MEET OUR
Board
The ENGF is governed by a group of seasoned professionals with relevant skills and competencies which will continue contributing enormously to the organisation’s vision.
Ms Nomkhitha Gysman
Chairperson
Member of the Board of the Grahamstown Foundation and National Arts Festival
The founding chairperson of the Eugenia Nothemba Gxowa Foundation, Nomkhitha Gysman, is a black African feminist, a researcher, analyst, training materials developer and workshop facilitator. In all her capacities Gysman is driven by a passion to ensure that gender equality through women empowerment is achieved. With Wits University Press, she is documenting stories and experiences of female military veterans from the SADC Member States. She was one of the reviewers of the Africa Barometer commissioned by International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance on Women's Political Participation. Gysman was the SADC Parliament’s Head of Gender from 2014 to 2020, where she had an opportunity to work with women parliamentarians from the SADC Member States. From 2003 to 2014 she ran a consulting firm focused on gender analysis and planning, organisational development and accredited training. She has worked for various South African civil society organisations including Oxfam Great Britain as Programme Coordinator of a Gender-based Violence Programme. Gysman has published articles in academic journals and opinion pieces in newspapers. She has a Masters in Gender Studies from the University of the Free State, and is a qualified secondary school teacher with 16 years teaching experience. In August 2022 she joined the Care-Centred Societies Commission, head-quartered in Berlin, Germany. She joined about 30 other experts (from civil society, policy, and academia) involved in various aspects of care-centred economics, social justice and sustainable living from around the world. The initiative explores potential to shift from consumption to caring as the basis of wellbeing.
Ms Nomso Kana
Vice Chairperson
Ms Nomso Kana works as an entrepreneur in the broadband infrastructure sector. She was a lobbyist for sustainable resource use and led the South African Delegation to the World Sustainability Energy Forum. In 2019 she was appointed to serve as a Commissioner for 4IR: an initiative of the South African President. She has studied nuclear science and serves as a governor for the Nuclear Energy Foundation Agency, a commercial African group that advocates for alternative energy sources in 43 African countries. Kana is actively involved in youth development through the SADC Parliamentary Forum and the African Women leadership network. Kana has received several international accolades for her social entrepreneurship work; the most recent is the Young Entrepreneur Award by the African Women Innovation, Entrepreneurship Forum. In addition, she is a Programme Director of Taungana Africa, a non-profit movement that provides high school girls from rural and extremely under-developed Sub-Saharan communities with world-class internet access and exposure to education and career options in science, technology, engineering, entrepreneurship and mathematics. Kana is Deputy Chairperson of the Nelson Mandela Science Centre and Small Enterprise Development Agency. She is an advisor to the Eastern Cape Province Premier on digital transformation and digital economy. She serves as a member of the City of Johannesburg, Smart City Advisory Council and she is also a governor of the Nuclear Energy Foundation for Africa.
Dr Lindsay Kelland
Secretary
Dr Lindsay Kelland is a feminist philosopher based in the Allan Gray Centre for Leadership Ethics, Rhodes University (South Africa) where she works on the transformation of pedagogy within ethics, philosophy, and Higher Education. Her research covers gender, sexualities, and sexual violence. She has published numerous articles in this area; culminating in a recent publication in Hypatia entitled ‘A Call to Arms: The Centrality of Feminist Consciousness-Raising Speak-Outs to the Recovery of Rape Survivors’. In 2015, she was a joint recipient of the Vice Chancellor’s Distinguished Community Engagement Award for her work in community-based, action research with the Siyahluma project. She is one of the Sunday World Heroic Women: 2022 (Women in Academia Category).
Adv Mthobeli Ntleki
Treasurer
Advocate Mthobeli Ntleki qualified as an electrical engineer at Iqhayiya Technical College in 1997. Since 1998 he has been working for MTN in various capacities, and is currently Senior Supervisor for MTN’s Own Shop Department in Port Elizabeth. Ntleki also serves as Regional Chairperson of the Employment Equity Forum for MTN’s Eastern Cape Region. In addition to his engineering qualification Ntleki has an LLB from UNISA (2017) and he was admitted as an advocate to the Grahamstown High Court in 2018.
Ms Vuyokazi Mahlasela-Matsam
Additional member
For over 20 years Vuyokazi Mahlasela-Matsam has been the Director of Corporate Services at the Council on Higher Education (CHE), which provides advice to the Minister of Higher Education and Training on all higher education matters. In this capacity she also acts as the Chief Executive Officer from time to time and is an ex officio member of CHE’s Executive Committee and Council. Mahlasela-Matsam serves on various committees of the higher education Quality Council Partners. Prior to joining CHE, she held two positions at Transnet Engineering – General Manager of Human Capital (2003-2010) and Business Manager, Human Resources Eastern Cape region (2000-2003). From Nelson Mandela University she ovtained a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (2010), a B Tech in Business Management and a B Com in Business Management, Auditing and Economics.
Ms Simphiwe Nombewu
Additional member- Public Representative Officer
Ms Simphiwe Nombewu is a Reinsurance Technical Administrator for the German company, Munich Reinsurance, where she has worked since 2008, dealing with a range of multinational clients. She is experienced in client management, and from 2006 to 2008, worked as Business Coordinator – Client Management at Glenrand MB. Prior to that, she was a Senior Claims Administrator at Santam Insurance in Port Elizabeth. Nombewu has a Social Science degree from Rhodes University with majors in Psychology and Industrial Psychology and an LLB (UNISA). She is a keen public speaker and is involved in cultural and sporting organisations and corporate social initiatives.
Executive Committee
Ms Nomkhitha Gysman
Chairperson
Dr Lindsay Kelland
Adv Mthobeli Ntleki
Finance Sub-Committee
Adv Mthobeli Ntleki
Chairperson
Ms Simphiwe Nombewu
Human Resources
Ms Vuyokazi Mahlasela-Matsam
Chairperson
Ms Nomso Kana