Percy Mkhosi (CHAIR)

Mr Mkhosi holds a Masters Degree in Agricultural Economics (University of Pretoria), an MBA Certificate in Organisational Behaviour (University of Herriot Watt, UK), and a BSc Honours in Agriculture Economics (University of Zimbabwe). He is an active member of the Africa!Ignite board, and regularly works in partnership with the organisation as lead Agricultural and Agro-processing specialist. Mr Mkhosi is currently the owner and Managing Director of Datacomb, an economic development consultancy firm established in 2005 which provides communities, NGOs, corporates, governments, cooperatives, and Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as well as individuals with custom designed solutions for local enterprise development stimulation, enterprise growth strategy development and a bouquet of Business Development Services (BDS). He previously held positions in Taguta, an agriculture production planning and analysis system; a turnkey developer of various hospitality businesses including Hibon Resorts and Recreation Africa Restaurant Holdings (RARH); serving on the Tourism BBBEE Council Member, managing the “Tourism Transformation & The Revision of the Tourism Incentives Schemes” as well as “The Provision of Tourism Business Advisory Services for the DTI & Environment Affairs & Tourism Research Projects. He was a founding member and chair of Fair Trade in Tourism SA; he set up ABSA Bank’s Tourism Division.

Jabu Bengu 

Ms Bengu is a former high school principal and former Director of the non-profit Thembalethu Education and Skills Development Centre in Pietermaritzburg. After 1994 the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport head-hunted her to spearhead the inclusion of women as contractors on the maintenance of the Province’s provincial road network. Subsequent to this, she was appointed as Director: Special Projects in the KwaZulu-Natal Ministry of Education. In this position, she lead the Education Centres’ project, through which education centres were established in all of KwaZulu-Natal’s education districts from 2004, through a partnership between the Education Department, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and MiET Africa, the organisation out of which Africa!ignite was born. Africa!Ignite still uses these centres as nodes of support in rural areas. Jabu subsequently also coordinated the RAIN (Resources and Information Network) project, through which Africa!Ignite distributed education materials on behalf of the education department into all schools in KwaZulu-Natal. She has extensive experience of rural development work. Subsequent to her retirement as Director in the Education Department, she joined Africa!Ignite’s Board as Director in 2009, and has provide on-going guidance and expertise, as well as active support to help strengthen its rural development work. She was also a Trustee of the Ingonyama Trust Board in the past and is currently Chairperson of the WDB Trust; as well as one of three members of the Tribunal appointed to oversee KwaZulu-Natal’s 2020 traditional leadership elections.

Kudzai Mqingwana

Ms Mqingwana holds a B.Com Degree in the Management & Industrial Psychology from Rhodes University, where she was also the Vice President Rotaract Residence and a Sub-Warden Tutor. She has more than 15 years experience in community development and is currently an independent development consultant. She was previously: the Director of Cinnamon Network, an organisation that conducts research, provides advice, delivers training courses and helps churches start social action projects that transform their communities; the Corporate Social Investment Manager at Sibaya Community Trust (previously Afrisun KZN Community Development), whose main focus is to make a difference in communities by implementing improvements to existing facilities and infrastructure, as well as undertaking development projects; Marketing and Business Development Manager at Africa!Ignite; and Assistant Brand Manager at Unilever South Africa. Ms Mqingwana is passionate about development and plays an active role in Africa!Ignite’s strategy execution as a member of Africa!Ignite’s board. She has excellent skills in Human Resource Management, Brand Management and Community Development