Meet the board
Life Choices is constituted as a voluntary association that is a registered nonprofit organisation and public benefit organisation. It is governed by a board that consists of five independent members and the managing director. Two members of the EXCO team join the board as non-voting members.
NYASHA NJELA
Chairperson
Nyasha Joyce Njela is a dedicated professional based in Cape Town, passionately committed to the non-profit sector and community development. As the Director for Southern Africa at Revolutionise International, she excels in creating impactful fundraising strategies and managing donor programs. A member of the IFC Advisory Panel for the Resource Alliance, Nyasha has extensive experience in fundraising, marketing, and financial services. Her past roles at Standard Chartered Bank and Doctors Without Borders have equipped her with a deep understanding of community needs. Educated with a Diploma in Fundraising from the Chartered Institute of Fundraising (UK), Nyasha, originally from Zimbabwe and now residing in South Africa with her family, is driven by a belief in the transformative power of communities working together for a greater cause.
CLINT HIGGINS
Non-executive board member, ARC subcommittee
Clint Higgins is a mentor, coach and business professional with more than 15 years’ work experience, 13 of which have been in leadership roles. He is an authentic leader, who utilises a transformational style of leadership to maximise the potential of people. His areas of expertise are economic inclusion and supply chain management. Currently, Clint is the Head of Programme Management ESD and SD at Property Point NPC Venture Capitalists. Previously he was Senior Supply Chain Advisor for the City of Cape Town. Clint has a MSc in Property Studies from UCT, Hons in Public Management, Int. Diploma in Procurement, NDip Management Business Development Programme. He is currently studying towards his Masters in Development Finance.
KC Makhubele
Non-executive board member, ARC subcommittee
KC Makhubele is a seasoned executive with more than 29 years of experience in governance, strategy and business transformation. He has a proven track record of revitalising organisations, boosting profitability and leading digital transformation initiatives. As CEO and Executive Director of the South African Dental Association (SADA), KC provides strategic vision, operational excellence, and effective stakeholder engagement, ensuring sustainable growth and impact. KC has held senior leadership roles including Divisional Director at Primeserve, Managing Executive at Adcorp, Chief Operating Officer at Khulisa, and General Manager and Lecturer at Educor. He holds an MBA from De Montfort University, a BCom from Oxford Brookes University, and Executive Development credentials from Wits, along with numerous certificates and diplomas in Management, Human Resources, and Ministerial Studies. He is a Certified Director and Professional Member of the Institute of Directors South Africa (IoDSA) since 2014.
Irene Khumalo
Non-executive board member, F&P subcommittee
Irene Khumalo has over 10 years of experience as a Social Worker and is the CEO of Agisanang Domestic Abuse Prevention and Training (ADAPT) since 2001. She holds a BA degree in Social Work, a BA Honours degree in Social Work, and an MA in Social Sciences (Community Development). She is also an accredited facilitator, assessor, and moderator registered with the HWSETA. Ms. Khumalo has trained volunteers, educators, learners, and other organisations on basic counselling, trauma counselling, gender-based violence prevention, gender sensitivity, and assertiveness training. She has also helped to develop, proofread, and edit gender-based violence and human rights documents and reading material produced by ADAPT. Ms. Khumalo is an expert in employee wellness programs and has worked with various organisations in the field. Irene received several awards for her work with ADAPT, including the 2002 National Human Rights and Democracy Award in the Gender Equality Category and the 2015 award for Women Making It Happen In The Community.
Allison van der Walt
Non-executive board member, F&P subcommittee
Allison is an organisational psychologist. She is currently a Senior Program Manager for Youth Employment Service (YES) South Africa. Previously she advised and guided C-suite managers on talent management strategies across a range of industries and geographies, and she ran her own consulting business. Through this she gained expertise in organisational development, change management, operational efficiencies, people development and acquisition, psychometric assessment, and strategic talent management. She has a passion for building capacity, partnership management, exploring new sectors and contributing to social inclusion and impact interventions. In addition, she is a member (advisor) on the Sub-committee of the Cape Winelands Aerospace Special Economic Zone. Allison has a BSocSci (Organisational psychology and Industrial Psychology) from UCT, a BA Hons (Industrial Psychology) from UNISA, and a Masters in Organisational/Industry Psychology from UWC.
MIGNON HARDIE
Executive board member, Managing Director, ARC and F&P subcommittees
Mignon Hardie is passionate about building businesses and organisations for social good. Prior to joining Life Choices as the managing director in 2022, she co-founded and was the executive director of the Fundza Literacy Trust, an innovative nonprofit that uses technology to grow a culture of reading and writing amongst South Africa’s youth. She is also a director of independent publisher Cover2Cover Books, a director of Write4Life Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to improving literacy amongst SA’s youth, and was co-founder of Veedo, a reverse-billed video-conferencing service operated by Datafree and The Lateral Alternative. She has a BA from UCT (English and Economics) and an MBA (cum laude) from Stellenbosch University.
RYAN GEEL
Executive (non-voting) board member, Campus Director, F&P subcommittee
Ryan began his career in the FMCG sector which has allowed him the opportunity to work in a fast-paced and dynamic environment, holding more than 15 years experience in sales and marketing strategies. Ryan realized that his true passion was people and when presented with the opportunity to join Life Choices grabbed it with both hands as this represented not only a 360-degree change in his career but the opportunity for him to grow as an individual and be part of something bigger than himself. Ryan is passionate about people, innovative thinking and the desire to change the status quo by building solutions towards the challenges our society faces. Ryan is the Campus Director at Life Choices. Ryan holds a Diploma in Marketing from the IMM Graduate School of Marketing.
INNOCENT MASAYIRA
Executive (non-voting) board member, Head of Fundraising, F&P subcommittee
Innocent has a Diploma in Philosophy, BA in Philosophy, Postgraduate Diploma in Reflective Social Practice and MA Philosophy of Social Innovation. He has over 10 years in development, fundraising, communications and organisational development experience. He joined Life Choices in 2010 as a Junior Project Coordinator and was appointed as Sustainability Officer in 2013.
In addition, the board has two advisory subcommittees – the Audit, Risk and Compliance (ARC) subcommittee and the Fundraising and Programme (F&P) subcommittee – that include board members, executive members and independent advisors.
The following are additional members of the Fundraising and Programme (F&P) subcommittee:
Zandile Mqwathi, Community Programmes Director
Benjamin Zantsi, Independent advisor
The following are additional members of the Audit, Risk and Compliance (ARC) subcommittee:
Osman Ebrahim, Independent advisor
Itumeleng Tshatiwa, Independent advisor