Affiliation – Department of Geography, University of South Africa, Johannesburg.

Prof Anja du Plessis is an Associate Professor and a NRF Y2 rated researcher specialising in water resource management. Her research has been featured in several international, continental and national media interviews. She is actively involved in engaged scholarship, providing comments on current water-related issues on varying scales and have acted as a speaker and panellist at conferences and/or conventions. Prof du Plessis has also acted as a consultant since 2015, completed various projects and have become a research associate for companies In the private sector. She has an established public profile as a known water expert attributed to her continued research and engaged scholarship. Her research is focused upon evaluating the current state of water resources (availability and quality), identification of water-related risks (environmental, human health and socio-economic activities), evaluation of the possible effects of increased climate variability, nature-based wastewater treatment solutions or opportunities as well as good water governance and management within different contexts to ensure current and future water security.

The fundamental part of her continued research is the analyses of water quality and availability (surface and groundwater resources), analyses of reliability and standard of access to water, water supply and sanitation service delivery as well as the evaluation of the possible effects of increased climate variability on water resources, human livelihoods and socio-economic development. Her research also focuses on the value of citizen science and the role it can play in the empowerment of vulnerable and rural communities. Lastly, her research focuses on water governance and management decisions, water-related risks and providing recommendations and/or action plans for informed decision-making and water security.

Dr. Raeesa Moolla (based at the University of the Witwatersrand) is an atmospheric scientist with a PhD from the University of the Witwatersrand. Her current focus lies in hotspot monitoring and modelling of urban-scale air pollution and its impacts on human health, specifically related to VOC emissions and pollution from the transport sector. She has collaborations with several international agencies and universities, including researchers based at NOAA, in the USA; CNRS, in France; the Earth System Data Exploration unit at Forschungszentrum Jülich, in Germany and ETH Zurich, in Switzerland;  as well as local universities and government departments in South Africa. Dr. Moolla was elected to the Scientific Steering Committee of the Tropospheric Ozone Assessment Report (TOAR) and is leading the African Assessment of Ozone across the continent and was also admitted as a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Douw Steyn joined the Plastics Federation of SA, as an Environmental Officer in June 1997, after working for the Population Development Program (PDP) in Kwazulu Natal for 12 years, where he was responsible for Population Education, Environment and Industry liaison.

Douw’s passion lies in guiding and supporting the @South African plastics industry’s sustainability objectives in South Africa, ensuring environmental responsibility, as well as education of the public and awareness creation in terms of plastics, its uses and recycling.

He is an active member of various waste management and environmental organisations such as the Global Plastics Alliance, the AFRICAN ELECTRONIC WASTE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION of SA, past Chairman of the National Waste & Recycling Association SA (12 years) and founder member of various organisations and campaigns such as the Marine and Coastal Educators Forum, the International Coastal Clean-up SA, Clean-up and Recycle SA Week and Recycling Day SA, member of the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) Regional Ocean Governance Strategy (ROGS) and serves on the African Marine Waste Network Advisory Panel

He is currently the Director Sustainability at Plastics SA.

Douw studied Physical Education and is a qualified karate instructor (5th Dan) and Master Scuba Diver.

Benoît Le Roy is and environmental alchemist with forty years of water engineering experience and is the CEO and co-founder of the South African Water Chamber established to represent the private water infrastructure sector to collaborate with and assist government to implement the national water and sanitation master plan; he is also a founding director of Nexus Water Alchemy and Water Ledger South Africa, both incorporated South African companies at the leading edge of the nexus of water digitisation. ​

This will not only be key in reindustrialising the water sector, but it will also provide a myriad of skilled jobs and the opportunity to again export water related products and expertise globally.​

Micole Martens is passionate about the environment but more importantly the sustainable solutions to ensure a proactive change for the better.  With an BSc honours degree in Environmental, Chemistry and Marine Biology.​

Micole has 15 years working experiences being involved in marine aquaculture, numerous surveys and vast Laboratory experience in water, wastewater, soil, sludge marine & waste testing and legislation.  ​

Now heading up one of South Africa’s largest commercial environmental laboratories, she strives to ensure Clients receive reliable, innovative, quality service on a daily basis.  ​

Micole is driven by being part of the change, the bigger picture and is excited to continuously learn and grow in the Environmental field​.

WINNER Startup Mentor of the Year 2023 – Willem Gous

WINNER Entrepreneurship Education Program 2023 – Human Entrepreneur

African Startup Ecosystem Builder Awards Nairobi 2023

Willem Gous, an entrepreneur for more than 25 years and ASEB (African Startup Ecosystem Builder Awards) Startup Mentor of the Year 2023 South Africa, is a South African entrepreneur who developed a recipe for job creation in Africa. In his business, The Human Entrepreneur, he takes unemployed people in townships. He helps them develop the right mindset, mental fitness, and rhythm of success to start a profitable business with customers without external funding in just 5 weeks.

His focus on micro-entrepreneurship continues with his latest book, “Side Hustle Success—A Low-Cost, Low-Risk Way to Make More Money in 5 Easy Steps.” Written for Africa, it is easy, simple, and contextual to the continent. It focuses on awakening the entrepreneurial spirit in schools, universities, and communities.

Dr Heidi van Deventer is a Principal researcher at the Coastal Systems and Earth Observation Research Group of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

Heidi’s research focuses on the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Earth Observation (EO) technology for the mapping, classification and monitoring of freshwater ecosystems. She has been involved in the typing of freshwater ecosystems in the National Freshwater Ecosystems Priority Areas (NFEPA) project and atlas and has led the Freshwater Component of the National Biodiversity Assessment of 2018 (NBA 2018), in collaboration with the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI).

Heidi also led a project on the use of EO technology for the mapping and monitoring of freshwater ecosystems under global change, funded by the Water Research Commission (WRC) from 2016 – 2020. Currently she has a WRC project on monitoring of #wetlands on the Maputaland Coastal Plain.

Since 2021, she is the African representative of the Freshwater Biodiversity Observation Network (FWBON) coordinating committee. She is also registered as a Professional GISc Practitioner (PGP 0117) under the PLATO Act.

Julius Kleynhans is the Local Government Executive at the OUTA – Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse, where he leads initiatives to ensure accountable and effective governance in South Africa’s municipalities. With a deep-seated passion for environmental sustainability and a robust background in public policy, Julius has been instrumental in civic action when it comes to failing municipalities, more specifically in water services.

Julius’s career is marked by his commitment to advocacy and public service. He has been a vocal champion for water security, leveraging his expertise to address the critical challenges facing South Africa’s water resources. His insights and leadership have been pivotal in fostering collaborative solutions to the water crisis, emphasising the importance of cogovernance, government accountability and community involvement.

Beyond his professional achievements, Julius is known for his dynamic public speaking and his ability to inspire and mobilise stakeholders across various sectors. His contributions to the field have earned him recognition as a thought leader in local governance and environmental / water stewardship.

Mariette Liefferink is the CEO of Federation for a Sustainable Environment, The FSE is widely recognized as the most prominent of the environmental activist stakeholders in the mining industry.​

​The FSE was a finalist in the 2019/2020 NSTF-South 32 Awards: “In recognition of an outstanding contribution to science, engineering, technology and innovation.”​

​Listed by City Press as one of the women who inspired the City Press Team (“Changing the narrative: The women who inspired the City Press team”.  City Press Reporters. 2019-08-09)​

One of the 100 most influential people in Africa’s Mining Industry ​

​South African Human Rights Commission’s Appointed Human Rights Monitor/Champion​

The CHANCELLOR’S MEDAL of the North West University on the 9th of October, 2009​

Main character:  Jozi Gold.  Documentary Film

With a degree in Mining Engineering and extensive experience in management, planning, production and projects obtained during his employment at Sasol, BHP Billiton and South32, Gerrie not only has the ability to see the long-term big picture, but he also has the practical skills to simplify complex issues and effectively transforms good ideas into workable solutions.

Armed with a bold vision, a passion to make a difference in South Africa and an MBA from the University of Stellenbosch Business School, Gerrie pursued a new career to be part of a solution to an old problem: help save water. He started AQUAffection in 2015, as the vehicle to drive this dream and instigate change.

Passion being what brought the AQUAffection team together, Gerrie believes that the power to effect the much needed change to make a significant difference, lies in the collective effort to save water, one-drop-at-a-time. For the past 9 years the team has lobbied anyone within earshot to join the good fight, to truly understand the water challenges we face, and to start by fundamentally change our relationship with water.

Some achievements of AQUAffection’s journey to date:

• More than 3 Billion litres of water saved through the combined efforts of individuals and companies
• Started the #SurplusWater2025 movement to educate, raise awareness and provide tools and tactics to help reduce water demand and to track and report the impact in South Africa.
• Development of an online training platform and resource hub to digitally support the #SurplusWater2025 movement, increasing reach and making information available and accessible to a wider audience.
• Developed and patented a toilet outlet valve, a cost-effective retro-fit of existing systems, resulting in massive water savings, and available at most major plumbing outlets

Qualifications:

• BEng (Mining Engineering), University of Pretoria
• Mine Managers Certificate of Competence (MMCC), Department of Mineral Resources
• MBA, University of Stellenbosch Business School

With 35 years of experience in the industry, Steven is a seasoned expert in water, steam, and waste treatment. His extensive knowledge encompasses:

• Chemical application (Hydrex, Suez)
• Dust control
• Water treatment and management for the Chemical Processing Industry
• The Water-Energy nexus
• Water Pinch and Water Footprint calculation
• Water conservation techniques
• Cooling and boiler water treatment
• Coagulation, flocculation, and solid-liquid separation
• Hygiene, sanitation, and pasteurizer treatment
• Sterilizer and cannery water management
• Membrane processes, RO, and desalination
• Corrosion and scale control
• Ash water treatment
• Filtration and microbiological control
• Legionella risk assessments and remediation
• Hydrotherapy and hospital water management
• Cruise ship water disinfection
• Disinfectants: chlorine, chlorine dioxide, bromine, ozone
• Foam control and antifoams
• Potable water treatment and purification for game lodges and hospitality
• Borehole water, process additives, and fuel additives
• Drinking water and swimming pool chemicals
• Food & beverage and brewery water management
• Air & gas production cooling water
• Drought relief and emergency water supply
• Water reduction, reuse, and recycling
• Integrated wastewater management
• Reverse osmosis, seawater desalination, membrane bioreactor, UASD
• Coal wash water recovery and odor control

Specialties:

• Designing and managing water treatment programs
• Monitoring and testing water quality
• Training water practitioners and operators
• Compiling training manuals
• Scoping and evaluating water treatment tenders
• Biocide selection and evaluation
• Flocculant/coagulant evaluation
• Antifoam/defoamer evaluation
• Bromine and oxidizing biocide technology
• Cooling systems hydrodynamics
• Microbiological surveys and audits
• Predictive software analysis
• Cleaning in place (CIP) and cleaning out of place (COP) of membranes and process lines

Steven Lea’s expertise ensures comprehensive solutions in water treatment, emphasizing efficiency, safety, and sustainability.

Jacendra (Jesse) Naidoo is a social entrepreneur with a passion for people, the planet, and out-of-the-box solutions. He holds a master’s in business leadership from the School of Business Leadership (SBL – UNISA) , has more than 20 years of corporate experience in various senior executive positions in telecommunications, engineering, telecommunications engineering consultancy, project management, relationship sales, sales management, commercial management, marketing management and business management.

In 2011 he started Clothes to Good (CTG), a multi award-winning clothing recycling company that creates jobs, starts micro-businesses, and empowers the unemployed, including people living with disabilities. hashtag#clothestogood

Recently CTG was a finalist in the prestigious Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Frontier Challenge and received the audience prize, in 2018 CTG achieved first place in the SAB Foundation disability empowerment award and received a grant from Google Impact Challenge. They also were awarded the University of Johannesburg (UJ)  & PwC Social Entrepreneurship Award, the Greenovation Award from WWF, TotalEnergies, SAB Foundation and Teva Pharmaceuticals and the Vodacom Change the World Award.

Bradley Riley is a Disaster and Climate Risk Specialist at the The World Bank’s Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) based in Johannesburg, South Africa. A climate scientist by training, Bradley specializes in understanding the interplay between society and the environment, with a focus on how climate change impacts the most vulnerable and marginalized populations.

In his role at the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), Bradley leads collaborative initiatives to tackle climate-related challenges, particularly within South African cities. He brings extensive experience in disaster risk management practices and the use of geospatial data to assess risks and enhance community preparedness for disasters.

Bradley has been actively involved in various urban and climate resilience projects across South African cities, leveraging his expertise to strengthen disaster preparedness and climate adaptation strategies. His work contributes significantly to building resilient communities capable of withstanding the adverse effects of climate change and addressing other developmental challenges.

Lambert de Klerk holds a BSc (Honors) degree in environmental sciences and management. He has experience in working with multidisciplinary teams to achieve any objectives on time and with excellence. He also has knowledge as a coordinator who worked with communities and municipalities on many levels.

Lambert is a specialist in waste management, water and wastewater management, and has experience in working within local governmental law and municipal administration. He has been working at AfriForum for the past 10 years with his main focus on making communities more self-sufficient regarding municipal service delivery in terms of waste, water and wastewater services. The looming water crisis comprises a significant focus of his work.

Lambert publishes an annual Municipal Landfill Audit, a project of AfriForum’s CleanSA initiative, launched by AfriForum Community Affairs’ environment division.

Belinda B. Booker is a dedicated and accomplished Enterprise Development Support at Petco, where she has been instrumental in driving the organization’s visible collection and training programme to great success. With a passion for empowering entrepreneurs and supporting small businesses, Belinda has personally mentored hundreds of individuals to help them grow and sustain their enterprises. Her project management skills have benefited over 400 SMMEs and cooperatives, making a significant impact on their success.

In addition to her work with entrepreneurs, Belinda has made substantial contributions to education, collaborating on national schools recycling competitions and projects that have positively impacted thousands of learners. Through her strategic partnerships with government agencies and industry bodies, she has championed joint ventures that have furthered Petco’s mission and goals.

With nearly 16 years of service at Petco, Belinda Booker brings a wealth of experience to her role as Project and Enterprise Development Support. Her areas of expertise include negotiation, national sales training, business planning, and operations management. Belinda holds a Certificate in Rural Development from the International Training Centre of the ILO in Turin, Italy, which enhances her ability to drive sustainable initiatives and create positive change within communities.

Belinda Booker’s unwavering dedication to her work, combined with her extensive experience and proven track record of success, make her an invaluable asset to Petco and the communities it serves. Her commitment to excellence and her passion for driving positive change continue to inspire those around her.

Gerhard Cronje is the CEO of Maskam Water, and he comes with over 30 years of experience in the water industry.  Gehard worked in the corporate world for 9 years and founded four businesses, three of which he built up and sold.  His passion is sustainable on-site water solutions, ranging from rainwater harvesting to greywater and wastewater re-use, and more.

Gerhard  started by studying Mechanical Engineering at the Cape Technikon (now the Cape Town University of Technology) and while studying he started working part-time at XPS Couriers. The part-time job grew into a 9-year full-time career where he filled different roles from the Operations department, Sales management and later part of XPS senior management.

In 1993 Gerhard founded a domestic and commercial garden service and landscaping company. Gerhard then founded Eikestad Irrigation in 1994, where he designed turf irrigation systems for homes, schools, golf courses, sports fields, botanical gardens and more. These designs often required alternative water supplies, including sustainable water sources, treatment of poor quality water and recycling. Gerhard also founded a Commercial cleaning company in 1998.

In 2010 one of Gerhard’s irrigation customers was looking for a solution to re-use his black & grey water. Gerhard, being passionate about finding solutions and driving the industry forward, found a solution in the USA and partnered with Zoeller Pumps Company, who also built on-site wastewater treatment plants. Through this, Maskam water was born that same year and Maskam Water became the sole importer and distributor for Zoeller in Sub-Saharan Africa.  Today Maskam Water is the sole importer and distributor for 10 different brands. 

As of 2016 Maskam Water started to manufacture some components of the flagship Fusion on-site wastewater treatment plants in South Africa and as of 2024 all manufacturing is taking place on home soil, after acquiring this business from the Americans. Maskam Water also manufactures a wide range of other products in the water sector and often assist customers and professionals with design of sustainable alternative water solutions. 

Maskam successfully  imported, manufactured and sold more than 350 Fusions across Sub-Sahara Africa, Mauritius and the UAE.  Combined these systems remove more than 2 megalitres of wastewater from the environment daily. 

Maskam Water received the Africa Invest Water Deal of the Year award in 2017, and is one of only two African Companies to carry the Solar Impulse Label (2021) in the water sector.  Solar Impulse Foundation invited Maskam Water, along with 4 international companies, to present the Fusion at COP27 in Egypt, 2022. Gerhard also received a Mail and Guardian Greening the Future award for the category Water and Oceans Initiative in 2023.

At the end of 2019, Gerhard exchanged the city life for the peace of the platteland and moved to Vanrhynsdorp where Maskam Water’s head office and factory is situated.

Gerhard has a thorough knowledge of the water industry, is passionate about solving complex problems and has comprehensive experience in sustainable water solutions.

Cara Stokes completed her undergraduate and BA Honours (Geography and Environmental Management) at the University of Johannesburg and her Masters (Msc) in Environment and Society at the University of Pretoria September 2009.  Her experience includes 16 years of consulting in the environmental industry with a focus on environmental legal specific consulting, 4 years specifically with Green Gain Consulting gaining experience under Adv Nicolai Massyn prior to starting C.S. Environmental Consulting.  ​

Cara has specialised in environmental legal auditing in terms of ISO14001 and environmental legal training, which includes permit and license compliance auditing, having completed two courses in environmental law with Aldo Leopold institute under Adv Duard Barnard 2004 and University of Pretoria under Adv Ersnt Basson in 2007. Cara is also an integrated ISO auditor for ISO14001:9001:45001:50001) auditor with ISOQAR Alcumus Africa registered with UKAS accreditation an ISO auditor. Cara was also a registered facilitator for NEBOSH environmental certificates course through Lexis Nexis and has trained 1000s of employees on environmental awareness and environmental legal awareness from industries across the board but also specifically including water and wastewater. ​

Cara has been the chair of the Bronkhorstspruit Catchment Management Forum since July 2017 and newly appointed non-executive chair ARMOUR (Action for Responsible Management of Our Rivers) and is passionate about clean water and upholding the constitution of RSA. ​

Her specific experience with industry includes performing environmental functions for: Platinum, Coal, Copper, Chemical, Waste, Heavy Minerals, Food, Chrome, Beverage, Transport, Cement, Bricks, Manganese, Paper and Pulp as well as having provided advise and performed environmental audits for over 300 organisations.​

Deon Robbertze has worked with business, government, NGO’s and international bodies like the UN.​

He is a skilled communicator, creative thinker and strategist.
He strongly believes that Nature holds all the inspiration and solutions for a regenerative future for humanity and the planet.​

Deon was an Executive Creative Director in the adverting industry for over 20 years and then ran a bespoke sustainability communications Agency called The Change Agent Collective that specialised in Social and Environmental communications and strategy. Deon has been an Al Gore Climate Reality Mentor for over 10 years. He joined CRDC in 2018. 33 Years of experience!​

Areas of Expertise: Sustainability, Communications & Marketing, Sustainable Development, Strategy, Climate Change ​

Worked For: The Change Agent Collective, Green Building Council South Africa, Ogilvy Earth, and Climate Reality ​

Passionate About: Spending time in wild places with my family, growing our own food, creating our home in the wild African bush ​

Claim to Fame: Meeting a Polar Bear 600 km from the North pole next to a plastic water bottle​

Nandha Govender is currently the General Manager: Water and Environmental Operations, Primary Energy, Generation Division, Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. Mr Govender represents Eskom as a founding member of the Strategic Water Partners Network and MANCO.

Mr Govender is accountable for Eskom’s power generation water security related matters. Nandha is regarded as an expert in the water sector with more than 23 years of management, leadership and non-executive directorship experience across various water institutions. Mr Govender is registered as a Fellow and Certified Director with the Institute of Directors (SA), a registered Professional Engineer with the Engineering Council of SA and a Professional Certified Coach with the International Coach Federation. Nandha is an InnerLifeSkills certified coach, trained in ICF global benchmarked master coaching skills earning him an internationally recognized InnerLifeSkills Master Coach certification.

Nandha has been active as a “Leader as Coach” and “Manager as Coach” within Eskom for more than 10 years now. Through the Inner Life Skills International coaching journey, I discovered my passion and purpose is to help others, through coaching, to find meaning and living with purpose.

Carl Nöffke is a dedicated Ecopreneur deeply committed to the field of restoration ecology. With a passion for environmental sustainability, he plays a pivotal role in multiple organizations driving positive change. Currently serving as the head of the contracting division at Hydromulch (Pty) Ltd, Carl oversees both contracting and consultancy services on a global scale. His expertise focuses on ecological restoration and erosion control efforts worldwide.

In addition to his role at Hydromulch, Carl is a co-owner of Erosion Worx (Pty) Ltd, a pioneering company that harnesses Alien Invasive Plants for the development of biodegradable Erosion Control Products. These products are instrumental in riparian restoration initiatives, offering sustainable solutions that mitigate erosion while promoting ecological improvements. Carl’s entrepreneurial spirit and environmental stewardship drive innovation in the utilization of natural resources for environmental restoration.

Morné Mostert is an attorney, admitted to practice in 2013, with over a decade of extensive experience in local government affairs, water and sanitation services, and electricity regulation, including tariff applications. Serving as the head of Local Government Affairs at AfriForum, which operates over 160 branches across South Africa, Morné provides critical legal advice and strategic oversight. His expertise spans a wide range of legal matters, leading to numerous litigations of Constitutional, administrative, and municipal nature, demonstrating his proficiency and dedication in navigating complex legal and political landscapes.

Ayesha Laher is a professionally registered environmental scientist, with a master’s degree in science and 18 years’ experience in the water sector.

As a Lead Inspector for the Blue, Green and No Drop Certifications programs of the Department of Water and Sanitation, she has sound knowledge of best practice principles for operation and management of water and wastewater treatment systems with emphasis on risk-based management and process audits.

She is currently the sole director of AHL Water, a Level 1 BBBEE water and wastewater consultancy focusing on providing holistic solution to water services challenges for commercial and municipal clients. 

Ayesha is an active member of the Water Institute of South Africa (WISA), and is currently serving a second term as non-executive director on the board of  WISA.

Pravashen Naidoo is the Founder and Managing Director of EWaste Africa. He holds a BSc in Electro-Mechanical Engineering from the University of Cape Town and has received numerous academic scholarships, bursaries and leadership awards including the Abe Bailey Fellowship.

EWaste Africa is a waste management company that specialises in the storage, collection, transportation, recycling, and beneficiation of electrical, electronic, and lighting equipment waste (e-waste).  We are an ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 accredited company with patented technology and a growing business model. We operate two fully licensed waste management facilities in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, where we undertake recycling and refurbishment activities.

Ewaste Africa has won many business and climate impact awards over the last decade.

 

• Winner Global Impact Climate Program – 2023 Sponsored by UNIDO TIA. DSI, GEF
• Nedbank PCB Champion Entrepreneur 2018
• BBQ Young Business Achiever Winner – 2018
• Sanlam Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year 2018 – Finalist
• Eskom BIC Trade and Services Sector Winner – 2017
• Innovation Hubs Gap Green Winner – 2016

South African Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2016 

Rowan McDonald is a bioremediation architect and heads up the Nanobubble technology portfolio for Blueplanet South Africa. He has been working in specialised water treatment for the past 14 years with a focus on niche, advanced oxidation applications and environmental bioremediation projects. Recent solutions include, integrated nature & technology coupled treatment strategies for South Africa’s polluted rivers.  Rowan is passionate about putting biotech to work in water management and environmental rehabilitation, with the use of Nanobubble technology being a particular focus point.

Professor Ntebogeng Mokgalaka-Fleischmann holds a Doctor of Technology in Chemistry and an MBA in Education Management. She possesses more than 25 years’ experience in higher education, in different capacities including university senior management. 

Serving as the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science at Tshwane University of Technology. Prior to that she was the Director of Mamelodi Campus at the University of Pretoria and the inaugural Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture at the University of Venda. She is a Full Professor and a C-2 National Research Foundation (NRF) rated researcher. 

Prof Mokgalaka-Fleischmann has served on numerous boards and advisory committees including the South Africa-Swedish University Forum (SASUF) Academic Advisory Committee for Climate Change, Natural Resources and Sustainability, the Council on Higher Education (CHE) National Doctoral Review panel, the NRF advisory committee of the South Africa-Netherlands Research Cooperation, amongst others. 

Prof Mokgalaka-Fleischmann is currently a council member of the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP), where she chairs the Qualifications Assessment Committee. She also serves in the UNESCO Natural Sciences Sector Committee and has been involved in several women in STEM as well as science awareness and advocacy initiatives nationally and internationally.

Kedibone Tsiloane is a young trailblazer in the Built Environment, she is the Cofounder of Ramtsilo, South Africa’s first Plastic brick manufacturing factory. Kedibone has a Honours degree in Internal Auditing and is a Certified Internal Auditor. She also holds a Post-Graduate Diploma is Business Administration from Wits Business School. Kedibone is a Board member at the National Home Builders Regulations Council (NHBRC). She recently represented South Africa at the European Commission Green week in Belgium as a circular economy laureate. Kedibone has made a significant contribution towards industrialization, climate change, impact awareness and ways in which young people can play their part in positively impacting our environment while creating a sustainable business.

Tarika Issac has a Bachelor of Science (Honours) Degree in Environmental and Engineering Geology and has subsequently pursues a career in the field of Hydrology. She is currently working as a Hydrologist/ eSymon Product Manager in the Monitoring Init at GCS (Pty) Ltd, where she has been an employee since 2017. 

Tarika is also responsible for the management of eSymon, a newly developed software designed by GCS to manage large volumes of geodata, specifically related to water resources. Tarika has undergone intensive training on the full range of eSymon functions, with software developer in Czech Republic.

Some of Tarika’s core skills include water resources database management and integration, field specialist (groundwater monitoring, surface water monitoring, soil profiling and classification), technical report writing and reviewing (borehole feasibility assessments, geohydrological assessments, geophysical assessments, impact assessments, pump test analyses, water monitoring plans) as well as project management

Kevin Gesseau is a trilingual self-made businessman with more than 32 years’ experience doing business mainly on the African continent and in Europe as a self-employed dynamic entrepreneur and project developer.

Kevin’s background is Logistics and in HR, which companies he successfully grew and sold. He owned an Art Gallery which is now a hobby. Since 2016 he is vested in the Renewable Energy space and heads a group of companies under the Witech brand which he launched in 1999. Which has since led to opening offices in France, Bulgaria, Senegal, Cameroon and recently in Hong Kong.

His key objective is now to develop and to deliver bankable renewable energy projects in Africa through the Witech Group of companies. To bring sustainable power to Africa!

Kevin’s quest is to bring sustainable solutions to the huge negative environmental impact caused by landfilling and mishandling of waste; in doing so, he believes that finding and implementing solutions for waste disposal and its management must go through social and economic upliftment of the less advantaged fringe of a population. Through new laws, meaningful repetitive actions and systematic education around waste, we must bring the African Continent on par with the rest of the developed World.

Witech is a co-developer in an off-grid solar pv project in 9 Regions of Cameroon, now in installation phase and in final development phase for a 10Mwe waste to energy power plant in Senegal.

Michael Allschwang has served in numerous high-profile positions at Vodacom Service Provider Company since February 2001, as Executive Head of Sales, Corporate Sales Director, Managing Executive of Vodacom Business (Vodacom Business is Vodacom’s total telecommunication offering to the business market which includes S.M.E, Large Enterprises, Strategic Accounts and the Public Sector.)

Michael is an active member of the business community and held the position of Principal Officer of the Vodacom Group Provident and Pension Fund and has keen interests in social responsibility programmes and the development of managerial talent. 

Michael was appointed as the Group Chief Executive Officer of The Green Co, and as such was responsible for the strategic direction and business performance of the group which includes four divisions namely Green water, Green waste, Green energy and Green IT.

In addition to the board roles that Michael has occupied he has consulted to the Netsurit Exco team in the role of Business Executive. Michael has advised major telecommunications companies such as Liquid Telecom who purchased Neotel South Africa where he performed the role of Chief Sales and Marketing Officer. 

Michael has been invited as a keynote speaker at several conferences and international gatherings including the Future leaders and Sales academy.

Michael enjoys golf, reading, and is passionate about Karate and attends Martial Arts at least three times a week, he has black belt first dan from the Japanese karate Association.

Kyle Daniel van Heyde’s research and work focus primarily on the rivers and waterways within the greater Johannesburg region. Heis a PhD candidate at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) in Environmental Management and work within a water-focused team at the UJ Process, Energy, and Environmental Technology Station (PEETS). 

Through his work and research, he engages with communities to solve water-related problems in areas such as Lorentzville, Bosmont, Alexandra, Kyalami, and Lenasia, among others. Kyle is deeply committed to making a difference through his work.

Dr Lucien James is an Environmental Consultant and Archaeologist. As a researcher, he has engaged extensively with key stakeholders to formulate a participatory framework for the management of river basins in South Africa. The Hennops River and the poorer community of Tembisa were key focal points of his PhD research. His research has been funded by the Water Research Commission as well as the National Research Foundation. Lucien continues to engage with key stakeholders in professional and academic spaces to seek out ways through which stakeholders and poor communities can contribute to sustainable and Integrated Water Resource Management.

As an industry professional, Lucien has been involved with Environmental Impacts Assessments (with a dash of Heritage Impact Assessing) and Environmental Compliance Auditing across South Africa. Some of his work has taken him far and wide, exploring South Africa while engaging with communities and stakeholders.

Mendy Shozi is an Environmental Scientist (MSc) who works in the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector. She is a Project Manager at the Bremen Overseas Research and development Association (BORDA) South Africa office. BORDA is an expert NGO who specialise in the development and capacitation around alternative and sustainable sanitation solutions, in developing countries. Her focus areas in WASH are citywide inclusive sanitation, resource recovery and circular economy. Mendy is a water professional with the Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA) and the International Water Association (IWA). She is also a professionally registered scientist (Water Resources Science) with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP). Mendy is the Founder and Acting President of the South Africa Youth Parliament for Water, a non-profit focused on advocacy and awareness in the water sector, as well as youth and community development.

Oscar Filen has been involved in the waste tyre recycling industry for 35 years.

It is his passion is to develop new products and markets using granulated waste rubber as a base. As a fervent believer in cradle to shelf technologies, 100% recycled with the lowest nett carbon footprint methodologies.

XTYRE GLOBAL have many world first products and processes developed in South Africa. Our next phase in development will be to develop an international market exported from S.A and OTR self powered cradle to shelf mining recycling projects.

Taking a firm stance towards sustainability, Oscar is moulding our future from waste tyres, making every effort in waste reduction with the belief that every action is a step in the right direction.

Oscar’s life is given meaning through the time he spends with his family and friends. Together with being a sports enthusiast with his favourites being enduro dirt bike racing or mountain biking.

Andrew Pott is the CEO of Smart Food Growing Technologies (SFG Tec). He has a background education in economics as well as hydrology.  Using his combined hydro-economic skill set to dream up holistic solutions to some of the pressing water/energy/food and plastic waste challenges that we as society face, supported by complimentary skills of his team, they aim to design and manufacture food growing solutions which are good for people and for the planet. We do this by recycling waste-plastic into grow-green solutions which help to feed people and to green cities.

Dr Kousar Hoorzook is a water and health specialist. With a master’s degree in biotechnology and doctorate degree in Biomedical Technology.
Kousar has +15 years of experience in the field of Microbiology and Molecular biology in the water sector. Currently employed at UJ Process Energy Environment Technology station (PEETS) as a program manager in the water quality and sanitation focus area.

Managing and leading a number of projects to fulfil the PEETS mandate. The mandate is to contribute towards improving the competitiveness of industry and SMEs through the application of specialized knowledge, technology and facilitating the interaction between industry (especially SMEs) and academia to enable innovation and technology transfer to grow the green economy.

PEETS offers various services such as tests and analysis, research and development, product development and optimisation, applied engineering design and development, prototyping, technology demonstration and training. PEETS within FEBE was established in 2010 under the support of University of Johannesburg. PEETS is funded by Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), which is an agency of the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI).