TEAM

The EDP team

Our team is strong because we come from different disciplines with the foundation of systems mapping and facilitating cross-sector collaboration. Our interdisciplinarity makes us effective across multiple issues and contexts. Collectively, we have experience in successfully applying collaborative processes in agriculture, rural development, economic and social development, urban management, climate change, green economy management, food security, water governance, energy management, transport, mobility, community safety and social cohesion. If you believe you would be a good fit for the EDP team, please submit your CV to our HR officer via fatima@wcedp.co.za. Explore open vacancies on our opportunities page.

Meet the EDP board

Alexandrea Roberts

Project Lead: Energy & Climate

Andrew Boraine

Partnering Associate

Anna du Plessis

Programme Lead: Built Environment

Ben Tilley

Writer

Curen Fortuin

Project Assistant

Fatima Karodia

Human Resources Specialist

Gill Cullinan

Operations Executive

Innocentia Modau

Project Lead: Energy & Climate

Jean Armstrong

Resource Mobilisation Manager

Lauren Arendse

Programme Lead: Water Resilience

Lorenzo Andrews

Operations Coordinator

Margo le Roux

Project Lead

Natalie Tannous

Marketing & Communications Manager

Natashia Emmett

Monitoring & Reporting Coordinator

Nishendra Moodley

CEO

Nobungcwele Mbem

Project Lead

Noxolo Mashiyi

Office Assistant

Rhonda Snyders

Executive Support Officer

Orisha Jaganath

Monitoring & Reporting Manager

Rushka Ely

Programme Lead: Safety

Ryan Fester

Programme Lead: Local Economic Development

Stacey Hendricks

Business Manager

Tessa Chittenden

Project Lead

Thanaa Hattas

Financial Administrator

Tougeedah Mars

Office Administrator

Vusa Ncanywa

Project Assistant

Zaakirah Braaf

Project Finance Officer

Alexandrea Roberts

Alexandrea is dedicated to driving positive change within the not-for-profit development sector. With a strong passion for community upliftment and social progress, Alexandrea champions values that empower individuals and foster socio-economic growth. Her experience spans operations, and programmes, as well as project planning and implementation, financial administration, team management, and data management.

Her passions are geared towards poverty alleviation, social cohesion, gender equity, and youth development.
Alexandrea has a background in project coordination and monitoring across various sectors within the not-for-profit development space.

Alexandrea can be contacted at Alexandrea@wcedp.co.za or on +27 (0) 21 832 0200.

Andrew Boraine

Andrew is an independent partnering practitioner with five decades of experience working in South Africa's political, local government, urban, economic, and sustainability transformations. He established and led three collaborative intermediary organisations: the South African Cities Network, the Cape Town Partnership, and the Western Cape Economic Development Partnership. He is an adjunct professor at the African Centre for Cities and a research fellow at the Centre for Sustainability Transitions. Andrew was previously City Manager of Cape Town and Deputy Director General in the Department of Constitutional Development.

Anna du Plessis

Anna leads the EDP’s Built Environment Programme, facilitating collaborative responses to critical challenges in the built environment.

She has several years of experience working with government entities, non-governmental organisations, the private sector, and community-based groups to tackle critical urban issues such as affordable housing, homelessness, food insecurity, and local economic development. She brings her passion for participatory policymaking and planning to her role at the EDP, and strongly believes in collaboration as a tool for driving urban change.

Anna holds a Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of Cape Town and a Master’s of Public Administration in Urban Innovation and Policy from University College London. Her academic research has focused on land restitution and gender exclusion in cities. She is committed to creating more just and inclusive urban systems, with particular attention to meeting the needs of vulnerable urban populations.

Anna can be contacted at anna@wcedp.co.za, or on +27 (0) 21 832 0200.

Ben Tilley

Ben Tilley is the EDP’s Knowledge, Monitoring and Evaluation Writer and is responsible for supporting the donor and funding reporting process and the recording of knowledge-based outputs.
Ben has a Bachelor of Commerce in Economics (Stellenbosch University) and a passion for writing and storytelling for change. He has a background in Customer Success in the digital technology industry and SEO content writing.

His passion for socio-economic upliftment of South African society drives his enthusiasm for demonstrating the EDP’s impact and developing knowledge products from the EDP’s project-based learnings.

Ben can be contacted at bentilley@wcedp.co.za or on +27 (0) 21 832 0200.

Curen Fortuin

Curen is a Project Assistant on the Energy and Climate programme.

Throughout his career, he has developed a passion for sustainable development. Key experience includes the execution and administration of projects, data management, organising stakeholder engagements and running the procurement logistics. Curen have worked as a project support officer and project coordinator in the NGO environment, private sector, local government and the diplomatic space. He has a bachelor’s degree in Environment and Development (University of Stellenbosch) and a NDP in Environmental Management (Unisa).

In his free time, Curen enjoys braai socials, wine tastings, road/trail running and finding beautiful hiking trails.

Curen can be contacted at curen@wcedp.co.za or on +27 (0) 21 832 0200.

Fatima Karodia

Drawing on over 13 years of professional experience, Fatima Karodia is an accomplished Human Resources (HR) professional with a background in project coordination and management, complemented by her current role in HR. With more than seven years dedicated to the non-profit sector, Fatima is driven by a profound commitment to effecting positive change within organisations.

Her academic journey includes a BA in Corporate Communication from the University of Johannesburg, and a BCom HR Management (Honours) degree from the Management College of Southern Africa (MANCOSA).

Fatima's passion lies in fostering positive and inclusive work environments, aligning with her dedication to both social and organisational development initiatives. Fatima has adopted the human-to-human approach in her career and leverages her inherent ability to build and foster meaningful connections in the workplace.

Fatima can be contacted at Fatima@wcedp.co.za or on +27 (0) 21 832 0200.

Gill Cullinan

Gill Cullinan is the Operations Executive at the EDP. As a specialist in partnering for impact, she focuses on the design and facilitation of collaborative processes that result in collective impact and system change. With a Masters in City and Regional Planning from UCT, she is particularly interested in urban resilience and sustainable development.

Innocentia Modau

Project Lead: Energy & Climate Programme

Innocentia Modau is a Project Lead for the Energy and Climate Programme. With a background in environmental science and Project Management, she has led multiple projects on various topics including climate policy, transport, food waste and food security with a strong focus on advocating for inclusive, sustainable solutions to address climate change.

Innocentia is passionate about policy development, civil society and youth mobilization to ensure that the voices of marginalized communities and civil society are integral to climate action.

She has extensive experience working with civil society, youth,and government to tackle climate issues.

Innocentia can be contacted at innocentia@wcedp.co.za, or on (0) 21 832 0200.

Jean Armstrong

Jean brings over 20 years of rich experience in diverse development sectors, including Early Childhood Development, Community and Health System Strengthening, and Youth initiatives.

Over the past decade, she has held senior management positions, honing her expertise in strategic planning, effective management practices, fostering partnerships, and resource mobilisation.

Jean holds an MA in Sociology, with a specialisation in the social dimensions of HIV, exploring innovative strategies leveraging social media to mitigate risks among adolescents.

Jean can be contacted at jean@wcedp.co.za or on +27 (0) 21 832 0200.

Lauren Arendse

Lauren is a Project Lead at the EDP with a focus on water resilience and food security.

Lauren has ten years of public development sector experience working for parastatals, academic institutions and NPOs across a range of topics including water, climate change adaptation, food systems, urban reform and mobility. Lauren has managed large infrastructure projects, led co-development processes for policy, strategy and governance frameworks, developed training and capacity workshops, established and hosted learning networks, and developed monitoring and evaluation frameworks across Africa, including in South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.

Lauren holds a Masters in Water Science and Engineering (IHE Delft, Netherlands) and is currently pursuing an MPhil in Monitoring and Evaluation (Stellenbosch University). Lauren has a particular interest in fit-for-purpose initiatives designed and implemented through participatory processes that have a positive impact on society.

Lauren can be contacted at lauren@wcedp.co.za, or on +27 (0) 82 577 5302.

See Programme

Lorenzo Andrews

Lorenzo Andrews holds a Master degree in industrial sociology. His expertise spans government and non-profit sectors where he has contributed to various monitoring and evaluation processes and frameworks. Proficient in data analysis and stakeholder engagement, Lorenzo excels in informing evidence-based strategies.

His commitment extends to community service, and volunteering with organisations like the South African Education and Environmental Project. Lorenzo has a keen interest in contributing towards safety initiatives within his community.

Fluent in English, South African Sign Language, and Afrikaans, Lorenzo brings diverse skills and leadership to any endeavour, fostering connections and impactful change.

Lorenzo can be contacted on lorenzo@wcedp.co.za or on +27 (0) 21 832 0200.

Margo Le Roux

Margo Le Roux is a Project Lead at the EDP focusing on employment and economy. Her projects include the Social Employment Network, a learning and support network designed to support recipients of the national Social Employment Fund, and the EDP’s convening role of the City’s Growth Coalition platforms.

Since joining the EDP, Margo has applied her water management expertise to the development and application of practical approaches for enabling collaborative and adaptive water management for catchment management agencies.

Margo has a Master’s in Sustainable Development and Management (Stellenbosch University) and a background in ecology. She has a passion for the natural environment with a particular interest in how ecosystems can be sustained whilst meeting human development needs.

Margo can be contacted at margo@wcedp.co.za, or on +27 (0) 21 832 0200.

Natalie Tannous

Natalie has an MA in Environmental Anthropology and a BA in Journalism, and 11 years of dynamic communications expertise. She boasts a versatile background managing internal and external communications in the non-profit sector. Her track record showcases adeptness in crafting cohesive narratives, leading cross-functional teams, and executing impactful campaigns.

Natalie is proficient in crisis communication and leveraging diverse mediums, and excels in fostering unified corporate cultures and elevating brand reputation. She is a strategic thinker and collaborative leader who adapts communication approaches for various audiences and channels.

She is passionate about leveraging AI and other technology in her writing and strategy development as she believes this is part of what drives innovation. In all that she does, her approach to working is to lead from where she is in contributing to positive organisational growth.

Natalie can be contacted on natalie@wcedp.co.za or on +27 (0) 21 832 0200.

Natashia Emmett

Natashia is the EDP M+E Project Co-ordinator, focusing on support for the donor and funder reporting processes. She also provides technical and logistics support for the EDP’s Project Leads, and ensures the smooth running of internal reporting and project tracking.

Natashia has extensive experience in the NGO sector, having occupied various administrative and project co-ordination roles in this arena.

Natashia can be contacted at natashia@wcedp.co.za, or on
+27 (0) 21 832 0200.

Nishendra Moodley

Nishendra is the CEO of the EDP, having commenced his role in March 2023. An urban governance specialist and transformational leader, Nishendra has 27 years of experience in the development sector in South Africa. He has held a range of roles across the private, non-profit and public sectors at national, provincial and local levels variously aimed at strengthening governance, policy development, transformation and accountability.

Nishendra holds an MPA in Governance from the (University of Western Cape) and is co-author of ‘Building a Capable State – Service Delivery in Post-Apartheid South Africa’. He continues to play an active voluntary leadership role in civil society, with an emphasis on initiatives that seek to bring state and citizens together.

Nishendra can be contacted at nishendra@wcedp.co.za, or on
+27 (0) 21 832 0200

Nobungcwele Mbem

Nobungcwele is a Project Lead at the EDP with a focus on Spatial Transformation. Her projects include the EDP Partnering Platform which enables knowledge sharing of methodologies and toolkits to promote partnering and collaboration.

Nobungcwele previously worked at the Nelson Mandela University International Office for the African Engagements and Partnerships Programme aimed at expanding the continental footprint of the university. As Project Lead, she coordinated engagements for executive management to promote partnerships and collaborations with universities across Africa.

Nobungcwele holds a Master’s degree in Social Science in History (University of Pretoria) where her research focused on railways and modernity. She is currently completing her doctorate in economic and social history (Stellenbosch University) with an affiliation with LEAP Stellenbosch. Her research focus is on the migration of black Africans from the Eastern Cape to Cape Town at the turn of the 20^thcentury.

Nobungcwele can be contacted at nobungcwele@wcedp.co.za, or on
+27 (0) 21 832 0200

Noxolo Mashiyi

Noxolo Mashiyi is a dedicated and detail-oriented team member with a background in administrative support and hospitality. She has experience ranging from financial administration to house management in nonprofit and healthcare settings. As the EDP's office assistant, Noxolo applies her valuable organisational and interpersonal skills in maintaining the professional and welcoming atmosphere of the EDP space. She holds a certification in Hospitality from Iziko Cooking School and is known for her reliability, teamwork, and commitment.

Rhonda Snyders

Rhonda provides administrative support to the Chief Executive Officer, Operations Executive and Business Manager. She serves as liaison to the EDO’s board of directors and senior management team, organises and coordinates executive outreach and external relations efforts, and provides support to the EDP’s projects.

Rhonda can be contacted at rhonda@wcedp.co.za, or on
+27 (0) 21 832 0200

Orisha Jaganath

Orisha is the EDP Knowledge, Monitoring and Evaluation Manager, overseeing the EDP’s implementation of its monitoring, evaluation and knowledge management strategy.

Orisha has over 12 years of local government experience, particularly in the development of performance dashboards, operational monitoring, project evaluation, knowledge management, business continuity and risk management. Previously, she worked for eThekwini Municipality on research, integrated development planning and leading a monitoring and evaluation team.

Orisha holds a Masters degree in Housing (University of KwaZulu-Natal). She is passionate about building a sustainable future for global ecosystems.

Orisha can be contacted at orisha@wcedp.co.za, or on +27 (0) 21 832 0200.

Rushka Ely

Rushka is a Project Lead at the EDP with a focus on providing partnering solutions and collaborative processes to address challenges at local, town and city levels. She oversees the Garden Route Development Partnership project.

Rushka has over eight years’ experience in working with local and regional governments, as well as the private and non-governmental sectors and has worked on a range of developmental challenges such as economic development, regional collaboration, housing, urban development, and governance. She brings her experience of working within the South African government, specifically as part of the green economy team at the Western Cape Government to her role at the EDP.

Rushka is currently pursuing her Masters degree in Development Policy and Practice, and is particularly interested in the role of public governance innovation as a mechanism for systems change.

Rushka can be contacted at Rushka@wcedp.co.za, or on
+27 (0) 21 832 0200.

See Programme

Ryan Fester

Ryan is the Local Economic Development Programme Lead at the Economic Development Partnership (EDP). With nine years of experience in NGOs and the donor funding space, he specialises in programme and project management, stakeholder engagement, financial management and risk mitigation.

He holds a master’s degree in city and Regional Planning from the University of Cape Town and is a 2019 Mandela Washington Fellow, having completed a Public Management Qualification at Boise State University in Boise, Idaho.

In his role at the EDP, he develops and oversees the LED programme, manages project budgets and reporting, designs tailored partnering solutions, and fosters relationships with key stakeholders, including government officials, donors, and civil society organizations. His expertise in stakeholder management enables him to navigate complex partnerships, troubleshoot challenges, and ensure alignment with funder commitments.

Passionate about driving sustainable economic development, Ryan is committed to fostering collaborative solutions that create meaningful impact across sectors.

Ryan can be contacted at ryan@wcedp.co.za or on +27 (0) 21 832 0200.

Stacey Hendricks

Stacey focuses on the core operations of the EDP. She oversees the organisation’s office environment, and holds overall responsibility for finance and IT. While the largest portion of her work experience has been in the financial arena, she also brings an extensive knowledge of ICT operations to her role.

Stacey can be contacted at stacey@wcedp.co.za, or on
+27 (0) 21 832 0200.

Tessa Chittenden

Tessa is a Project Lead at the EDP with a focus on food security.

Tessa has previously consulted on climate change risk and resilience projects that strengthen climate change adaptation and mitigation. This involved working closely with communities in South Africa most heavily impacted by climate change, and developing strategies for systemic responses to climate change. Her previous work experience includes urban development and land use management.

Tessa has a Bachelors Degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE), an Honours Degree in Political Studies, and a Masters Degree in City and Regional Planning (University of Cape Town). Her Masters thesis focussed on the co-creation of a strategy with small-scale farmers and activists in the Philippi Horticultural Area (PHA) to safeguard the farmlands from development pressure. She is passionate about imagining regenerative responses to the challenges of climate change.

Tessa can be contacted at tessa@wcedp.co.za, or on +27 (0) 21 832 0200.

Thanaa Hattas

Thanaa provides office management, finance and operations support at the EDP, while also supporting the EDP’s stakeholder engagement activities and events.

Thanaa has eight years of experience in the banking sector, with a focus on fraud, risk management and business engagement. She holds a NQF level 5 qualification in Banking and Finance, and certificates in Anti Money Laundering, Compliance and Know Your Client (KYC), and Business Computing.

Thanaa can be contacted at thanaa@wcedp.co.za, or on +27 (0) 21 832 0200

Tougeedah Mars

Tougeedah provides general office assistance and support to the EDP’s stakeholder engagement activities and events. She also provides administrative and logistical support to the EDP’s Project Leads and attends to all ICT-related queries.

Tougeedah has previously provided administrative and ICT support in Cape Town’s film industry. She is currently studying for an NQF level 4 certificate in Early Childhood Development (ECD) and aspires to own her own ECD centre that will serve her community.

Tougeedah can be contacted at tougeedah@wcedp.co.za, or on +27 (0) 21 832 0200

Vusa Ncanywa

Vusa is interested in climate change, sustainability, stakeholder engagement and environmental management. Vusa works as the Project Assistant: Water Resilience and Built Environment for the EDP.

Passionate about sustainability, Vusa is committed to driving impactful environmental solutions through research, stakeholder engagements, policy advocacy, and strategic project management and execution. With experience working at SouthSouthNorth, Western Cape Government ( Department of Agriculture and the Department Environmental Affairs & Development Planning).

Vusa is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Environmental Management, focusing on climate financing, corporate social responsibility (CSR/CSI), and environmental management in South Africa from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. He also holds a Postgraduate Diploma, Advanced Diploma and Diploma in Environmental Management.

Vusa can be contacted at vusa@wcedp.co.za or on +27 (0) 21 832 0200.

Zaakirah Braaf

Zaakirah is the project assistant for the EDP. She provides both technical and administrative support to the EDP team, including support on stakeholder engagement and support to logistics and project tools for EDP workshops and other engagements.

Zaakirah can be contacted at zaakirah@wcedp.co.za, or on +27 (0) 21 832 0200

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