National Committee

You can find details for the YWP-ZA National Committee members below.
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or would like to get more involved!

Immediate Past Chair: Ms Shanna Nienaber 

Shanna Nienaber is the outgoing chair of YWP-ZA. She has been involved with YWP since 2010 in various capacities. She was the Chair of the Gauteng YWP branch for 2012 - 2014, she has served on the YWP Conference committees for the 2011, 2013 and 2015 conferences, she initiated the Imvelisi Enviropreneur Programme in 2015 and was the national YWP Chair between 2014 - 2016. Shanna attributes much of her professional development in areas of fundraising, project management, leadership, learning about new job opportunities and managing a team to her experience with the YWP-ZA network.
 
Shanna's background is in political science and international relations. She started her ‘water career’ in 2009 as a student and researcher at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in the Water Governance Group. This was a great time to explore the different facets of the water sector, learn about the research space, explore the role of social scientists in the water sector and deepen her insight into the dynamics of the science-policy interface. From 2012 - 2016 Shanna worked at the Department of Science and Technology (DST), in the Environmental Services and Technologies Unit. Here Shanna was actively involved with developing the Water Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Roadmap for South Africa and establishing the implementation instruments for this plan in the form of the Roadmap Portfolio Management Unit and the Water Technologies Demonstration Programme. As of 1 June 2016, Shanna is working at the Water Research Commission where she will be establishing the Implementation Unit for the Water RDI Roadmap and helping to coordinate and synergise the Water RDI space in South Africa.

Shanna loves being part of the water sector and believes that we are working on an issue that is intrinsic to our society’s survival and well being. In a YWP context, she has the space to engage a number of her passions such as promoting more sustainable knowledge transfer and inter-generational learning in the water sector and encouraging transdisciplinary ‘thinking and doing’ in the way we approach complex challenges in the sector.

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Chair: Nora Hanke

Nora first became fascinated with the water sector as a Master’s student in International Studies at Stellenbosch University (with brief stunts at the University of Dar-es-Salaam and the Peace Research Institute Oslo) where she looked at the hydropolitics of East Africa. For a few years she worked at the Stellenbosch University Water Institute (SUWI) as Project Manager for the AU/NEPAD Southern African Network for Water Centres of Excellence (SANWATCE) Secretariat, as well as various other programmes, such as the Development and of Rule of Law Programme (DROP). Here she gathered extensive international experience working with intergovernmental agencies and travelled most of the African continent.
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After three years, Nora zoomed into the local context of socio-economic development as Western Cape Regional Coordinator for the Energy and Water Sector Education and Training Authority (EWSETA). At the beginning of 2016, she and her husband moved to Johannesburg and she took on her new position as EWSETA Water Sector Manager (acting) in the Stakeholder Engagement and Collaboration Department. As such she is responsible for roadshows, sector engagements and coordination, events, etc.

Ever since Nora’s first encounter of the IWA YWP network in 2012, she has been a committed and active member. Having attended the International YWP Conference in Budapest, Hungary (July 2012) she returned to South Africa, started attending meetings, and was eventually elected Chair of the Third Southern African YWP Conference Organising Committee (2012-2013), and moved on to chair the provincial chapter in the Western Cape (2013-2014). From May 2014 – May 2016 she was Vice Chairperson of the National Committee where she ran the international portfolio and sat on the IWA YWP Steering Committee (Oct 2014 – Oct 2016).

Nora is extremely excited and humbled to be elected Chairperson of YWP-ZA where her portfolio includes managing the national and provincial chapters, sitting on the WISA Board to represent the YWP-ZA stance and ensuring the financial sustainability of the Committee.   

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Vice Chair: Ms Suvritha Ramphal

Suvritha has five years of experience working in the private sector as a consultant to private and public clients, where she gained valuable experience in research and analysis, government liaison, publication and report development, project management, project reporting, project-client liaison, financial management, water licensing, training and capacitation and legislation interpretation and application. In addition to her full-time commitments, Suvritha volunteers her time at the South African Young Water Professionals Organisation, where she is the National Vice-Chair; coordinating and facilitating events and programmes that aim to bridge the gap between young and senior professionals in the water sector. As Vice-Chair Suvritha will manage the International Portfolio for the YWP-ZA. Her involvement in global planning and development through networking with other International Youth Organisations has sparked her interest in sustainable development project work at a national and international level, such that Suvritha has actively participated at Youth Sessions at the 2013 Stockholm World Water Week in Sweden, 2015 World Water Forum in Korea, 2015 Africa-wide YWP conference and the more recent 2016 WISA conference where she was part of the conference organizing committee.
 
Suvritha currently works for the Danish Embassy in South Africa as Programme Coordinator in the Strategic Sector Support Team for Water, Energy and Environment.​

​Send Suvi an email
Secretary: Ashton Maherrry

Ashton has quit his corporate job as a senior researcher at the CSIR where he had been working since 2004. Ashton has a BSc Hons Geohydrology degree and is currently studying towards his Masters in GIS. Although specialised in groundwater and GIS, Ashton usually plays the role of integrator on large projects, with the task of pulling together the different components into an integrated approach, which usually involves being able to understand the bigger picture and understanding how all the components fit together.

Ashton has project managed and facilitated the recent YWP-ZA Publications Workshop Roadshow in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Durban during August 2016. He is passionate about capacitating young water professionals to give them the same skills and opportunities that he had early on in his career and is trying to figure out how to turn his volunteering passion into a full time employment opportunity. In his spare time Ashton is a avid wine drinker/taster, beer maker and road cyclist.

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Treasurer: Stuart Woolley

Stuart is a chemical engineering graduate with a BSc Eng (Chemical) and MSc Eng (Chemical) from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Stuart’s interest in the water and sanitation sector was sparked by an undergraduate research project in wastewater treatment, growing with his Master’s in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundations’ Reinvent the Toilet Challenge.

Stuart is now an assistant research manager at the Water Research Commission, running demonstration programmes for new sanitation technologies. Within the YWP, Stuart aims to promote the popularity of YWP at university level, and support graduates as they take their first steps in becoming young professionals in the water sector. In Stuart’s eyes, young water professionals will be the key to ensuring a future South Africa that is free of water and sanitation crises.
Conference Chair: Dr Lloyd Fisher-Jeffes

Lloyd developed a passion for the environment from a young age after a number of trips to game reserves with his parents. Through their support he trained and worked for a year as a field guide on a number of private reserves in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. He returned to Cape Town to study engineering with a view to protecting the environment through sustainable design. After starting his studies at the University of Cape Town in 2006 he hasn't left - having completed his bachelors, masters and PhD at the university. Through his undergraduate degree he developed a passion for water - specifically the management of water in urban areas and the impact of poor water quality on the environment. He has been fortunate to work on a number of research projects within the interdisciplinary Urban Water Management research unit and contributed to the development of South Africa’s first guidelines for Sustainable Drainage Systems and Water Sensitive Urban Design. These, and other projects, have helped him to develop a wide range of research related skills appropriate for interdisciplinary work. Lloyd is currently working as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow. Lloyd hopes to contribute to the ongoing growth and success of YWP in the Western Cape, especially in growing the involvement with students across the province's universities.
Eastern Cape Chair: Thato Mpholoane

Thato Mpholoane obtained his tertiary qualification of NDip. in Civil Engineering with Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU). His experience started when he joined Scribante Construction from 2011-2013. Later in 2013 he was offered the opportunity to work for NMMU for a period of four months, assuming the roles of a Lab Technician, Student Assistant and tutor. Responsibilities included involvement in Hydraulics lab practicals where his passion for water engineering thrived.

As of 2014 to date, he serves as a Candidate Technician, in the Water Division, at AECOM SA (Port Elizabeth) where his passion for water engineering expanded. Furthermore, he was afforded the opportunity to learn more about organisations such as WISA (Water Institute of South Africa), IWA (International Water Association) which led to joining YWP (Young Water Professionals) in 2014, and officially joining the EC-YWP committee late in 2014 to date.
Western Cape Chair: Anya Eilers
Gauteng Chair: Sivuyile Pezulu

Sivu studied chemical engineering at the Durban University of Technology. He also holds a postgraduate certificate in Sales and Marketing from the University of South Africa. He has spent most of his professional career with global water treatment and process technology companies specialising in industrial water treatment, and municipal water and waste water treatment.

Sivu also runs an environmental business known as iNdalo Group (@iNdaloGroup) specialising in the treatment of sewage using biological technology.
KwaZulu-Natal Chair: Lindelani Sibiya

​Lindelani currently works for Umgeni Water. He has been involved in several applied research projects in advance water treatment, which are conducted jointly with other research institutions from South Africa and abroad. Recently he completed a research in Nanotechnology disinfection for small water treatment systems in collaboration with European research partners. He has a B. Tech degree in chemical engineering from Mangosuthu University of Technology and holds a certificate in Emerging Managers Program from University of KwaZulu Natal.
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Lindelani wishes to grow the YWP ZA network to reach and make a difference to more young professionals in the country. He believes that the future of the water sector lies also in the hands of young water professionals, as such young leader’s capacity building is vital in the 
North West Chair: Guzene O'Reilly

Guzéne is a student at the North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus. She has completed a B.Sc degree in Microbiology and Biochemistry, B.Sc Hons and M.Sc degree in Environmental Sciences and is currently busy with her Ph.D in Environmental Sciences. Guzéne's research has always been in the water sector with the focus being water treatment. It is an area which she is very passionate about.

Guzéne is a founding member of the YWP-ZA North West Chapter and is currently the first Chair of this committee. She is very excited to be part of the YWP network and hopes to contribute to the water sector and make people more aware of the importance of water. As Leonardo da Vinci said, "Water is the driving force of all nature." 

In her spare time Guzéne enjoys mountain biking, playing golf, squash or hockey, or just relaxing with friends and family.
Limpopo Chair: Ivo Arrey

Ivo is a PhD student in the School of Environmental Sciences, University of Venda, South Africa. His area of research is in groundwater hydrology. His career in the water industry began in 2011 where he worked as a consultant in mapping aquifer boundaries of the Douala Basin Southwest of Cameroon. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Geology and Petroleum Technology at the University of Buea, Cameroon, and an MSc in Hydrology and Water Resources at the University of Venda.

Besides his passion for the water sector, Ivo has also been involved in teaching researchers in science, and related disciplines the computing skills they need to get more done in less time and with less pain as a volunteer with the Software and Data Carpentry Foundation.

Counted among the pioneer YWP-ZA members in Limpopo, he is now leading a new and revived committee and hopes to make a contribution to young professionals in the water sector beyond South Africa. Ivo currently resides in Louis Trichardt, Limpopo Province. 
Eastern Cape Chair: Sipho Mashiyi 

Sipho has a background in Civil Engineering – Urban Engineering. He started his career as a designer for public and private clients at Aurecon in 2010 (Port Elizabeth). During his working experience Sipho has gained an interest in Water Engineering during his involvement in varies urban Water and Waster Water project.

Sipho is currently completing his Btech in Water Engineering and in Urban Engineering, with plans to pursue a BSc Honours in Water Resources and a Masters in International Water Resource Management.

Apart from his career and personal commitments he volunteers as the Chair for the Young Water Professionals, Eastern Cape (YWP-EC) chapter and also volunteers as Secretary for the Consulting Engineers of South Africa Young Professionals Forum (CESA-YPF), Port Elizabeth Branch. Sipho also helps to maintain and monitor a Rain Water Harvesting system that irrigates a community garden in Missionvale Port Elizabeth.

Sipho is invested in practicing and promoting the preservation and sustainable use of water resources for the next generations through sustainable design (environmental sustainable design) of the built environment and services. He believes this can be achieved through the development of design principals that comply with social, economic, and ecological developments