assistant in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of the Free State and had a short stint in the private sector working as a Trainee Town Planner for a firm in Bloemfontein. As a student at the University of the Free State he immersed himself in student politics serving as chairperson of the residence committee at House Outeniqua and later chairperson of the West College Primes Council. In pursuit of ensuring student representation in decision making at the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, he was one of the founding members of the Urban and Regional Planning Student Council in 2018 serving as the organization’s first chairperson. Qhamani is an activist at heart and has a keen interest in social justice and equitable access to resources for all citizens.
Zwanga has eight years’ writing experience and has spent six years as a Senior Reporter writing for the Daily Dispatch in the Eastern Cape. Zwanga’s skills will assist Afesis-corplan share its insights and experiences with the broader public.
After pursuing his national diploma in Electrical Engineering with Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, he 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 Siemens, Unihold, NIIT and GTECH Corporation; which is a world leading transaction processing and technology integrated company based in the US; and these included deploying system solutions that ensure robust business continuance, enhance data security and cost effective storage area networks.
He also worked for UMSO Information and Communication Technology as an Operations Manager where he managed all operations in Systems Development, Promotion Media and Desktop Publishing, Skills Training, Provision of ICT Infrastructure and equipment, Communications, Marketing and Events Management. During this time he worked extensively with most FET Colleges and Municipalities in the Eastern Cape and most of the work included capacity building.
He has ventured into entrepreneurship focusing on developing and implementing events, communication and marketing strategies and some of the highlights include the hosting of an international investment conference in OR Tambo District Municipality in 2008/9. He has over 5 years solid experience in Project Management, Stakeholder Management and Fundraising. Due to his extensive experience,Vusi has considerable business acumen which spans over 20 years. He also has a Broadcast Management Certificate from Rhodes University, he strongly advocates for the need and support of community radio. Due to his exposure and contribution to the good work that Afesis-corplan and other NGO’s do for the ordinary people of South Africa, over the years Vusi has nurtured expertise that seek to add value to these dialogues aimed at advocating for social and economic justice; he extends this cause through radio programmes. He is currently chairman of a rural economic development agency that focuses on equitable use of available resources to address socio-economic needs towards Sustainable Community Development.
Zimasa Mpemnyama recently submitted her Masters thesis at the University of Cape Town’s Centre for Film and Media Studies. Her thesis examined the representation of black voices in the Weekly Mail’s political reporting and it tied together questions of race, gender, journalism history and representation. She holds an Honours in Journalism and Media Studies from the University of the Witwartersrand and a BSc in Human Physiology and Microbiology from the University of Cape Town. She has interests in the arts, feminist politics and media history. She has written and worked for a number of publications and media organisations. Zimasa is currently an intern for the Deepening participatory local governance project at Afesis-corplan.
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.
