Future Leaders Class of 2020

Ramudzuli Ndaedzo Andy

Ramudzuli Ndaedzo Andy has joined ASRI as a Research Associate. He holds a Bachelor of Technology in Transport Management from the University of Johannesburg. Through his studies, he was involved in voluntary community engagement which its version is to embrace the advancement of freedom, democracy, and human dignity through Service Learning, Community-based Research, and Organized Outreach. His research interests are based on transport economics (Smart mobility), addressing issues facing public and private transport commuters, and the change in which the ‘fourth industrial revolution will bring forth into the ways we live and work. During his research period at ASRI he worked with numerous institute/ organisations to be acquainted with knowledge and experience in the transport sector, and he also participated in the ASRI Future Leaders program 2020/2021.

Zakariya Baker

My name is Zakariya Baker. I am a social worker, private therapist, social advocate and a soon-to-be graduate of the ASRI Future Leaders Program. Over the last year, I have sought to further increase my knowledge and experience. My progress and success have been largely as a result of my experiences with ASRI. I have found myself growing in my profession, having begun working in the NGO sector, which necessarily exposed me to the harsh realities of life in South Africa for the vulnerable. What followed was a growing desire to seek out greater systemic change. I found myself seeking change through my interactions with the Social Work Action Network South Africa, with whom I work on campaigns relating to social issues in South Africa, both at a local and international level. In my private capacity, I also designed and implemented a successful affordable therapy initiative which ran between July and December 2020.

Thameez Bodhanya

Thameez Ahmad Bodhanya, born and raised in Durban (Kwa-Zulu Natal), completed his high-school career at the Orient Islamic School. Thameez then went on to graduate from the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal with a Bachelor of Science (Double-Major) in Computer Science. He also holds a post-graduate Diploma in Advanced Islamic Sciences from the Madina Institute, and has spent time at the Sung Kyon Kwon University of Korea.

In 2020, Thameez joined the ASRI Future Leaders Fellowship Programme, and more recently completed a course in Management Essentials from the Harvard Business School. Currently Thameez is employed as a Site Reliability Engineer and spends his spare time as an active Wildland Firefighter and First-Aider for the Volunteer Wildfire Services (Newlands Base), while holding positions in various alumni executive bodies.

Siphelele Danisa

Siphelele Danisa did his undergraduate degree (BSc) in Mathematics and Applied Mathematics at the University of Cape Town (2017-2019), after which he completed his second degree, Honours in Mathematics (2020). During the same year, he joined the ASRI Future Leaders’ Programme as a participant. He is currently pursuing a MSc in Applied Mathematics, at the same institution, while also taking up the role of a Research Intern at InstaDeep Ltd. While his research experience has focused on broad mathematical modelling and applied computing, Siphelele has intentions to use his technical skills together with the skills he obtained from the programme to make a difference in people’s lives.

Emmanuel Eduardo

Emmanuel Eduardo is a student at Management Collage of Southern Africa where He’s Studying towards Bachelor of Commerce in Financial Management and accounting. He commenced his accounting career practice as a Financial administrator at Bekkersdal Muslim Association NPO 102-347. Worked as an Assistance at Aslam Carrim And Associate Charted Accountants company compiling financial statements for BMA NPO year 2018 – 2020. Emmanuel is a brand ambassador of Adopt A Son a Non-profit Organisation that focuses on emancipate and equip a boy child with necessary academic tools. In 2020 Emmanuel joined the ASRI Fellowship Programme and served as a budget forecasting manager for Citizen Initiative Project.

Aarifah Hunter

Aarifah Hunter is a community development enthusiast with many years of social development experience working with disadvantaged communities based in Durban. She holds an Honours degree in Community and Development Studies from UKZN. Prior to this she studied to obtain an Aalimah certificate and later a counselling course. The intersection of her religious studies and her academic pursuits guided her career and participation in different projects such as campus forums where she led an integration and transformation agenda. Hunter’s deep-rooted interest for community development motivated her participation in various community projects on a grassroots level. These experiences have put her on a path to search for sustainable solutions to the many socio-economic conditions that plague South African communities, Hunter believes that real change starts at the bottom.

Quencilia Nozipho Njomo

Quencilia Nozipho Njomo is an ASRI fellow, an Equal Education finance intern and an Uncedo Day Care Centre committee member as a treasurer. Having lost her parents at an early age, Nozipho participated in developmental training programmes that catered for orphans, where she grew her love for social development, mainly focusing on enhancing the lives of the disadvantaged. With an interest in entrepreneurship upon her completion of matric in Cultura High School, she participated in New Venture Creation programs that aimed at developing small businesses. Working hard and straddling part-time jobs, Nozipho eventually obtained a Diploma in Accountancy from the University of Johannesburg. Nozipho aspires to provide the disadvantaged with a facility that will cater for educational and developmental programs.

Bibi ‘Aisha Lasania

Bibi ‘Aisha Lasania matriculated from Johannesburg Muslim School; she was actively involved in community upliftment programs. Highlights of her active community participation include volunteering at; Al Khaleel & Abraham Kriel Childcare. In most recent years she’s volunteered at Hi-Hopes at the Centre of Deaf Studies & completed ‘Autism Spectrum Disorder Training Programme’ from the Centre of Deaf Studies at the University of Witwatersrand.‘Aisha graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand, with a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in South African Sign Language and Psychology. In 2020 she began her postgraduate honours education in South African Sign Language.‘Aisha’s long-term goals include furthering her post graduate studies in SASL & aims to contribute to the progression of education to disabled individuals. Aisha eventually aims to attain the goals she has set out for herself and is ever willing to break boundaries to promote justice, equality, and support for all.

Tshegofatso Moabelo

Tshegofatso Moabelo is a dynamic young woman who is passionate about development, women issues, education, entrepreneurship and research. She holds B. Ed honours in science education from the University of the Witwatersrand. She is a fellow of the Awual Socio-economic Research Institute (ASRI) Future Leader’s program 2020/2021. Through the program she went through theory based learning and then completed an externship as a Monitoring and Evaluation Intern at JET Education Service (2021). She is a firm believer that it is through combined efforts that so much can be achieved. After all, it is said collaboration is one of the most important skills of the 21st Century that one must possess in order to thrive in this world.

Muhammed Ghazali Esau

Muhammed Ghazali Esau a final year UNISA student pursuing a BA in Government, Administration and Development. He already holds a NQFL3 in Business Administration, NQFL5 in Local Government and Development Management, Political Science and Government from MANCOSA. ICDL Certificate in Microsoft Office and a Certificate in Project Management from TSIBA Ignition Academy. A delegate at the 2020 Asia Youth International Model United Nations, which was held in Malaysia(Kulua Lumpur), since then he has participated in multiple online MUN’s from around the world. He currently volunteers with the City of Cape Town Disaster Risk Management, 1st Ottery Scout Group and Ottery Islamic Society.

Aliyah Price

Aliyah Price is a Social Science graduate from the University of Cape Town. She has completed her undergraduate studies while completing the first six months of the ASRI Futures Leaders program. She has since completed an internship at the Mail & Guardian online publication and is dedicated to continuing her journey into the world of media and writing. She has since contributed to millennial publications Boudjie, Halalwatch.org, and Hercampus.com. Aliyah intends to harness the skills learned in both fields of writing and research to inform the wider public about the many layers contributing to socio-economic issues plaguing South African communities. Aliyah is committed to creating a platform that is a collective of both academic studies and practical information which could serve as a source of information and guide for communities battling social and economic issues. The creation of a public platform will focus on removing the barriers of exclusivity from academia and allow communities battling with these issues to learn the phycology and sociology behind certain toxic and often harmful societal norms. Aliyah will continue her journey in the honors program in English literature at the University of the Western Cape in 2022.

Sasha Thabo

I am Sasha Thabo. I hold a social science degree in International Relations, Media Studies and Political Science from the University of the Witwatersrand. My passion for content creation and tech persuaded me to complete courses in Digital Media and Communications, Word Press as well as a TEFL certificate. More so, was the pleasure of being a participant of the ASRI FLP 2020/21 cohort. This is a graduate programme for individuals aspiring to be in the civil service. Our learnings include law, governance, political theory and work-based learning which has played a significant role in gaining skills and kick starting my career.

Thaakirah Savahl

Thaakirah Savahl is a young South African activist with a passion for social justice. Thaakirah attended the University of the Witwatersrand, where she completed her Bachelor of Arts degree and a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in Political Studies. She is currently completing her Master of Arts degree in Organisational and Institutional studies. During her campus years, Thaakirah became quite influential within various structures. She has held various leadership positions including her most recent position as Deputy Secretary-General of the Wits SRC. She is dedicated to youth, women and black empowerment. She is currently pursuing a career in strategic development.

Fathima Zahra Mayet

Fathima Zahra Mayet has an Honours degree in Politics and International Relations and has submitted her master’s dissertation in Historical Studies. Mayet worked as tutor to the history and politics departments at UJ. She has been part of the UJ Palestine Solidarity Forum as well as the UJ branch of the South African Students Congress (SASCO). In addition, she is an executive member of an NGO, Protect the Rohingya; and generally supports social and political movements. She has participated in various humanitarian efforts. She was part of the ASRI Future Leaders Fellowship 2020/2021 cohort.

Dominic Moloto Matabola

Dominic Moloto Matabola is a graduate of the Tshwane University of Technology with a National Diploma in Administration Management: Finance and a Btech in Business Administration. He works as a Trade Development Representative for Top Image Africa. Concurrently, he is also a co-founder and Vice-Chairman of a non-profit organization called Lebone La Baithuti (LLB) which provides capacity-building programs such as Spelling-bee, Book-club, Debate-club, Poetry, Mentorship, Motivational talks, and Career Exhibitions. Teaching as his second nature, he spends some of his precious time tutoring Logistics and Operations Management students at the Tshwane University of Technology. Dominic is an upcoming author with one book already in the lineup for publishing. He prides himself to be a fellow of Auwal Socioeconomic Research Institute Future Leaders.

Humairaa Moola

Humairaa Moola holds a Bachelor of Accounting Science degree together with a certificate in Administration of Deceased and Insolvent Estates. Whilst completing her studies, she served her articles at an accounting firm in Newcastle, thereafter, continuing to work in Newcastle with her last position held, being that of a senior accountant.After nine years, Humairaa decided to venture out on her own and currently runs her own accounting practice, provides tuition to high school accounting students, and offers personal and business finance consultations and trainings.Humairaa’s fervour for getting individuals excited about their finances and realizing their financial dreams, spurred her to create a blog and use other social media platforms to educate individuals on financial literacy as she strongly believes that having even the slightest knowledge on managing your finances can make a huge difference in one’s financial future and life.During 2020, Humairaa was selected to form part of the ASRI 2020 cohort which enabled her to become a more active change agent for her community.

Malaika Motsoai

My name is Malaika Motsoai, I am a student at the University of the Witwatersrand currently doing a BSc (Hons) Geophysics and I hold a BSc Maths and Physics degree. I have been involved with various school councils such as the Wits Physics School Council where we strived for the educational success of students. I work with a non-profit organization called the Faculty of Best Advisory (FBA) which aims at bridging the gap between high school and university by empowering students, I am a First Year Experience Ambassador, where we form as a safety net for first years in university and try assist them transition into university and I am a Fellow at the ASRI Future Leaders Program 2020/2021.

Jacobus du Toit McLachlan

Jacobus du Toit McLachlan worked as a high school tutor while completing his Bachelor of Arts degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics at the University of Pretoria (UP). In 2020, while completing his Honour’s in International Relations at UP, Du Toit enrolled in the Auwal Socio-economic Research Institute’s (ASRI) Future Leaders Programme. As part of the programme, he joined the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in February 2021 as an extern. Following a successful externship, he was offered a consultancy position in the African Futures and Innovation Programme at the ISS, a position he still holds.

Leslie Mudimu

Leslie Mudimu is a social scientist by qualification with a strong passion for understanding complex societal issues and working towards finding solutions for these complexities. Leslie graduated from the University of Cape Town with a Bachelor of Social Sciences degree with Honours. She recently graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand with a Master of Arts degree in Development Studies. Leslie has a track record working with various NGOs and NPOs providing research and writing services. She is a former Andrew Mellon Scholar and is currently completing a fellowship programme with the Auwal Socio-Economic Research Institute which she has been affiliated with since 2020.

Kagisho Nkadimeng

Kagisho Nkadimeng is an NRF Research Associate at ASRI. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with Sociology and International Relations majors from the University of the Witwatersrand. Kagisho is also enrolled for an Honours degree in Organisational and Institutional Studies (OIS) at the University of the Witwatersrand. Kagisho’s research interests include how municipal by-laws affect the informal economy, local economic development, international development, entrepreneurship, education as a tool for socioeconomic development and foreign policy. Kagisho ran the Wits Students’ Business Society whilst still at Wits. While at Wits, he was a member of the Fees Must Fall and Outsourcing Must Fall movements during 2015 and 2016.

Resoketswe Cate Nkalitshana

My name is Resoketswe Cate Nkalitshana, I grew up in Brakpan, east of Johannesburg. I hold a BSc and a BSc with Honours in Biological Science from the University of the Witwatersrand. I majored in animals, plants, and environmental sciences, all of which I am passionate about. I am the head of mentorship at the Faculty of Best Advisory, a non-profit company that aims to inform, empower, and uplift people through the provision of information. I am currently pursuing my MSc in Nature Conservation from the University of South Africa. I would like to one day complete a PhD in this field. I aim to combine my knowledge in environmental sciences as well as leadership to produce future leaders who are environmentally conscious. Thus, I would like to pursue lecturing as a career where I can combine environmental research with civic leadership.

Boitumelo Nte

Boitumelo Nte is writing practitioner and an alumna of the Rhodes University School of Journalism. She holds an Economics degree also from the university, and worked as student reporter for the Rhodes University Communications Division in 2019. She additionally freelanced for the Grocotts Mail and the 2019 National Arts Festival. She is a fervent consumer of current affairs and active participant in national news discourse.

Hasan Mahomedy

Hasan Mahomedy completed an undergraduate degree in environmental science at the University of KwaZulu Natal, and then moved onto completing postgraduate studies at the University of Cape Town, in Geographic Information Systems. He has been involved in many community projects over the years, including soup kitchens, security awareness, water distribution and winter warmth drives. Past roles include Secretary of Westville Community Policing Forum, and both Secretary and subsequently Chairperson of the Muslim Students Association (UKZN-Westville). Hasan’s background lead him to participate in the Auwal Socio-Economic Research Institute’s Future Leaders Program (2020), which aims at enhancing civic leadership and developing the younger generation as change agents in South Africa. He has recently joined SAPPI Southern Africa, an internationally renowned forestry and paper company. His future endeavours include service to society and establishing himself as a lead GIS professional in both his work and research.

Ziyaad Kanyiso

Ziyaad Kanyiso is a Content as well as Technical Producer at a radio station called Salaamedia, a graduate of Sedibeng Tvet College where he received his N6 in Business Management and a graduate of Auwal Socio-economic Research Institute (ASRI) 2021. Ziyaad is passionate about the radio industry and consistent with his job. In his free time Ziyaad loves spending time around his beloved family. He also enjoys cooking and playing around with decorating food. Grateful for an amazing group of neighbourhood friends, Ziyaad makes sure that residents that are new, are welcomed in a way that has become customary in Legae, Lenasia, south of Johannesburg.

Given Vusimuzi Fakude

Given Vusimuzi Fakude, reflects varied personality including ambition and qualities of generosity and thoughtfulness He believes in a just society where people leave in peace and harmony.Given is an office administrator intern at Islamic Brotherhood Society International Projects (IBSI). Given is with IBSI from the 15th March 2021 till present as part of ASRI fellowship job placement, project manager, and facilitator at Soweto Shurah Council community center for ICT skills from 2017 March till 2020, Given he has graduated from the University of South Africa in 2014, with a Diploma in Youth Development, and he has done a six months course in Thought leadership for Africa’s Renewal, 2016, with Thabo Mbeki African Leadership Institute, Given He is part of ASRI Future Leaders program, a civic leadership program that develops young people for careers in the Civil Society and Government sectors. The ASRI program has helped Given a lot when it comes to his thinking capabilities with regards to understanding the importance of social justice mindset, with a particular focus on bettering the socio-economic conditions of the majority of people in South Africa.

Amaarah Garda

Amaarah Garda is a Masters student in Applied Development Economics who wishes to conduct and produce research geared toward realising social justice. Amaarah has varied organisational experience including with the Muslim Students’ Association and Rethinking Economics for Africa. As someone passionate about solution-finding and protecting marginalised groups through economic empowerment; Amaarah attended the ASRI Future Leaders Programme seeking to develop analytical skills. While her interests span across socio-economic ills and humanitarian causes; she has a particular keenness to address gender-based violence, economic inequality, corruption, and poverty. Her modus operandi includes using social research to inform her activism while trying to make socio-economic theory and policy more accessible to South Africans. She envisions her future to be marked by a relentless pursuit of substantive transformation of our country.