Thamsanqa Mzaku is a manager and facilitator of social transformation and peace-building interventions. Since 2017, Thamsanqa has been working as the Managing Director of Phaphama Initiatives NPC (Phaphama), an NGO that implements violence prevention programmes. He gained his leadership experience by leading a variety of projects over the last 25 years including, inter alia, HIV/AIDS Education Programmes; Batsha-Jeugd Project, a bilateral Flemish-South African youth development initiative; Performing Stories, an oral history project of the University of Cape Town’s Centre for Popular Memory; and Entrepreneurs for Inclusive Development, an anti-xenophobia multi-stakeholder dialogue programme of the Trias - Phaphama partnership. He holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of the Witwatersrand, where his research explores the use of cultural projects for community development.

Katharine is an Educational Psychologist with over 20 years of experience of working with adults, groups, young children and their parents. She has been involved at Ububele (a child and family focused NGO near Alexandra, Johannesburg) for 17 years - as head of their Parent Infant Programme and then as Executive Director. She is currently in Private Practice as a psychotherapist and psycho-social consultant; is a member of IPCP (the Institute of Psychodynamic Child Psychotherapy); is a founding and board member of SAPPIN (the South African Parenting Programme Implementers Network) and is a member of SAPI (the South African Psychoanalytic Initiative).

Rasigan Kander is the Senior Director of Finance & Operations of Sesame Workshop International, South Africa. Sesame Workshop is the international nonprofit organization behind the kids television shows Sesame Street and Takalani Sesame whose mission is to help kids grow smarter, stronger and kinder. Rasigan serves on a number of Boards and is a member of the South African Institute of Professional Accountants (SAIPA). Prior to joining Sesame Workshop International, Rasigan was the Finance Manager of Sonke Gender Justice, a multi award winning NGO recognized by Philanthropedia as one of the top performing organisations working globally to end violence against women. He also held the position of Finance Manager of Mindset Network, an African Educational Technology and Media NGO, launched by the late former president, Nelson Mandela in 2003. He further served as an Accountant of Hosken Consolidated Investments, a listed company on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and the investment arm of the South African Clothing and Textile Workers Union.

Carmen Abdoll is an economist with over a decade of experience in public finance management, budget analysis, and social policy. She specialises in supporting NGOs and governments to strengthen funding for violence prevention, child protection, and children’s rights across Southern Africa and beyond. As an economist at Cornerstone Economic Research, she has led and contributed to projects on expenditure reviews, policy costing, and financing frameworks for social welfare and education services. Carmen previously served in the National Treasury of South Africa, where she worked on intergovernmental fiscal relations and tax policy.

Duduzile C.I. Skhosana is an accomplished community development specialist and strategist with over 30 years of experience advancing child protection, family strengthening, and socio-economic development across Africa, Latin America, and Europe. Her work spans public sector, non-profit, and entrepreneurial environments, where she has consistently driven high-impact programs, built strong partnerships, and influenced policy and organisational practice.

She currently serves as the Head of Program Support for Open Doors International (Africa Services), supporting 33 countries in Africa and Latin America. In this role, she leads regional program operations, ensuring program quality, strategic alignment, data-driven decision-making, and capacity strengthening across the field. She guides the development of standards, strategic reviews, and operational dashboards that enhance ministry impact and organisational performance.

Previously, Duduzile was the Child Protection Thematic Lead at Save the Children South Africa, providing national and regional leadership on child protection strategy and implementation. She oversaw program design, monitoring, budget management, stakeholder development, and knowledge management, significantly strengthening protection systems for vulnerable children.

Before that, she spent nearly a decade with SOS Children’s Villages International as the Continental Family Strengthening Programs Coordinator, leading program implementation across Southern and Eastern Africa. She coordinated donor-funded frameworks, developed organisational support systems, enhanced country-level childcare practices, managed partnerships, and represented family strengthening programs at regional and global levels.

Duduzile’s earlier roles include establishing key community programs such as the Mamelodi Family Strengthening Programme and the Rustenburg SMI childcare facility, where she successfully mobilised communities, built partnerships, and secured funding, including a proposal approved by FIFA.

In addition to her development career, she is an entrepreneur. She co-founded Efficient Lubrication, built job-creating franchises—including a business recognised with a FASA Franchisee of the Year nomination in 2008, and founded the social investment non-profit I-SIMA.

Duduzile holds a BA Honours in Social Work from the University of Zululand, an Executive Leadership Development certificate from GIBS. She is widely recognised for her strategic leadership, cross-cultural communication skills, and commitment to strengthening families and communities.