Paul Currie

Paul is fascinated by the multi-layered relationships that give each city its unique flavour. With his Sustainable Development MPhil and current doctoral research, Paul uses urban metabolism, resource nexus and political ecology as lenses for shaping sustainable, inclusive cities. At ICLEI, he supports local governments to apply systems perspectives to food, water, energy and nature, and facilitates the development of policies and plans appropriate to contexts of change and uncertainty.

Jokudu Guya

Jokudu Guya is an Urban Systems Professional Officer. Her focus areas include Circular Economies, Nexus, and smart cities, amongst other urban systems focus areas. She has a background in city development research and holds a Master of Urban Studies Degree from the University of the Witwatersrand and a Bachelor’s degree with Honours in Urban and Regional Planning.

Kevin Mutia

Kevin is a Professional Officer at ICLEI Africa, in the Urban Systems unit. He hopes to change public spaces and urban forms in our cities. He especially hopes to do so through research, well analysed data and information, and a duly followed design process for developing plans, frameworks and strategies to improve the quality of urban spaces in Africa. This will ensure that all the users in these spaces, regardless of economic and cultural background, will have a good quality of life.

Lauren Arendse

Lauren has extensive experience in the public infrastructure development and maintenance. She completed a Master’s in Water Science and Engineering from IHE Delft Institute for Water Education. She has a good grasp of integrated water systems from water governance to river and coastal management in the context of global issues like climate change. She is analytically minded and strives to use interdisciplinary and system thinking approaches to translate scientific research to inform better governance, policy or action towards sustainable futures, which is well suited for the urban systems team.

Thea Buckle

Thea joined ICLEI in 2016 after completing her Master’s at Nelson Mandela University’s Sustainability Research Unit. She initially embarked on a trans disciplinary Master’s, combining her aptitude for communication with her love of nature, learning that your passions and talents will often meet to reveal your vocation. Her expertise ranges from online marketing campaign conceptualization to graphic design and social media management. She has more than 5 years’ experience.

Ruby Schalit

Ruby recently graduated with a masters in Development Planning from the University of the Witwatersrand with a research focus on informal recycling systems in Johannesburg’s suburbs. Her undergraduate degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics illustrates her affinity for multidisciplinary ways of thinking. Ruby sees her role as Communications Officer at ICLEI Africa as the perfect marriage between her professional background in marketing and communications, her education and passion for sustainable urban planning, spatial justice and the environment, and her creative flair.

Sinethemba Mthethwa

Meembo Changula

Meembo joined ICLEI-Africa in August 2021, bringing with her more than 18 years’ varied experience in sustainable urban development. With her BSc. and MSc. in Urban and Regional planning, and prior work in Zambia’s central government in various capacities, Meembo has gained leading expertise in urbanisation policy, urban planning legislation, integrated development planning, informal settlement upgrading, and improving national and subnational urban governance capacities. Meembo currently serves as Team Leader and Training Coordinator for the Urban Planning and Development Control Strengthening Program in Tanzania.

Fru Wanka

Fru is passionate about food and nutrition security, resource management, economic development, and labour market dynamics. She has over five years of work experience on issues relating to food and nutrition security. Fru holds a Masters in Economics from the University of the Western Cape and is pursuing a PhD degree in Development Studies at the same university. Fru is a member of the Economic Society of South Africa (ESSA).

Garth Malan

While completing his master’s degree, Garth gained a deep appreciation for the integral role that resources play, but more so, the value in increasing their utility. His current research is concerned with the water, energy and food (WEF) nexus, and how it could be operationalized on a city scale towards urban resource security and resilience for Cape Town. Garth holds a BSc MechEng and MBA from the University of Cape Town, is an ECSA registered Professional Engineer and currently a PhD candidate at the Centre for Sustainability Transitions at Stellenbosch University.

Funmi Adeniyi

Funmi holds a PhD in Law (Human Rights Protection) and has more than a decade of cross-sectoral experience in the private, public and academic spaces. She is skilled in creating and coordinating projects with a human rights-based framework, geared towards policy change, implementation and prioritisation of vulnerable groups. Funmi works at ICLEI Africa as a people-centered rights-based expert on various projects.

Zakiyya Atkins

Zakiyya holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Town and Regional Planning from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). Prior to joining ICLEI Africa, she gained experience as an Urban Planning and Project Packaging Assistant in the Urban Catalytic Investment Department at the City of Cape Town. Zakiyya has experience as a Research Assistant at CPUT and in the Development Planning Intelligence Management and Research Directorate within the Western Cape Government Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning. She has a passion for sustainable development, co-creation, research and innovation.

Ivan Pauw

Ivan is a master’s graduate in Sustainable Development Planning and Management from Stellenbosch University. He is passionate about sustainability in Africa. He has a background in economics, food, energy, transdisciplinary research, social entrepreneurship, impact investment and financing the Sustainable Development Goals. He as just over three years’ experience as a project manager and researcher in the field of sustainability and alternative food systems.

Luka Dreyer

Luka holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental and Geographical Science and Master of City and Regional Planning Degree from the University of Cape Town, with a research focus on the relationship between the Kuils River Corridor and surrounding urban fabric. He seeks to apply his multidisciplinary background, experience in public policy, analytical approach and passion for communication to systemically and sustainably integrate socio-ecological systems for greater equity and resilience.

Luke Metelerkamp

Luke spent the past 14 years actively immersed in civil society organisations and fledgling research institutes, working at the forefront of transdisciplinary research and transformative learning, and specialising in urban food security programmes, food systems governance and social-learning processes. He has worked extensively with global leaders across the spectrum of system change – from grant-makers and policy think-tanks, to universities and social movements. Luke holds a BA in Applied Design, a Masters in Sustainable Development Planning, and a PhD that focussed on the role of informal learning networks and youth in food system transformation. Luke also has a small flock of chickens and some young fruit trees that are teaching him a lot about patience and collaboration!

Kabelo Williams

Kabelo obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Environmental Management from Stellenbosch University and is currently pursuing a Master of Philosophy from the same institution. Her undergraduate degree from the University of Cape Town includes a double major in Environmental and Geographical Science, and Applied Biology. She has over 3 years of experience in communications and social media marketing, having worked as an Environmental Communication Assistant at the City of Cape Town from 2020 to 2022. She strives to use her versatile work experience and academic background to fulfil her passion of addressing urban sustainability challenges.