David Phaho

Chairperson(Interim)

Dr David Phaho is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Technology Innovation and Partnerships at Cape Peninsula University of Technology.

He holds several qualifications in chemistry, innovation, finance, and management including a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Chemistry he obtained in the United States as a Fulbright Fellow. David was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Tshumisano Trust (now part of the Technology Innovation Agency). Before joining CPUT, David was Vice President: Centre for Innovation and Business Impact with monitoring and evaluation oversight of Sasol’s Research and Development Project Portfolio.

David has sat on the boards of a number of business entities such as Foskor (Pty) Ltd and Pikitup Johannesburg as an independent, non-executive Director. He has also previously served as Chair of Council of Vaal University of Technology amongst other professional activities.

Mokgadi Modise

Director

Ms Mokgadi Modise is the Director: South African Renewable Energy Technology Centre at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. She holds a Master of Science degree in Engineering (M.Sc – Eng) specialising in Environmental Engineering from the University of Kwa Zulu Natal (then University of Durban Westville). She further holds a Higher Education Diploma from University of Limpopo together with her Bachelor of Science Honours in Microbiology and Advanced Diploma and Postgraduate Diploma in Project Management from Cranefield College of Project and Programme Management.

She was fortunate to obtain an Advanced Professional Training Certificate in Environmental Management and in Cost Minimisation in Industry through a Scholarship provided the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany. She holds Certificates in Business Communication and SAIM Business Management from the University of South Africa. Prior to joining the CPUT, she was the Chief Director: Clean Energy for 10 (ten) years responsible for Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Designated National Authority and Energy Efficiency Projects respectively at the Department of Minerals and Energy.

Preceding her employment at the DMRE, she served as the Director: Environmental Engineering within the National Water Resources Infrastructure Brach in the Department of Water and Sanitation. She has extensive knowledge and experience in water and energy sector with respect to policy implementation, overall projects management at municipal, provincial and national level including strategic planning and international relations.

Toni Beukes

Toni is an accomplished executive with over 18 years’ experience in the legal, renewable energy, oil, and gas industries. She currently heads up the Environment, Social & Governance (ESG) portfolio for Hyphen Hydrogen Energy, a fully integrated Gigawatt scale green hydrogen project in Namibia. Her last role was Director for GE South Africa and Southern Africa Onshore Wind Sales Leader for GE Renewables. Toni is a qualified conveyancer and admitted attorney in Namibia, with B.Juris and LL.B degrees, and MBA and LL.M degrees (with Distinction) from the University of Dundee, Scotland. Her academic performance earned her the 2012/13 University of Dundee, CEPMLP Trust Management Degree Prize for Best Management Student.

Over the past decade, Toni has held various roles under South Africa’s REIPPP Programme for international wind energy OEMs and IPPs, including Nordex, Vestas, GE and ENERTRAG. She’s been actively involved in the South African wind industry and have served as both a Director of the South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) and chair of the organization’s Economic Development Working Group. A Certified Director of the Institute of Directors of South Africa (IoDSA), she’s served on various boards and trusts.

For the past 3 years, she’s been selected as a Mentor of the Women in Wind Global Leadership Program under the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). Her achievements and expertise have earned her recognition from WindEurope, which featured her in its 2021 children’s book titled, ‘When I grow up, Inspiring Stories from People Working in Clean Energy’.

Mpho Mookapele

Mpho’s career spans over 10 years in the private and public sector in the finance and regulating environment. She has been the CFO of the Energy & Water SETA (eWSETA) since 2016 and after 18 months she was appointed as the Acting CEO for two years, before being appointed to this role on a permanent basis in November 2020.

Mpho holds a BCom Hons (Accounting) and is CA (SA). She also has a Diploma in Theology.

Sisa Njikelana

Sisa has vast political experience, being a Parliamentary representative, experience in education, involvement in trade unions, business ventures.

Sisa has a Diploma in in Applied Social Studies at Ruskin College, Oxford University in the United Kingdom, a Certificate in Leadership Communication obtained in Rhodes University. Sisa’s academic achievements include being appointed as an external moderator as well as research fellow at the University of Johannesburg.

Peter du Plessis

Peter has more than 30 years experience in the Finance industry. He is the current Executive Director of Finance at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.

Peter holds a BCom CA (SA), Accounting from the University of Cape Town.

Prof Ramsuroop

Prof Ramsuroop is the Acting Dean in the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment at CPUT.

Prof Ramsuroop holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering and has a Masters in Environmental Management and has over 33 years of industrial and academic experience. In his current role as dean, Prof Ramsuroop continues to engage and promote academic excellence and uphold high professional standards to underpin the research and teaching in the field of engineering.  Over the past 30 years he held several management positions in academia and has taught a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses and supervised several postgraduate students. In addition, he has been a technical consultant on several industry engineering projects.

He has been actively involved in various national and international professional activities that directly contributed to chemical engineering education and the profession. He currently serves on several working committees at the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) including the generation of the new suite of engineering qualification standards for SA, the accreditation of national and international engineering programmes, and is currently the chairperson of the task team for the national implementation of the new legislation on Identification of Engineering Work (IDoEW)

Prof Ramsuroop is a registered Professional Engineering Technologist with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) and is a registered Chartered Engineer with Engineering Council of UK (ECUK). His current research interests include Computational Chemical Thermodynamics, Process Synthesis and Design, and Engineering Education.