Board of trustees

Sibusiso Sgwane is a Chevening Scholar who holds an MSc International Development qualification from the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom and a BA Politics (Honours) from the University of Johannesburg.  His interests are in youth empowerment, leadership, politics, and education. He has been involved in poverty alleviation and youth development initiatives for nearly a decade.

In 2015 he was one of the recipients of the prestigious Chevening Scholarship awarded to him in recognition of his outstanding leadership skills. His immense contribution in the fight against poverty and active involvement in youth development programmes saw him being selected in 2013 by Former Mayor Parks Tau as the City of Johannesburg’s delegate to the prestigious One Young Summit. Sibusiso is also frequently invited as a guest for various youth empowerment, leadership, and politics related shows in both South African and international media where he often shares his vast knowledge and pearls of wisdom to young people from all backgrounds.

He has been featured in media platforms such as Cliffcentral.com, Talk Radio 702, Radio 2000, BBC, and Power FM. His extensive work in the field of youth development is also recognised at a continental level hence in January 2015 he was selected as a delegate for the Intergenerational Dialogue with African Heads of States hosted by the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Furthermore in 2016 he was nominated as a candidate for a Pan Africanist continental organisation called the African Youth Commission (AYC).

Sifiso Mnisi holds a Master’s Degree in Communication Studies from the University of Johannesburg focusing on consumption patterns of poor people and youth subcultures. He is currently working on his PhD. He was appointed as Dream for Life Africa’s Board of Trustees Member in 2014 and he became the Vice-Chairman of the organization in 2017.  He is passionate about empowering young people in grassroot communities through education.

Mnisi is an astute academic with his research interests ranging from development communication, consumer studies, youth subcultures, and decolonization studies. To date he has published a number of journal articles and book chapters. He has also presented research papers at multiple conferences both locally and internationally. This dynamic academic has won an award for a best paper in the emerging scholars’ track at the 2016 SACOMM conference. Mnisi is currently employed as a Head of Programme in the Faculty of Humanities at the Independent Institute of Education (The IIE).

Wandile is a founding director of Dream for Life Africa and his responsibilities on the Board include setting the organisation’s strategic direction and establishing strategic partnerships.

Wandile’s interests include mentorship, entrepreneurship, educational technologies and sustainability. He has been directly involved in various initiatives within the organisation and is currently working on a project that will aim to conscientise our youth about the risks posed by environmental degradation, including climate change, and practical actions that each of us can take in our communities to mitigate those risks.

Wandile is a qualified Actuary with specialisations in investments and enterprise risk management, and holds a BSc (Honours) degree in Actuarial Mathematics from the University of Pretoria. He is currently based in London where he works as an Investment Consultant for Willis Towers Watson.

Kenyan-born Mary Opondo is a 2011 Mandela Rhodes Scholar who holds a Masters in Development Studies from the University of Johannesburg.  She also studied a Bachelor of Arts in Politics degree at the University of Johannesburg.  A philanthropist at heart, her interests are in education, capacity – building, mentorship and entrepreneurship.  She brings to the table her diverse expertise emanating from the various organisations where she assisted in mentorship, project coordination, budget preparations, research and elections monitoring.

Furthermore, Mary’s work as a researcher has seen her involvement in the production of systematic reviews, evidence maps and rapid evidence assessments (REAs) to inform policy across Africa.  Her passion and dedication to community development has seen her receiving numerous awards including 2011 Mandela Rhodes Scholarship, Golden Key Chapter Award for leadership, and inclusion in the Deans’ List of excellence. Mary is also a Board member for the Community of Mandela Rhodes Scholars (CMRS). She also serves as Dream for Life Africa’s Head of Monitoring and Evaluation.    In her free time, she enjoys reading novels, cooking, travelling, and motivating others. Her personal slogan is to always keep the fire within burning.

Hlobisile is a qualified Chartered Accountant who joined Dream for Life Africa’s Board of Trustees in 2016 where she continues to make a meaningful contribution through her skills and expertise. At Dream for Life Africa, she is also in charge of the organization’s accounting department.  She studied B Accounting (Honors) at the University of Free State.

 Hlobi as she is affectionately known, has a wealth of experience in the Accounting and Finance sector where she started as a Trainee Accountant for the Shoprite Group. In 2014 she was promoted as a Management Accountant for the Shoprite a position she held for two years.  Hlobi is also a former Senior Accountant in Reporting responsible for Exco, Board and Governance reports and submissions at Sasol.  In 2018 she founded a firm called Mafisa Chartered Accountants which deals with Accounting, Tax and Advisory Services.  She also serves as Dream for Life Africa’s Accounting Officer. Her passion for youth empowerment began in 2007 when she worked as a Programme Facilitator for Lovelife.