Africa Leadership Initiative/ South Africa - Class I: Inaugural Class

Sandile Dikeni

Sandile Dikeni is political editor for This Day SA. He most recently served as the spokesperson for the South African Minister of Housing. He is one of the foremost social commentators in South Africa. Previously, he was the arts editor of the Cape Times and editor of Die Suid-Afrikaan, as well as a reporter there. He also established the youth radio station Yfm. Mr. Dikeni has also had an extensive career in the arts, having published the poetry collections Guava Juice and Telegraph to the Sky as well as an anthology of his newspaper articles and essays, Soul Fire: Writing the Transition. He has performed a large volume of freelance work, including translation of literary works, compiling anthologies, producing radio documentaries and performing as a voice-over artist. His writing has been published in The Daily Telegraph in London and New Observations in New York. Mr. Dikeni enrolled to study law at the University of Witwatersrand and later at the University of Western Cape, but his studies were interrupted by his involvement with the political struggle in South Africa, a theme that features prominently in his later writings. Mr. Dikeni obtained a national diploma in Journalism through Peninsula Technikon. He is a Fellow of the inaugural class of the Africa Leadership Initiative-South Africa and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.

Ralph Freese

Ralph Gordon Freese is director of Mantis Projects. He is a personally resourced and networked individual with practical experience garnered from a wide range of developmental, business and applied science projects, having a deep engagement with the philosophical modelling of societies. He was born on the Cape Flats, educated by diverse teachers, and now serves on boards of both developmental NGO's (the arts, housing, financial), and businesses. Ralph enjoys complex processes, reads widely, and loves the mountains, beaches and wines of the Cape. His life project is to understand how we come to be here and to contribute practically to shaping where we go. He is a Fellow of the inaugural class of the African Leadership Initiative-South Africa and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.

Ketso Gordhan

Ketso Gordhan was most recently executive director and head of private equity at Rand Merchant Bank. He is the former Johannesburg City Manager. In 1994, he was appointed advisor to former Transport Minister Mac Maharaj, and in 1995 he became director eneral of Transport. Mr. Gordhan dramatically changed the Transport Department, trimming it to one-third of its original size. As Johannesburg City Manager he was responsible for the iGoli 2002 plan aimed at running the city as a business. In the 1980s, Mr. Gordhan was a United Democratic Front organizer in Natal. After the ANC's unbanning, he moved to the party's economic policy department. He was the organizing secretary for the party's seminal 1992 National Policy Conference and its 1994 Elections Coordinator. He is a Fellow of the inaugural class of the Africa Leadership Initiative-South Africa and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.

Lulu Gwagwa

Dr. Lulu Gwagwa is CEO of Lereko Investments (Pty) Limited. She also runs her own development planning consulting business. She was the CEO of the Independent Development Trust (1998 - 2003) where she put together the trust's restructuring program and was behind its new focus on development implementation management. From 1995 to 1999, she was deputy director general in the national Department of Public Works, where she championed the construction industry's transformation and started the emerging contractor development program. Before that, Dr. Gwagwa was a senior lecturer at the University of Natal. She presented seminars at University College London and the Institute of Development Studies at Sussex University. Dr. Gwagwa has an MSc (cum laude) from the London School of Economics and a PhD from University College London. She was the first black person to qualify in town and regional planning from Natal University. She serves as a non-executive director in the boards of FirstRand, Sun International, and Massmart, and is the Chairperson of Tsebo Outsourcing. Lulu is the founder and chairperson of the Mhakazi Trust which supports development initiatives for orphaned children and youth in KwaZulu-Natal. She is a Fellow of the inaugural class of the Africa Leadership Initiative-South Africa and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.

Zoe Lees

Dr. Zoë Lees is an independent advisor in climate change and sustainability. Previously, she was head of climate change and sustainability advisory services at KPMG and director of the Goodwill Exchange. From 1999 to mid-2003 she was the executive director of the Business Council for Sustainable Development, a regional partner of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Starting in 1995, Zoe was acting director in the newly formed Gauteng Directorate of Environment and was a principal figure in the building of that department. Zoe was extensively involved with the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) hosted in Johannesburg in 2002. She was the founder of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange's Socially Responsible Index and remains on the board. She is also on the board of Khula Finance Pty (Ltd). She has a B.Sc from the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal (Durban) and a Higher Diploma in Microbiology from Technikon Natal. She completed her doctorate, which focused on the cleanup of oil-contaminated soil, with Shell SA at the University of KwaZulu Natal in 1995. She is a Fellow of the inaugural class of the Africa Leadership Initiative-South Africa and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.

Leslie W. Maasdorp is president of Merrill Lynch South Africa. He was previously vice chairman of Barclays Capital and Absa Capital. In 2002, he was the first African to be appointed as international advisor to Goldman Sachs International. Prior to this role he served as deputy director general in the Department of Public Enterprises from 1999 until 2002. In 1994 he was appointed special adviser to the Minister of Labour, Mr. Tito Mboweni. He then joined the Deloitte Consulting as Associate Director in Strategy. Before the political transition in SA in 1994, he worked as a policy coordinator for the Department of Economic Policy of the African National Congress. In 1986 he was detained without trial for 12 months during the State of Emergency in SA. Upon his release he was regional secretary for the South African Clothing and Textile Workers Union. He serves on various boards including Yard Capital, the International Marketing Council of South Africa, Johnnic, Robor, Pangbourne and the Coega Development Corporation. Leslie holds an M.Sc degree in economics from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. In 2007 he was designated a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. He is a Fellow of the inaugural class of the Africa Leadership Initiative-South Africa and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.

Berenice Lue Marais is head of market and business systems at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. She previously managed the contract research and development portfolio and, before that, the Africa and international development finance portfolios and the strategic relationship management unit at CSIR. In June 2007, she became a board member of the Ethics Institute of South Africa. She is also a trustee of the CSIR pension fund and has served on the board of directors of HOPE Worldwide, the Board of African Thought, and the Sports Information and Science Agency. In 2003, she was appointed as a commissioner to the SARS Audit Committee by Pravin Gordhan. Under a United Nations Fellowship, Education and Training Program for South Africans she obtained a B.A. in Economics, specializing in Sub-Saharan African Development. Berenice studied at the American University Kogod School of Business, where she was awarded a MBA in international business. She was raised in Swaziland and South Africa. She is a Fellow of the inaugural class of the Africa Leadership Initiative-South Africa and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.

Connie Molusi is group CEO of Johnnic Communications Limited. He was the chief executive officer of Johnnic Publishing Limited until 2003 and a director there between 2000 and 2003. Previously, Connie worked as a journalist, followed by appointments in media and communications in government. Past directorships of listed companies include Johnnic Holdings, Caxton & CTP Publishers and Printers Limited, chairman of African Media and Entertainment. He was the chairman of the Johannesburg Tourism Company as well as holding executive positions in Electronic Media Network Limited, SuperSport International Holding, South African Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Media Development and Diversity Agency. He is a trustee of the World Wildlife Fund (South Africa). Connie was formerly president of the Print Media SA and World Association of Newspapers. He earned a BA in Journalism and Media Studies at Rhodes University, and a MA at the University of Notre Dame in the United States. He is a Fellow of the fifth class of the Africa Leadership Initiative-South Africa and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.

Professor Arthur G.O. Mutambara is deputy prime minister of Zimbabwe. He was elected President of the Movement for Democratic Change of Zimbabwe in 2006. He has been a member of the MDC since its formation. Previously, he was managing director of the Africa Technology and Business Institute and professor of operations management at the School of Business Leadership at the University of South Africa . He is a former director of Standard Bank with responsibilities in 17 African countries. He has worked at McKinsey and Company and the American National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Professor Mutambara graduated with a B.Sc in electrical engineering from the University of Zimbabwe and obtained an M.Sc in computer engineering from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. He has taught and conducted research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Florida State University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Northwestern University. He has authored three engineering books and 36 refereed journal papers. At the University of Zimbabwe, he was secretary general and then president of the student union and was instrumental in fighting against corruption, the one party state, and misplaced government priorities in Zimbabwe. Arthur is married to Dr Jacqueline S. Mutambara (nee Chimhanzi) and they have two sons, Gutsai and Kundai. He is a Fellow of the inaugural class of the Africa Leadership Initiative-South Africa and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.

Bongiwe Njobe is executive director for corporate sustainability at Tiger Brands. She was previously director of corporate affairs at South African Breweries Ltd, a subsidiary of SABMiller. Prior to this, she served two terms as director general of the National Department of Agriculture. She previously held the posts of deputy director general and chief director in the same department. Her work experience in agriculture includes farm management in Zambia and Tanzania; academic work at the School of Agriculture and Rural Development of the University of Pretoria; and business experience through her work as manager of Whitbi Enterprises. She has also worked on gender issues, land and agricultural policy matters, and conservation development programmes, as well as at the Foundation for Research Development, where she was program coordinator for the University Development Program. Bongiwe has an MS in agriculture from Bulgaria where she completed a thesis in the field of plant breeding. She has served on the boards of various private sector, NGO and parastatal organizations, and has published a number of discussion and conference papers. Currently, she serves as chairperson of the South African National Biodiversity Institute, is a member of the Board of the Industrial Development Corporation, and is a trustee of Kagiso Trust. She is a Fellow of the inaugural class of the Africa Leadership Initiative-South Africa and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.

Maurice Radebe is the managing director of Sasol Oil Fuels Marketing.  Formerly, Maurice was CEO of Exel Petroleum, a black economic empowerment company. He had been with Exel since its inception in 1997 as retail marketing manager and led the recent merger transaction of Exel and Sasol Oil. In 2000, he took charge of Exel Petroleum's full bottom line responsibility, commercial viability, and growth of the business, including financial management, cost and budgetary control, administration, staff management, sales and marketing. He has fifteen years operational and strategic senior managerial experience in the oil industry. Maurice studied at Marianhill High School near Durban.  He completed a BS, majoring in applied mathematics and physics.  Afterwards, he completed a diploma in education at Wits University, where he also received his MBA. He is a Fellow of the inaugural class of the Africa Leadership Initiative-South Africa and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.

Bruce Robertson is chairman of the Uganda Ginners and Cotton Exporters' Association, which represents 26 ginning companies and provides cotton inputs to 300,000 rural families in Uganda. In partnership with a Liverpool-based cotton merchant, he now owns cotton ginneries in Uganda and Zimbabwe. The company employs around 2,500 people, providing the main source of income to around 120,000 farmers through cash purchasing of their cotton. In 1995, Bruce was made managing director of Africa Resources Holdings Limited. From 1991 to 1995, he was general manager of Premier International Development. Bruce was educated at Hilton College, University of Natal, South Africa and Cambridge University (M.Phil. economics and politics of development). He is married to Janina Masojada, has two young children, Aleks and Klara, and lives in Durban, South Africa. He is a Fellow of the inaugural class of the Africa Leadership Initiative-South Africa and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.

Herman Steyn is founder and CEO of Prescient Investment Management, which specializes in quantitative investment management. In 1993 Mr. Steyn started the first index tracker fund, the Composite Unit Trust, in South Africa. He later sold the unit trust management company to Investec and joined Investec Asset Management in 1995, where he established Investec Asset Management's international fund management capability, setting up their fund structures in Dublin. Herman has been involved in the investment management industry since 1985. He began his investment management career when awarded a bursary from Old Mutual to pursue a BSc in actuarial science, statistics, and economics at the University of Cape Town, completing his degree in 1984. In addition, Herman previously lectured in honours finance and quantitative finance at the University of Cape Town. He has also been a guest lecturer at the Graduate School of Management (UCT), Wits Business School and Rotterdam School of Management. He is a main board member of the Association for Savings and Investment-South Africa. He is a Fellow of the inaugural class of the Africa Leadership Initiative-South Africa and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.

Paul Stuiver is CEO of the Pretoria Portland Cement Company. He was previously CEO of Barloworld Logistics, which has operations in Southern Africa, Europe, USA and the Middle East. He began his career as a metallurgical engineer in the steel industry and joined Barloworld as plant superintendent for PPC. He occupied various positions in PPC and was appointed to the board in 1995. Other activities during this time included chairman of the Northern Cape Mine Managers Association; trustee of the Northern Cape Province Education Trust and as the South African Representative on the International Lime Association. He is co-inventor of a patent in lime technology. His association with Industrial Chemicals, Packaging and Logistics industries has led to extensive international travel. He was instrumental in formulating the strategy and business case which culminated in the formation of Barloworld Logistics, Barloworld's newest division, during 2001. Extra-mural activities include a passion for motorcycling, playing tennis, golf, and traveling with his family. He is a Fellow of the inaugural class of the Africa Leadership Initiative-South Africa and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.

Dr. Iqbal Survé is chairman, CEO, and founder of the Sekunjalo Group, chairman of Sekunjalo Investment Holdings, and chief executive of Sekunjalo Investments Limited. Prior to founding the Sekunjalo Group in 1997, Iqbal was a medical doctor and sports medicine specialist and was the first team doctor to the National Soccer Team and the All Africa Games. He also established and coordinated centers for the treatment and rehabilitation of anti-apartheid prisoners. Iqbal serves on the board of all Sekunjalo Group Companies as well as Siemens Limited, Siemens Telecommunications, Pioneer Foods, and the Inyathelo Trust. He is chairman of the Business Place Cape Town, the Western Cape Sports Academy, and the MTM Bursary Trust. Iqbal has guest-lectured at the University of Cape Town and Cambridge University. He has been appointed to the Economic Advisory Council, the National Innovation Centre for Plant Biotechnology, and the Health Charter Task Team. Iqbal is a Fellow of the HRH the Prince of Wales Business & Environment Programme and a member of the Board of Governance on the Clinton Global Initiative. He has been a participant member of the World Economic Forum. He is a Fellow of the inaugural class of the Africa Leadership Initiative-South Africa and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.

Colin Van Schalkwyk

Colin Van Schalkwyk tragically passed away in early 2009. He was managing director and head of Inthebag, a subsidiary of Woolworths (Pty) Ltd. He was previously with HSBC South Africa as head of telecoms media and technology and director of corporate finance and business development. He also worked for the State Information Technology Agency as managing director and CEO and Cisco Systems as market development manager for Sub-Saharan Africa. At Cisco, he grew the business by 300%. Colin was head of special projects in the Department of Communications. In 1996, he was the government's representative in the partial privatization of Telkom and the chief negotiator at the World Trade Organization on telecommunications. He also did a research fellowship at the University of Illinois. Colin initially qualified as a teacher in 1988. He was a Fellow of the inaugural class of the Africa Leadership Initiative-South Africa and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.