Dr Yolanda Davids is an accomplished research management and higher education professional, with more than two decades of experience in academic leadership, grants administration, research development, and institutional strategy within South Africa’s higher education sector. She currently serves as Deputy Director in the Research Office at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), where she oversees strategic research initiatives, manages multimillion-Rand funding portfolios, and supports the development of high-impact research collaborations and postgraduate programmes.

Dr Davids holds a PhD in Business Management, and has extensive expertise in research and innovation management, grant funding systems, stakeholder engagement, project management, and research capacity development. Throughout her career, she has successfully managed research and student funding portfolios exceeding hundreds of millions of Rands; developed institutional policies and operational frameworks; and led initiatives that improved research administration efficiency, and strengthened compliance and governance systems.

Prior to joining Wits, she held senior leadership roles at the National Research Foundation (NRF) and the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences, where she contributed significantly to postgraduate funding strategies, monitoring and evaluation systems, and institutional performance management. She is also an experienced facilitator, mentor and presenter, who has presented numerous national and international workshops on research management, grant proposal writing, and research impact. Her work has contributed to strengthening research capacity and fostering collaborative academic partnerships across Africa.

Prof. Khensani Richard Chauke is a talented and accomplished executive professional with expertise in accounting, auditing and taxation, customs, corporate governance, public administration, risk management, legal and compliance management, transformation, quality management systems, and lecturing. He has more than three decades’ practical and leadership experience. Beginning in service, to leading at public and private audit agencies, including the South African Revenue Service (SARS); Deloitte & Touché; the Auditor-General South Africa (AGSA); and Ernst & Young, he held several key roles, including as trainee accountant; senior tax officer; audit manager; head of the SARS Special Investigation Division (Giyani); Director: Policy and Law Application in Indirect Taxes at SARS; and National Manager for Customs Policy, Processes, External Liaison at SARS. In 2007, Prof. Chauke became Executive Director: Transformation, Tax, Risk, Internal Audit, Legal and Compliance/Group Executive for Transformation and Tax Affairs in Strategy and Human Resources for the JD Group – a major consumer goods company – maintaining comprehensive accountability for tax advising, risk management, Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) transformation, legal and compliance management, supplier and contracts management, corporate social responsibility, and auditing (via KPMG). After more than a decade, he joined Tirhani Group Holdings as Executive Director: Corporate Services and Acting Managing Director: Rixaka Funerals, overseeing finance, HR, risk, legal, compliance and governance, information technology (IT) and communications, and facilities management. In his decades of leadership, Prof. Chauke has improved his ability to drive the strategic development of high-functioning teams, adding value to operations, and improving processes through senior-level communication, negotiation, stakeholder engagement, strategic planning, and risk and change management. His expertise spans public administration, preferential procurement, procurement best practice, tax acts (the Income Tax Act, Value-Added Tax Act, and Custom and Excise Act), Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and Generally Accepted Municipal Accounting Practice (GAMAP), the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA)/Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA), and B-BBEE. In addition to his corporate experience, Prof. Chauke is a committed academic and talent developer. He was a senior lecturer and acting head of department (HoD) at UL and UNIVEN, and Council member and Audit and Risk Committee Chairperson at Capricorn Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) College from 2019 to 2023.

Qualifications: LLM (Labour Law) (UFS); LLM (Business Entities) (UFS); passed the board examination for attorneys; Chartered Governance Professional (Chartered Governance Institute of South Africa); LLB (Unisa); DAdmin (Public Administration) (UL); MCom (South African and International Tax) (UJ); GELDP (GIBS) (UP); LDP (Unisa); BCom (Hons) (Acc) (Unisa); BCom (Acc) (UNIVEN)

Dr Thobeka Vuyelwa Mda is a retired Full Professor of Education, and former Dean of the Faculty of Education at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). In an education career spanning more than 40 years, she has held senior academic and leadership positions at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) and the University of South Africa  (Unisa), where she was the first female dean and one of the first two Black deans.

She holds a PhD in Education Policy and Leadership from Ohio State University. Over the course of her career, she has contributed extensively to social sciences postgraduate studies, teaching research coursework; offering research workshops and supervision towards students’ completion of master’s and doctoral studies; and teaching and writing language education and language policies. Her academic specialisation includes curriculum studies, language education, and research methodology, with particular focus on qualitative research. She has presented papers at international conferences; given keynote addresses; and published widely in the areas of teaching and learning, integrated education, and language policies.

 She has served on numerous national and international boards and professional bodies, amongst others as former member of the Executive Committee of the World Council of Comparative Education Societies, and as contributor to South Africa’s 1997 Language in Education Policy. Her work continues to support education scholarship and leadership across the African continent. In addition to the CUT Council, she serves as a member of the African Scholars Fund Board, Anglican Board of Education Southern Africa, Western Cape Forum for Intellectual Disability, and the Vera Grover Scholarship Trust.

Mr Aubrey Dladla is a highly accomplished marketing professional and agricultural governance expert, with more than 12 years’ experience in strategic marketing, and more than 20 years’ registration with the South African Veterinary Council (SAVC) as an Animal Health Technician (AHT). He currently serves as Marketing Specialist at Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP). Aubrey has been instrumental in bridging veterinary science with commercial marketing for nearly two decades, including representing OBP at key agricultural forums at both local and international level.

Aubrey’s expertise is underpinned by a robust academic background, including a Master of Business Leadership (MBL) from the University of South Africa (Unisa) Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL); a BPhil Hons in Marketing Management from the Institute of Marketing Management Graduate School (IMMGSM); a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration from Milpark Business School; a Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing Management from IMMGSM; and a Postgraduate Diploma in Digital Marketing from Regent Business School.

His dedication to professional development and governance is evidenced by his registration with the Institute of Directors South Africa (IoDSA) and completion of the Accelerated Director Programme. Aubrey actively contributes to the transformation of the agricultural sector, serving as a Ministerial Trustee on the Mohair Trust, and on the Mohair Empowerment Trust as an Observer Trustee. He also participated in the development project for para-vets within the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) South Africa initiatives of developing own businesses.

He serves as an Animal Health Academic Committee member at North-West University (NWU), contributing to the curriculum of developing AHT training to be relevant to the current needs of the profession. He was also an executive member of the South African Association of Animal Health Technicians.

Ms Ulandi Exner – Management Consultant/Advisor | Board Leader | Advocate for Women

Ulandi Exner is an accomplished information and communication technology (ICT) professional and business leader, with over two decades of multinational experience in technology leadership, governance, and digital transformation. She has held senior executive roles, including as group information technology (IT) executive, chief operating officer (COO) and director, and formerly served as Chairperson of the Africa ICT Alliance (AfICTA) – the first woman ever to hold this position.

A former President of the Institute of IT Professionals South Africa (IITPSA), Ulandi worked tirelessly in advancing the professionalisation of the ICT industry, strengthening governance, and promoting ethical leadership. Through her consultancy, Lands Consulting, she advises both public and private organisations on ICT strategy; risk; corporate governance; and cybersecurity, helping them align technology with business growth and accountability.

Recognised as an IITPSA Fellow, Ulandi has been celebrated for her visionary leadership; thought leadership; and advocacy for digital ethics, diversity and innovation. She currently serves on multiple boards and governance committees, including at Broadband Infraco (BBI), the South Africa Police Service (SAPS), Bestmed, the Presidency of South Africa, and the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), where she contributes to shaping policy and governance frameworks. She also serves as a part-time lecturer at Nelson Mandela University (NMU), where she teaches the MPhil IT Security module, nurturing the next generation of ICT leaders.

 Driven by integrity, excellence and impact, Ulandi Exner continues to redefine leadership in the digital era; empower women; strengthen institutions; and champion the responsible use of technology for socio-economic advancement.

Judge Nobulawo Martha Mbhele has been a Judge of the High Court of South Africa, Free State Provincial Division since 1 January 2016.   She was appointed as the Deputy Judge President of the Free State High Court on 1 July 2021. In 2016, she was appointed Acting Judge of the High Court of Lesotho. She acted as Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeal from 1 December 2023 until 31 May 2024. She is the current Chairperson of the Board of Legal Aid South Africa.

After completing a BProc degree at the University of the North in 1995, she commenced her legal career at Kubushi Molemela and TP Mosese Attorneys as a Candidate Attorney in 1996.

She was admitted as an Attorney of the High Court of South Africa, and joined Legal Aid  South Africa in 2002, where she held various positions, including that of Justice Centre Executive and Regional Operations Executive. In 2012, she joined Mhlambi Incorporated as a director until her elevation to the High Court bench.

She served in the Free State Law Society as a councillor, and chaired various committees in the Law Society of South Africa, as well as the national executive committees of the Black Lawyers Association; South African Women Lawyers Association; National Forum on the Legal Profession; and the Free State Gender Forum. In addition, she was a member of the Board of Control of the Attorneys Fidelity Fund, and a Trustee of the Black Lawyers Association Legal Education Centre. She was also a trustee of the Legal Provident Fund. In addition, she served as Deputy Chairperson of the Matjhabeng Municipal Spatial Planning Tribunal. She was also a member of the Free State Centre for Citizenship Education and Conflict Resolution.

Judge Mbhele is actively involved in the Trial Advocacy Skills Training programme of the Black Lawyers Association Legal Education Centre, and is passionate about gender equality. She was a member of the Free State Network on Violence against Women, and in 2012, she was one of CEO Magazine’s finalists for the South Africa’s Most Influential Women Award in the Legal category.

Dr Dharmarai Naicker holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Environmental Mycotoxicology, a Master of Medical Science degree from the University of KwaZulu‑Natal  (UKZN)’s School of Medicine, and a Master’s Degree in Business Leadership (MBL). This multidisciplinary academic foundation spans biomedical science, food safety risk assessment, and executive leadership. She also completed a  postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Cape Town (UCT), and is registered as a Professional Scientist with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP)

Her career spans senior executive and managerial roles across the veterinary, agroprocessing, food safety, and export assurance sectors. She served as General Manager at the Perishable Products Export Control Board (PPECB), where she was responsible for ensuring food safety, quality, and the cold‑chain integrity of perishable products destined for international markets.

Internationally, she represented South Africa through the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) Southern Africa Network for Biosciences (SANBio), strengthening scientific collaboration and regional capacity building. She further drove research, innovation and development at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), managing the Pioneering Health Sciences and Advanced Agriculture and Food focus areas.

She is currently the Business Manager for Health and Nutrition at SGS Southern Africa, which is part of Swiss-based SGS – the world’s largest multinational testing, inspection and certification organisation. In this role, she leads the expansion of testing services across multiple sectors.

 Dr Naicker contributes to academia, having served as an Extraordinary Senior Lecturer at the UKZN and the University of Pretoria (UP). She has examined doctoral and master’s theses and honours research projects, and served on National Research Foundation (NRF) review panels. Her scholarly contributions include peer‑reviewed publications, invitations to serve as reviewer to journals, patents, research group leadership, and presentations at national and international conferences.She serves as an Institute of Directors South Africa (IoDSA)-certified director on the boards of the South African National Accreditation System (SANAS) and the National Laboratory Association of South Africa (NLA-SA).

Cllr Ntombi Nhlapo is a public leader, governance practitioner, and urban planning scholar with extensive experience in local government, higher education governance, and public policy. She currently serves as Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Planning and Human Settlements in the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, providing strategic leadership and oversight on planning, land use, and human settlement development. She previously served as Chairperson of the Council Committee on Remuneration and Benefits, and serves as a Centlec Board member, contributing to corporate governance and service delivery oversight.

She is a Provincial Executive Member of the South African Local Government Association, Free State, and Chairperson of the Human Settlements and Urban Agenda Working Group, contributing to intergovernmental policy dialogue and development planning. In higher education governance, she serves on the Executive Committee (Exco) of the University of the Free State Convocation, and has served in several student leadership structures, including two terms as Students’ Representative Council (SRC) Treasurer, during which she helped lead fundraising initiatives that enabled over 130 students to register.

 Her areas of expertise include strategic governance, urban and regional planning, human settlement policy, stakeholder engagement, public financial oversight, and community development. She holds a BA in Governance and Political Transformation and an honours degree in political sciences, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in urban and regional planning. Her notable achievements include published thought leadership, participation in social justice research initiatives, and continued advocacy for youth development, inclusive governance, and transformative public institutions.

Prof. Pamela Dube, Vice-Chancellor and Principal: Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT)

BA & BA Hons (University of KwaZulu-Natal), MA & PhD (University of Siegen, Germany)

Prof. Dube is a distinguished academic leader, and the first female Vice-Chancellor and Principal of CUT, as well as the first female Vice-Chancellor and Principal in the Free State province. With a career spanning both national and international academic institutions, she previously served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Student Development and Support at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), focusing on student success and well-being. Her versatile career includes roles as lecturer and researcher at the University of Siegen in Germany, at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), and at the Kathmandu University in Nepal. She has held senior and executive administrative and professional management positions at entities and institutions such as the national Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa (NECSA) and the former National Department of Education (DoE); has served as the Dean of Student Affairs at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), and as Executive Director for Human Resources, as well as Special Advisor to the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Johannesburg (UJ).

Prof. Dube earned her PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities at the University of Siegen in Germany, specialising in postcolonial literature, gender studies, and media studies. Her PhD was published as a book in 1997, and she has contributed to numerous peer-reviewed international publications, including serving as a reviewer for the California University Press publication Resonance: The Journal of Sound and Culture, as well as for the Journal of Student Affairs in Africa.

She also holds high-level professional management qualifications from the University of Cape Town (UCT) Business School, Bryn Mawr in Pennsylvania, and Oxford University Saïd Business School.

An active member of boards of trustees in diverse structures in higher education, she has co-chaired the Association of Commonwealth Universities’ Higher Education and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Network Steering Committee, and has served, amongst others, as member of the Rural Education Access Programme (REAP) Board, as well as the Universities Sports Company, advancing intervarsity sports. She currently serves on the Claude Leon Foundation Board and the United Kingdom (UK)-based World Access to Higher Education Network (WAHEN), and is the Deputy Chairperson of the Free State’s Investment and Economic Advisory Council (IEAC) (the IEAC advising the Premier). She also serves at Universities South Africa (USAf); the association of Vice-Chancellors; as the Vice-Chair of USAf, and as Chairperson of the Transformation Strategy Group.  She further serves as Chairperson of the Technological Higher Education Network South Africa (THENSA).

Prof. Dube has pioneered partnerships with academic, government and industry leaders, both locally and internationally, and has initiated projects aimed at bridging the gaps in the technology-human interface space; promoting student employability and readiness for the future world of work; advancing data-driven academic support initiatives for student success; and promoting gender equity dialogues addressing gender-based dialogues (GBV) and masculinity.

She is a recognised Honorary Member of the Golden Key Society, offering mentorship to students, and has been awarded the 2024 #BlackTechFutures Research Centre (Stilman College, United States (USA)) Gold Medal for her promotion of human-centred artificial intelligence and technology developments, as well as the 2023 Presidency Lifetime Award by the Association of Student Affairs and Services Professionals (SAASSAP) for her substantial contributions to higher education, and to student support and services.

Zenzile Khetsha is an Associate Professor in Agriculture and Acting Head of Department: Agriculture in the Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences at the Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT). He holds a Doctor Technologiae (DTech) in Agriculture, a Postgraduate Diploma in Leadership Development, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education from CUT, Stellenbosch University, and Rhodes University, respectively. He is a Teaching Advancement at Universities (TAU) 4 Fellow, and is very passionate about higher education studies, with a focus on addressing students' learning needs. He published a paper, Theorising the Curriculum as Praxis in Agricultural Management: Case of Central University of Technology, Free State, in a Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET)-accredited journal, declaring his teaching philosophy in teaching agriculture. Zenzile is also a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) mentor, and is extensively involved in postgraduate supervision in the field of crop science. He is registered as a Certified Natural Scientist with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP); a recognised Fertilizer Advisor at the Fertilizer Society of South Africa (FERTASA); and a recognised member of the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS). He has published over 35 articles since 2020, with the majority focusing on crop science, horticulture and/or higher education.

Prof. Pule Phindane is a Full Professor in Linguistics and Language Education, and former Head of Department (HoD) of Language and Social Sciences Education at the Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT). Prof Phindane is a National Research Foundation (NRF) C3-rated researcher. He is currently responsible for research studies in linguistics and language education. He has published more than 25 international and national articles and chapters in folklore, linguistics, and language teaching. From 2012 to 2015, he was involved in a European Union (EU) multimillion rand project consisting of four universities in South Africa, in which he was the coordinator representing CUT. The main aim of the project was to strengthen and develop Foundation Phase education in South Africa. His research interest is in folklore, sociolinguistics, mother tongue education, and second language teaching and learning. He is currently:

• a CUT Senate member;
• a former Chairperson of the South African Folklore Association (SAFOS);
• member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Science, indexed at Google Scholar (internationally); and
• serving on the Department of Basic Education’s Audit Committee in the Free State.
• a CUT Council member.

Dr Anele Nkoyi holds a PhD in Marketing Management, and is a lecturer affiliated with the Department of Business Management at the Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT). He teaches Consumer Behaviour II and research modules, both at the advanced diploma and postgraduate diploma levels in the marketing programme. He also supervises master’s students specialising in marketing. His research addresses issues related to understanding consumer behaviour in the traditional sense, as well as technology-mediated behaviour. He is also fascinated with marketing technology (MarTech), how marketers leverage it, and how consumers respond to it. He possesses advanced skills in quantitative research methodology, and has an intermediate level of proficiency in using IBM SPSS and Smart PLS data analysis software. He further has a research interest that explores educational technology.  Dr Nkoyi’s research has been published in Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET)-accredited journals such as the Retail and Marketing Review, South African Journal of Information Management, Journal of Contemporary Management and Frontiers in Education. He also contributed a book chapter in an edited volume published by BRILL in the Netherlands. In addition, his research was presented at national and international conferences. Dr Nkoyi is a member of the Marketing Association of South Africa (MASA), and is designated as an Associate Marketer South Africa (AMSA).

Dr Charlotte Nunes is the Director: Student Academic Development and Support at the Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT), and the Institutional Lead for the Siyaphumelela Student Success Initiative – a national initiative focused on advancing evidence-based student success strategies across the South African higher education sector. She holds a PhD in Education Management, Law and Policy from the University of Pretoria (UP), and has more than 14 years’ experience in education research and programme management. Prior to joining CUT in 2021, she was a Research Specialist at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC).  She currently serves as Deputy Chairperson of the Human Research Ethics Committee at CUT, and previously served on the HSRC Research Ethics Committee. Her work focuses on student success, as well as ethical accountability and risk mitigation in research. Her scholarly contributions include publications in peer-reviewed journals, and presentations at national and international conferences.