Dr. Bhengu-Baloyi has varied qualifications including a BSc degree in Diatetics; a diploma in adult education; an LLM in Public Health Law and Human Rights, and a PhD in Administration “Poverty Alleviation and Good Governance.” The course in constitutional law has strengthened her advocacy role.

An academic and entrepreneur, Dr. Bhengu is instrumental in developing and strengthening rural womens' poverty alleviation, health, nutrition, and micro business enterprises, which is encapsulated in the slogan “From the periphery to the center of the economy." This she achieved by linking emergency farmers projects with commercial farmers and sewing enterprises with big clothing companies. In order to further advance the course of rural development, she co-founded and became the first chair-person of the FMBOKO-DO community radio station. As a result of her contribution in making a difference, she was nominated and became a finalist for Shoprite Checkers/SABC2 woman of the year award, 2006, in the social welfare category.

Dr. Bhengu-Baloyi has worked and held various roles in the public and NGO sectors, academic, and research institutions as a manager, sessional lecturer, and researcher. She has contributed to the policy and government transformation process. She has served in the following statutory bodies: The Provincial Tender Board, National Agricutural Marketing Council, Statistics South Africa, Health Professional Council (Diatetics), and Deputy Chair for Maize Trust (SA).

Dr. Bhengu’s current work includes policy analyses, poverty alleviation and development facilitation, public health and nutrition, and HIV/AIDS practitioner. She has documented and presented her papers on her work experience at international and local congresses and conferences.

Dr. Bhengu is keen on continuing to play the role of a broker between the underserved communities and partners in the public, NGO, private sectors academic and research institutions. Her international exposure to leadership training has enabled her to run seminars to inspire and motivate public servants in order to boost morale and enhance performance at work.

William is a South African citizen with his roots in the Eastern Cape. A graduate of the University of Port Elizabeth (now the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University), William has always displayed a passion for both sport and business. He has always played sport and attributes his personal growth and understanding of fellow citizens to this fact. He believes that leadership, teamwork, motivation, discipline and friendship are all at the very heart of playing sport and being active.

Having played and captained provincial cricket teams at every age group level, William later transferred his passion for playing and leading teams into coaching. He qualified as a UCBSA cricket coach and completed the National Sports Council (NSC) Sports Leader programme. Having found his niche he launched an indoor cricket school in the Eastern Cape. He was also an active member of the team involved in the start-up of the International Cricket Academy based at the University of Port Elizabeth.

William also possesses global experience within the sports services industry, having implemented a number of developmental initiatives throughout the UK. He spent just short of four years abroad running programmes to encourage young people to live healthy and active lifestyles as well as turning good practice into common practice by creating pathways for educators and coaches through a structured Knowledge Management Programme. William has worked across the developmental spectrum, from grass roots level through to high performance sport.

William founded Sporting Opportunities, a national organisation that uses sport as a catalyst to inspire values-based leadership amid young people of South Africa assisting in the process of galvanising the population toward positive change and development. Sporting Opportunities brings young people together from different backgrounds, to share their sporting abilities and to learn from one another, building bridges between people on a community level and breaking down barriers and negative stereotypes. A powerful platform is created to influence positively young people regarding the ‘real life impacts’ facing them today as well as addressing priority areas such as moral regeneration and social cohesion.

His vision is to produce a new generation of healthy, innovative, values-based and responsible young community leaders ensuring a sustainable future for Africa.

Ismail holds a National Diploma in Electronics Engineering. His first job was at the CSIR. He went on to running his own business, and later worked at Armscor within the aerospace environment. He then completed his MBA at UCT’s GSB, and spent a period at Cambridge University, having been awarded the Sainsbury Management Fellowship. Ismail joined Trade and Investment South Africa (TISA), a division of the DTI, in July 2001, and later served as TISA’s Chief Operating Officer.

Ismail Dockrat currently holds the prestigious title of South Africa’s Boss of the Year.

Bongi Kunene is the Head of the Private Office for the Deputy President, Republic of South Africa. She holds an MSc (Development Economics) from the University of London. She did her under-graduate studies at the University of Zululand, South Africa. In the Deputy President’s Office she is responsible for the coordination of the DP’s programs, namely: Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (ASGISA), the Joint Initiative on Priority Skills Acquisition (JIPSA), the Second Economy, the Leader of Government Business, Moral Regeneration Movement, and the South African National Aids Council (SANAC).

Prior to joining the Office of the Deputy President in July 2006, Ms Kunene was the Head of Department for Economic Development in the Gauteng Province. Her service in the Province covered the following areas: consumer court, education and protection; liquor licensing; overseeing the Provincial Public Entities: Blue IQ, Gauteng Economic Development Agency, Gauteng Gambling Board, Gauteng Film Office, Gauteng Tourism and Gauteng Enterprise Propeller. She was responsible for coordinating activities related to the Growth and Development Summit; she directed the production of “ Passing the Torch” – an initiative honoring women, and “Economic Opportunities” booklet and workshops. She was responsible for the Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment policy and the policy on co-operatives.

Ms Kunene worked with 22 mainly English-speaking African countries whilst she was based at the World Bank in Washington DC. Her areas of expertise cover broadly development finance, policy and regulation, and representation. In her career she has worked as a lecturer, researcher, and consultant.

She currently is the only African member of the United Nations Development Programme’s Audit and Advisory Committee. She is a board member of Blue IQ Investment Holdings.

Lulama is responsible for corporate image and corporate brand at Telcom. She holds a B.A . degree, a HDE and a B.Ed. degree. She is currently completeing her thesis on Leadership Challenges in Local Government for the completion of her M.A. in Public and Development Management. Lulana’s career started as a teacher of high school students. She has worked in various organizations including; Ntsika Enterprise Promotion Agency, Telkom Foundation World Vision South Africa. Lulana enjoys spending time with family, playing golf, travelling and reading.

Charles Luyckx

Charles is a chartered accountant having studied business communication and business accounting at Wits and articled with KPMG in Johannesburg.

He is one of the two founding directors of Nando’s UK (Grown from start up to present 125 units trading with nearly £150 million of turnover this year). The company continues growing turnover and profit at some 25% per annum. He is one of four directors of GondolaExpress plc which successfully acquired PizzaExpress plc in a £300million public to private takeover in June 2003. He is also one of four directors of Riposte Limited which acquired ASK Central plc in a £220million takeover in June 2004. He successfully re-floated these combined businesses as Gondola Holdings plc on the London Stock Exchange in November 2005 for some £800million. He is a trustee - Every Nation Church London.

Trustee - NICRO UK (supports youth at risk in South Africa). He holds Senior Protea Colours for show jumping. He is married with no children (yet). His life purpose is to make a meaningful and permanent contribution to the lives of the people of Southern Africa.

From 1985 to 1992, Desireé worked as a line producer on numerous international feature co-productions, including Athol Fugard's THE ROAD TO MECCA, starring Kathy Bates. In 1993, disillusioned with the creative standard of South African feature films, Desireé decided to concentrate on other genres, producing many local television series and commercials.
Desireé has won US International Film and Television, Avanti, Loerie, IPM and Artes Awards. In 1997, her multi-award winning television campaign, I'M ADDICTED TO LIFE, was the only South African project invited to the United Nations media conference on drugs.

As regional chairman of the National Television and Video Association, Desireé engaged with the government and broadcasters. She produced the organisation's prestigious annual awards event for 6 years. Whilst serving as vice chairman of the Independent Producers Organisation, she spear-headed the production and broadcasting section for the Entertainment Industry Standards Authority. She designed and produced the South African Society of Cinematographers awards for three years and regularly lectures at film schools on production.

In 1999, she produced the drama series YIZO YIZO, and went on to co-produce a Polish feature film. In 2000, she produced the second series of YIZO YIZO as well as the platinum selling soundtrack CD. She co-produced the HBO/SABC backed feature documentary AMANDLA! as well as 60 audiovisual elements for the Apartheid Museum.

2003 saw Desireé facilitating international music video and commercial productions as well as producing the third series of YIZO YIZO. Desireé is currently in development with SCAR, Teboho Mahlatsi's debut feature film.

He returned to the Sunday Times, where he had been a deputy managing editor for politics and policy, after a stint as editor of the Mail and Guardian. He is a regular commentator on BBC, SA Fm, Radio 702 and television current affairs programmes. He started his career in Journalism at the Weekly Mail in 1990 and was the paper's Cape Town bureau chief and a business writer. Makhanya also spent an internship at the Newsweek magazine in New York. In addition, he was a political writer and deputy news editor of the Star, and associate editor of Sunday World. Makhanya is on the national council of the SA National Editors’ Forum.

She started her career as a nurse and midwife and moved on to become a nursing lecturer, social science researcher and a psychology graduate. She has over the past decade worked as a counselor, trainer, gender consultant and a rural development practitioner.

In 1992, she founded Agisanang Domestic Abuse Prevention and Training (ADAPT), an organisation using holistic healing methods to address violence against women in townships and rural villages. She worked as Director of ADAPT for over 10 years, developing a community empowerment model for addressing domestic violence in townships and rural villages. In 1997 and 1999, she facilitated training on violence against women as an obstacle to development for women in Harare, Zimbabwe and Mogadishu, Somalia respectively.

In 2001/2, she was a consultant to RADAR a rural women and HIV project of the School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand. Her main task included designing interventions that integrates gender violence and HIV into microfinance programmes for rural women.

In 2003, she was assigned by Freedom Park Trust tasked with a responsibility of undertaking research on the spiritual significance of rocks and water in African healing using individual interviews and focus group discussions with elders and traditional healers residing in villages across the country. The findings of her work were used by landscape architects to design a garden of remembrance launched by President Mbeki in April 2004. Currently, she is assigned by the Centre for the Study of Aids, University of Pretoria to write an annual review on the political economy of food and its impact of HIV/AIDS in South Africa.

Born of a family of spiritual healers, she was chosen against her will to continue with the legacy of healing. As part of her healing process, she published a book titled Hearing Visions Seeing Voices (Jacana 2004). Her second book, Name the Pain, Face the Shame is forthcoming in November 2006. She is also working on her third book, Violence affects us all: A community empowerment model in addressing domestic violence in Africa as well as a collection of poetry titled bosom of the goddess.

Her current work revolves around integrating ancient teachings in modern innovations. This includes developing an African leadership school holiday programme for rural youth in dialogue with elders in their communities as well as an intergenerational dialogue for grandmothers, mothers and teenage daughters on sexuality and HIV using ancient indigenous art forms such as storytelling, dance, heroic poetry and drumming as means of communication. She is also working on a concept for a play titled Hunger for the Sky, which is about women's notion of freedom. She has currently co-produced her first documentary titled A crack runs through it which about uncovering ancient teachings as a means to heal widespread spiritual disconnection prevalent among Africans.

Composer/musician.

Neo Muyanga was born in Soweto, into a family of long-time composers and musical instrument makers - The Muyanga clan are the originators of the Mozambican Mbila - the forebearer of instruments such as the marimba and the xylophone. From 1991 to 1993 Neo studied the Italian Madrigal Tradition with Choral Maestro, Piero Poclen, at the United World College in Trieste, Italy.
In 1993, after completing his diploma course, Neo joined Footprints Theatre Company in Nottingham, England, creating soundtracks to accompany the troupe's plays while on tour around Britain. On returning to South Africa, in 1994-1995, Neo studied audio engineering at Johannesburg’s Downtown Studios with Philip Nel.

In 1996, Neo formed the acoustic duo, Blk Sonshine, with Masauko Chipembere. Blk Sonshine toured extensively throughout South Africa and Swaziland, and later, in 1998, the band relocated to the city of Los Angels, in the United States. Together with legendary producer, Russel Pope (of British group Supertramp) the duo recorded and released their eponymously titled debut album, which contained the hit songs "Born in a Taxi" and "Soul Smile". Blk Sonshine toured the West and East Coasts of America for two years, working within the poetry, hip hop and acoustic folk circuits of L.A. and New York. Returning to South Africa again in 2001, Neo settled in Cape Town and began self-directed studies in orchestration and arrangement. At this time he also began work on his solo album, The Listening Room. This record, released in 2002, showcased the hit song "My World", which became a popular fixture on radio and television across South Africa as a result of being used as the theme track for the television series, "All You Need is Love".

Neo has also composed music for the theatre stage and cinema: In 2003 he collaborated with South African directors, Craig and Damon Foster, creating the musical opening and ending for the acclaimed documentary "Cosmic Africa", in 2004 he composed a s'cathamiya voice ensemble work for the play "The Fireraisers" written by Swiss playwright, Max Frisch, and directed by Mark Fleishman of Magnet Theatre. In 2005 Neo composed a set of choral songs for "The Sweet Metal Project", commissioned by arts consultancy, Metal Culture, in Liverpool, U.K. In the same year, he also created original music for Jazzart Dance Theatre's Xam! Bushman tribute, "Rain in a Dead Man's Footprints".

2006 has seen Neo collaborate with British choreographer Adam Benjamin, creating musical accompaniment to "Second Time Broken", a dance piece commissioned by Remix Dance Company, an integrated dance company comprising disabled and able-bodied dancers, based at the University of Cape Town. Neo continues to tour throughout South Africa and Europe, performing his solo show (on vocals, guitar, piano and mesinko - a traditional Ethiopian instrument).

Vuyani grew up in Gugulethu, Cape Town. He insists his values and character developed during that period. He schooled at various Guguletu schools from Xolani Lower Primary to Intshinga Higher Primary and then Langa High School before crossing the railway line in 1985 to Rondebosch. In 1986 Vuyani matriculated from Diocesan College (Bishops) and went on to complete a Bachelor of Arts in 1990 having wasted a year wondering whether to pursue a career in medicine or in law. He furthered his study career by completing a Bachelor of Laws in 1992, a Post Graduate Diploma in Tax Law in 1995 and in 1996 he completed his Master of Laws (Income Tax) all at UCT. Vuyani was a member of the Cape Bar from 1997 to 2002 and for a year during that period he held the position of Treasurer of the Cape Bar Council (1998). Not only was he a member of the Cape Bar, but also a founding member of Advocates for Transformation from 1998 to 2002, the Pension Lawyers Association from 1996 to 2002, as well as being Chairman of the Special Board for Hearing Income Tax Appeals from 1998 to 2002. He is former Deputy Director of the Asset Forfeiture Unit prior to being appointed as the Pension Funds Adjudicator in March 2004.

Over a period of 10 years her employment record spans being the Head of the Regional office of the Friedrich-Ebert Foundation, the Coordinator of the Provincial Development Council, the Provincial Director of the National Business Initiative and the Deputy CEO of WESGRO.

Felicia joined Kfm Radio (Pty) Ltd in May 2001 as General Manager. At the end of a six-month probation period, she was confirmed as the Managing Director. She spearheaded the growth and transformation of the station to being the market leader in the Western Cape and one of the 5 most profitable commercial radio stations in the country. In 2003 Felicia was voted one of the “10 most remarkable women in media”.

Felicia is currently a director and shareholder of a Human Resource and Organisational Development consultancy. She is a non-executive Director of Direng Investment Holdings (Pty) Ltd, Creda Communications (Pty) Ltd and Mosaic Training, Service & Healing Centre for Women. Felicia is an accredited executive coach with the Tavistock Consultancy Service in the United Kingdom. She is employed by Sun International as the general manager of the Golden Valley Casino and Hotel.

Earl, born in Athlone in the Western Cape, quickly grew to become resilient and adaptable with the wide array of personal and social challenges typical of the Cape Flats. Through the insistence of a visionary teacher, Earl was coerced into applying for an exchange scholarship resulting in him spending a post matriculation year in Sucre, Bolivia where he excelled at school, sport and art. On returning to Cape Town, Earl graduated from the University of Cape Town with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry. Earl joined Shell as a Development Chemist and has had a successful career spanning technical, marketing, strategy and sales experiences. Earl spent six years out of South Africa working in Venezuela and London and returned to South Africa in 2002. He is currently Regional Commercial Manager for Southern Africa. Earl holds Director and Chairman roles on various boards.

Earl lives with his wife and two year old son in Cape Town and enjoys the outdoors, runs marathons and reads extensively.

In an African context, Earl is committed to transformation and is happiest coaching and working alongside young executives as they decipher and plot their own paths through complex personal, social and business challenges.

Khumo Seopela is a RSA citizen, with academic qualifications in Journalism from Rhodes University, B.Sc. (MED) Hons (Psych) from Medunsa and a M.Sc. (Clin Psych) from Medunsa. She has circa 10 years experience in the RSA Mining Industry within various Human Resource related roles and having worked in a wide variety of capacities, including, transformation, HR consulting, HR Strategic Planning, BEE and related community empowerment, HR Turn around projects, communications, Shared Services applications, and roll outs of Information technology systems. She was the Head of Transformation at De Beers Consolidated Mines and a member of that company’s Executive Committee. Prior to assuming her current role, Khumo worked for Anglo American Platinum Corp as the Group HR planning Consultant and has also occupied senior HR roles with Transnet (Spoornet & South African Airways) and Goldfields of South Africa. She continues to deliver limited clinical psychology services in her spare time.

Thina matriculated with first class from Mount Arthur Girl’s High School, Eastern Cape. She holds a B.SocSc (Hons) from the University of Cape Town (1988) and an LLB from the then University of Natal, Durban (1991). She was employed as a
Fellow (Intern) by the Centre for Applied Legal Studies in 1992, attached to the department’s Wits University and during that year taught Labour Law for the University’s Law Academic Support Programme. In 1993 she served Articles of Clerkship with the Johannesburg firm Cheadle Thompson & Hayson. In 1995 she was admitted as an Attorney of the High Court of South Africa. At the time Thina gained extensive experience in Labour Law, Litigation and aspects of Commercial Law born by the shift of trade unions into investment ventures, gaining insight into early Black Economic Empowerment Ventures.

In 1996 Thina commenced practice in Durban for her own account under the name Thina Siwendu and Associates and focused exclusively on providing commercial legal services to institutional clients. Thina’s experience is in commercial drafting, transaction management and negotiation, drawing legal opinions, structuring of business entities, Corporate Governance and Board Leadership, Board Effectiveness Evaluation and Reviews in terms of King Code and other international best practice instruments, overall Corporate Governance Assessments as well as the interface between private and public commercial law. She has worked with the Boards of two key parastatals in South Africa. Her goal is to ensure that the firm charts the ladder of growth for the oncoming years.

Within the profession, Thina serves as a member of the KwaZulu Natal Law Society Special Complaints Committee, and was appointed in November 2004 by the Judge President of the Kwa-Zulu Natal Law Society as Practice Procedure and Bookkeeping Examiner for the next five years.

Within the business environment, Thina previously served as a representative of NAFCOC in the interim Council charged with the merger of NAFCOC Durban and the Durban Chamber of Commerce as well as a Board Member of the Durban Investment Promotion Agency (DIPA) an agency of the Ethekwini Municipality focusing on attraction and retention of business in to the city.

Her current board appointments include position as a non-executive Director of East Coast Radio, Thebe Investments Corporation (Pty) Ltd, Ayavuna Women’s Investments as well as serving as Regional Vice Chairman of the South African Property Owner’s Association (SAPOA). She also serves as a member of the Board of Governors of Kearsney College.

Thina was awarded the Regional Business Achiever (Professional Services) for the year 2004/5 by the Businesswomen’s Association sponsored by Nedbank.

Fred is currently based in Johannesburg, South Africa, and is the driving force behind the African Leadership Academy, a world-class high school that aims to develop future generations of African leaders (www.africanleadershipacademy.com). Fred is a Ghanaian who spent his formative years living and working in seven different African countries. For several generations, Fred’s family has been involved in the founding of schools in Africa. The many examples of educational entrepreneurs in his family demonstrated to Fred the enormous impact of education in transforming society, and taught Fred how to develop schools of excellence in Africa.

Fred received the original inspiration to launch the African Leadership Academy in 2003, when-in searching for a way to accelerate Africa’s development, he was struck by the disproportionate impact that just a few individuals (like Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu) could have in transforming African society. This realization spurred Fred to envision an institution that would increase the supply of such individuals who could dramatically impact society.

Prior to launching the African Leadership Academy, Fred launched a leadership development program for youth called the Summer Academy at Cape Town (www.summeracademyct.com). Fred also spent two years working for McKinsey and Company’s Johannesburg office, where he provided strategic advice to the management teams of large companies in Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, and Tanzania.

Fred received his tertiary education in the USA. He has an MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar, a distinction awarded to those graduating in the top 10% of each MBA class. He also has a BA in Economics, Magna Cum Laude from Macalester College in Minnesota.