Board

Khululekile Mase is currently the DDG responsible for Urban Planning at Gauteng CoGTA. He is mainly responsible for Integrated Development Planning, Spatial Planning, Municipal Infrastructure Support & Planning and Intergovernmental Relations. He spent 8 years in the Office of the Premier, where he led on Spatial & Infrastructure Planning, Long Term Planning and Research.

He has many years of experience in local and provincial government, focusing on policy, research, planning, monitoring and evaluation. He also worked for the then Gauteng Department of Local Government and Housing, the City of Cape Town and SALGA. He is a graduate of the Universities of Cape Town, Stellenbosch and Birmingham (UK).

Mduduzi Mbada is the Head of the Policy Research and Advisory Services Unit (PRAS) and Acting Director General in the Gauteng Government, Office of the Premier. He has more than ten years of experience in public service, a seasoned skilled practitioner in strategy development and planning, policy formulation, implementation, monitoring & evaluation. He is a board member of the Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO). In 1999 he was appointed ANC Gauteng Policy Coordinator, responsible for policy monitoring, evaluation, and implementation. Between 2004 to 2007, he served as Secretary of the ANC Caucus in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, wherein he dealt extensively with issues at the nexus of public policy and law-making. He went on to provide strategic advice and support to the Premiers of Gauteng and the Minister of Arts and Culture on Policy and Governance matters (2008 – 2019).

Mduduzi holds a Masters of Management from the University of Witwatersrand (2013). The research topic for his Masters thesis is "The case of the Development Bank of Southern Africa as a knowledge institution." He is a PhD Candidate at Wits University, pursuing a research project on inclusive cities.

He led the team that organised hosting the inaugural Africa Investment Forum in partnership with the African Development (AfDB) in 2018, wherein he served as the Chairperson of the Steering Committee. Between 2014 to 2018, he served as a member of the Wits University Council. He also led the team that developed the GGT2030 Plan of Action aimed at Transforming, Modernising and Reindustrialising the Gauteng City Region. He served as a Project Management Office (PMO) member, which provided strategic support for the Gauteng City Region response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was explicitly leading the data, research, and analytics team, collaborating with the Premiers Advisory Committee on COVID-19, the GCRO and Universities to ensure evidence-based decision-making by the Gauteng City-Region, Provincial Coronavirus Command Council (PCCC).

Mduduzi was born in Soweto, Tladi Clinic. He started schooling at Emvulamehlo Combined in Emoyeni, Bergville, Natal. However, he had to return to Soweto and continue his education at Emnseni Primary and King Zwelithini Higher Primary, Emndeni. He enrolled at Bona Senior Secondary School in Orlando. After completing matric, Mduduzi worked as a cadet technologist at Anglo-American Research Laboratories in Booysens. He then registered at the Technikon Witwatersrand (now the University of Johannesburg), where he completed a Pre-Technicians Course in 1995 and for a Diploma in Extraction Metallurgy until the second semester of the second year. However, he never completed the Diploma; instead, he completed a Higher Certificate in Labour Relations Law, at Technikon Wits (University of Johannesburg), in 1998.

Mduduzi also completed the following postgraduate qualifications; a Higher Certificate in Project Management, with Damelin (2002); a Professional Certificate in Public Management (PCPM), with P&DM, University of Witwatersrand 2005; Policy Writing, Implementation and Evaluation (2006); Advance Policy Implementation (2007); Outcomes Based Monitoring and Evaluation (2008), with the School of Public Management and Planning, University of Stellenbosch.

In 2020, Mduduzi attended and completed a certificate in Governance Capacity Building for South Africa, delivered by the National School of Governance and the China Africa Institute. He also participated in and completed the Executive Education Programme for SA Government Officials, offered by the University College London (UCL) and the National School of Government.

Mduduzi has attended and completed various courses – a Certificate in Mastering Negotiations: Building Agreements Across Boundaries from Harvard Kennedy School, 2013; a Certificate in Strategic Leadership for Corporate Affairs Executive Programme from University of Pretoria, GIBS, 2016; the Executive Course in Strategic Leadership for ANC Cadres, University of the Witwatersrand, Graduate School of Public and Development Management (P&DM), May-Oct 2003; the Management and Leadership Skills, training course, with the SAMDI, South African Management Development Institute, 20 July to 22 July 2005; the Finance Management training course, with the SAMDI, South African Management Development Institute, 13 October to 15 October 2005 and the Finance Management training course, with Regenesys School of Public Management, 04 – 06 October 2004.

In the 2004 and 2006 elections, Mduduzi served as the Provincial List Administrator in Gauteng Province. In 2008, Mduduzi was appointed as the Coordinator of the ANC Gauteng Review Task Team on the government's performance for the past 15 years. From 2004 to 2009, Mduduzi served as a member of the Editorial Collective of the ANC Journal, Umrabulo. Between 1999 and 2008, Mduduzi served as a member of the ANC PEC Research Subcommittee and as the ANC Gauteng PEC Governance Committee Coordinator. Mduduzi was a part-time Facilitator and Trainer for Education and Training Unit (ETU). In 2007, as part of ETU, Mduduzi, among many sessions, facilitated the ANC Caucus of the Eastern Cape Legislature.

After introducing the new local government system, Mduduzi served as the facilitator for the ANC Caucus of Joburg Makgotla from 2000 to 2005. Mduduzi was part of the ANC Gauteng drafting team that developed and produced the ANC Gauteng Base Document in 2004. In 2006 Mduduzi also served in the group that researched "Tracking changes on the Social, Political and Organisational Features of the ANC and the Broader Democratic Movement in GAUTENG".

Mduduzi is published and writes extensively on various topical issues. His writings can be accessed on his blog https://mdumbada.blogspot.com/

Lynn Morris is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research and Innovation at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. She has a DPhil from the University of Oxford and is Research Professor and Director of the Antibody Immunity Research Unit based at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a division of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS). Over the last 28 years she has made significant contributions to understanding the antibody response to HIV and is responsible for performing validated antibody assays for HIV clinical trials. Lynn is an NRF A-rated scientist, has published over 270 papers holding an H-Index of 63 and has featured in the Web of Science list of highly cited researchers. She is a member of Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) and a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS), the Royal Society of South Africa (FRSSA) and The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS).

Dr Mfaniseni Fana Sihlongonyane is a professor of Development Planning and Urban Studies in the School of Architecture and Planning at Wits University. He studied Geography and Theology at the University of Swaziland in which he got a 2:1 in 1992. In 1993, he trained as a teacher to obtain a Post-graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) with distinction. From 1994 to 1995, he did a Masters in Development Planning at Wits University and from 2004 to 2008 he obtained a doctorate (DPhil) at Oxford University. He has been the undergraduate coordinator in the School between 2008 and 2011. He was director of the Planning Programme from 2011 to 2014. He also served as a member as well as the Alternate chair of the South African Council of Planners in 2008-2012 and 2013 to 2017 respectively. He was chairperson of the Scientific Committee for the 52nd Congress of ISOCARP which was held in Durban in 2016. He has been a hall coordinator at Esselen Residence between 1997-2003 and warden for EOH Residence from 2007 to 2020.

In the university, Fana is the Principal Investigator for the WITS-TUB Collaboration project between the university and the Technical University of Berlin, Germany which offers six PhD and 13 masters scholarships as well as staff and students exchange with a total funding of 450 000 Euros per annum over five years. He has recently been a member of the following university committees: University Senate; (2011-14) University Human Resources Committee, University Campus Planning and Development Committee (2012-15); University EXCO-Convocation; University Sexual Harassment Committee; Faculty Board, Faculty Teaching and Learning Committee (2011-2014); Faculty Performance Policy Appraisal Committee (only in 2012), Faculty of Humanities Staffing and Promotions Committee (2012 to date); School chair of the Undergraduate Committee (2007-2012); member of the School EXCO (2012-2013); School Policy Committee; Postgraduate Committee (2011-2012); Space Development Committee (2012-2013); Research Development Working Group (2014 to date) and Occupational Health and Safety Environment Committee (2014 - 2017). CUBES exec 2012 to date; Post-graduate Coordinator 2016 to 2019.

Saurabh Sinha, SMIEEE, FSAIEE, FSAAE. Prof Sinha obtained his B. Eng, M. Eng and Ph.D. degrees in Electronic Engineering from the University of Pretoria (UP). He achieved both his B. Eng and M. Eng with distinction. As a published researcher, he has authored or co-authored approximately 110 publications in peer-reviewed journals, books and at international conferences. In addition, he is the managing editor of the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers (SAIEE) Africa Research Journal. Prof Sinha served UP for over a decade; his last service being as Director of the Carl and Emily Fuchs Institute for Microelectronics, Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering. Together with his research group, he conducted teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, researched and performed extensive management tasks. To allow for continuation of postgraduate leadership, he was appointed as extraordinary professor at UP. On 1 October 2013, Prof Sinha was appointed as Executive Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment (FEBE) at the University of Johannesburg (UJ). On 1 Dec. 2017, Prof Sinha was appointed as Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Internationalisation.

During his term as Executive Dean, he has significantly contributed to the UJ Global Excellence and Stature Strategic Goal and this contribution is reflected, both quantifiably and qualitatively, in research and innovation, teaching and learning, international profile for global excellence and stature (GES), national and global reputation management, and fitness for GES. During his 4-year term as dean, stellar achievements include, the successful attraction of globally renowned academics, tripling the research/external funding to the faculty, increasing the research publication outputs by 2.3 to over 360 units, significantly growing graduate outputs, to over 2000 graduates in 2016, quadrupling the number of NRF rated researchers, approximately doubling the intake of international students to over 900 students (1 in 10 FEBE students), despite disciplinary scarcity – the FEBE transformation reflects 1 in 2 new academic recruits are from designated communities, and many others. Along with these leadership or management achievements, Prof Sinha’s research group submitted 25 publication units (recognised journal articles, book chapters, books and conference proceedings) to the DHET for 2016 and a similar figure for 2017. Prof Sinha is rated, until end of 2024, as an established researcher – the rating was granted by the National Research Foundation (NRF), South Africa.

Beyond his academic contributions, Prof Sinha remains an active member of several professional societies. Significant elected positions include 2014-2015 IEEE Vice-President: Educational Activities and IEEE Board of Directors. IEEE is a global engineering society, over 130 years in age, and constituting 420,000 members in over 190 countries. To our knowledge, this was the first occasion where such an appointment occurred from the African continent and the election of Prof Sinha was therefore significant for this reason as well.

As of 1 Oct. 2018, Prof Sinha was appointed by the South African cabinet to serve as a member of the South African NRF Board and was subsequently appointed to chair the research and development committee (RDC) of the NRF Board. He’s also a member of the Human Resources (HR) & Remuneration committee of the NRF Board. He is a member of the Metropolitan Trading Company (MTC) Board (a City of Johannesburg owned entity), chairs the social, ethics and HR committee of the MTC Board. For UJ, he chairs the Board of the Resolution Circle (RC) – a UJ owned company geared towards technical professional education. He has served the RC Board for over 5 years. Prof Sinha also Chairs, in 2019, the Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO) Board.

He is also the recipient of the 2007 SAIEE Engineer of the Year Award, 2010 UP Laureate Award and 2013 TW Kambule NRF-NSTF Award for his outstanding contribution to science, engineering, technology and innovation (SETI) through research and its outputs. In 2017, Prof Sinha was a finalist in the 2016/2017 NSTF-South32 Awards – TW Kambule Award (Management Category). Prof Sinha, a registered professional engineer, also served as an industrial consultant for Business Enterprises at the University of Pretoria (Pty) Ltd; in this role – he served a number of industrial sectors, both public and private.

Prof Sinha currently serves on committees of international, national, regional and professional societies. In the recent past, he has served on the Electrical Engineering Professional Advisory Committee, Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA). ECSA is a signatory of the Washington Accord, International Engineering Alliance (IEA).

Fiona Tregenna is a Professor in the Department of Economics and Econometrics at the University of Johannesburg. She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Cambridge, a Masters degree in Economics from the University of Massachusetts (Amherst), and earlier degrees from the Universities of the Witwatersrand and Natal (now KwaZulu-Natal).

In the past she has worked for among others the National Labour and Economic Development Institute, the Congress of South African Trade Unions, universities in South Africa and abroad, and as a consultant to various research institutes and international organisations.

Her research has been published or is forthcoming in journals including Review of Political Economy, Cambridge Journal of Economics, Applied Economics, International Review of Applied Economics, South African Journal of Economics, Development Southern Africa, European Journal for the History of Economic Thought, Review of African Political Economy and Industrial and Corporate Change, as well as a number of book chapters.

Fiona has presented her research at conferences and seminars in the United States, Brazil, Japan, Greece, Finland, Chile, Cuba, Turkey, Spain, India, China, Switzerland, Ghana, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and elsewhere.

Cllr Nonkoliso Tundzi-Hawu matriculated in 1991 at Ntabankulu Senior Secondary School in the Eastern Cape. She studied Public Management with UNISA (not completed). She obtained a certificate on councillor development and leadership certificate at the University of Pretoria, certificate on municipal governance at Wits University and attended different seminars and training programmes.

She is the Councillor and Speaker at the West Rand District Municipality (WRDM) since 2016. She held the position of Councillor and Executive Mayor of Westonaria local municipality between 2011 and 2016. Between 2008 and 2011 she held the position of Councillor and Speaker at WRDM. She was also a Councillor and EXCO member at Westonaria municipality between 2000 and 2006. She was a temporary admin worker at Westonaria Local municipality in 1997 until 2000 and a Community Peace Worker between 1995 and 1997. She served in various council committees ( Finance, LED, Housing, etc.) during her time of service as a Councillor in 2000. She was elected a SALGA PEC member in 2016 to date and SALGA Gauteng Deputy Chairperson in 2022.

Cllr Tundzi-Hawu's professional mission statement is to serve the community with integrity. She believes that Local Government (LG) needs dedicated and skilled personnel and people with passion to serve the community. Resource allocation needs to be improved (Dora, equitable share, MIG etc) and LG must be helped to improve revenue collection (most people fall in the indigent list). She believes that the grading formula needs to be reconsidered, especially where there are districts and locals, provision of more support for LED programmes, continuous capacity building for both officials and councillors and mining sector billing on rates and taxes needs to be scrutinised and improved.

Prior to joining SALGA, she worked extensively on German Development Corporation, and her focus was on facilitating technical and strategic planning sessions for municipalities in Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape; development and support for the establishment of Community of Practice Blue Print for participating municipalities.

She has also occupied various senior roles in the following organisations: Harith General Partners; UN Women; Toti Capital and Vaux Media. Furthermore, she also worked as Interim Chief Executive Officer Soweto Community Television (Stv) where she was responsible for the development of the Channel Strategy and facilitated the Board & Executive Management Strategy Lekgotla.

In addition, she also held the role Chief Executive Officer at Gauteng Enterprise Propeller (GEP); and her focus was on Corporate Finance, Human Resources and Administration; Management Services including: Policy Development of the military veterans support, Strategic Planning, Performance Management System and Support Services; as well as Human Development Services.

Some of her achievements include the following: The Development of the UN Women Flagship Program Strategy for the SA Multi-country office; Development of the Integrated Social, Health & Community Development Services functions; and the Development of the Women, Children, Youth and Gender Mainstreaming Policies & Strategies for the City of Johannesburg. She also played a pivotal role in the development of the Early Childhood Policy and Strategy; Development of the Vulnerable Support and Expanded Social Package Programme; as well as the establishment of the HIV Council Chaired by the then Executive Mayor for the City of Johannesburg.

Furthermore, she also facilitated community participation & networks development & management of Civic Programs & Projects; and was also instrumental in the establishment of the Migrants Policy and Programme for the City of Johannesburg; as well as the Development of Youth, Women & PWD Business Incubation Empowerment Programme.

Pilisiwe is in possession of Masters in Public Management and Development; as well as the Postgraduate Diploma in Public Management and Development from Regenesys School of Public Management. She also holds a Senior Diploma in Paralegal Studies from the South African School of Paralegal Studies; Certificate in Labour Development Programme from Wits Business School. Furthermore, she also completed her Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Lesotho.