Our team

Jalal holds a BSc (Eng) in Mechatronics, a Postgraduate Diploma in Management Practice (Cum Laude), and a Master of Business Administration (Cum Laude). He is deeply passionate about creating opportunities for young people to thrive through entrepreneurship and education. With over two decades of experience across the nonprofit, corporate, and startup sectors, Jalal brings a rich blend of strategic thinking and heart-led leadership to his work. As Director of Entrepreneurship at the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation, he helps shape programmes that nurture entrepreneurial mindsets and build brighter futures. Jalal holds an engineering degree and an MBA from the University of Cape Town, but it is his belief in people and their potential that truly drives him.

Peter is a Finance and Governance expert currently pursuing a PhD at Rhodes University where his research focuses on leadership and collective decision-making. He holds an MBA, a BCompt in Financial Accounting, and professional qualifications from the Chartered Governance Institute of Southern Africa (CGISA) and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). As a qualified Chartered Secretary and Chartered Governance Professional, Peter brings over 20 years of experience spanning the corporate and non-profit sectors. He has held senior roles in finance, administration, operations, risk management, compliance, and contracts management, with industry experience in hospitality and tourism, the international development sector, property development, and business enterprise development. Peter also serves on several boards, where he contributes as Treasurer and Chair of Finance, Audit, and Risk Committees. He is currently the Finance and Operations Director at Hlanganisa Community Fund for Social and Gender Justice. Peter is passionate about strengthening organisational governance and supporting collective leadership for social impact.

Mavuso is a seasoned Director and HR Professional with over 25 years of operational and strategic experience as a Human Resources Executive, spanning the private, public, and international NGO sectors. He holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences, a Master of Business Leadership (MBL) degree, and is a certified Global Remuneration Professional (GRP). Mavuso’s career includes more than 15 years in senior management roles, with seven years of multinational and pan-African experience. He also brings over 15 years of board-level (Non-Executive Director) experience, including six years on Remuneration Committees (REMSEC) and over seven years on Risk and Audit Committees. His broad skill set covers human resources, sales, management consulting, governance, operations, and general management. He is dedicated to advancing effective human resource leadership and governance to enhance organisational performance.

Mammuso Makhanya is a socially conscious, engaged African feminist inspired to a career in social development by her experience of an academic and social enrichment programme that helped her excel at school. She brings over 30 years of experience working with non-profit organisations across sectors including Early Education and Youth Development. Mammuso holds formal qualifications in social development and, most recently, served as Senior Client Relationship Manager at Tshikululu Social Investments, managing social investment programmes for major foundations and working closely with government departments on Early Childhood Development policy. She is passionate about using her skills and experience to enhance the potential of others.

Maurita Weissenberg is a respected leader in the field of early literacy and education, with over 40 years of experience as an educator and 23 years as co-founder and director of Shine Literacy, one of South Africa’s most impactful literacy NGOs. Under her leadership, Shine Literacy grew from a single volunteer-led centre to a national movement reaching 65 schools, mobilising over 10,000 volunteers, and supporting more than 70,000 children to become confident readers and writers. Through her strategic and innovative approach, Shine was recognised with numerous awards, including the Justice and Reconciliation Prize (IJR Institute), the WISE Award (Qatar Foundation), the STARS Foundation Rising Star Award (Africa–Middle East), and the Silver Impumelelo Award for innovation in public-private partnerships. Maurita pioneered several initiatives that have become models of social innovation, including the development of a sustainable social franchise model for scaling impact, a youth Reading Assistant programme employing unemployed youth, and a bespoke early literacy curriculum that promotes learning through play. Her leadership is grounded in systems thinking and an ethos of reflective practice inspired by Nancy Kline’s Time to Think. She has completed advanced training in Systems Change and Leading Innovative Partnerships at the Bertha Centre (UCT), as well as Executive Skills Coaching under Professor Peg Dawson (USA). Maurita brings deep expertise in literacy development, programme design, governance, partnership building, and strategic leadership. She continues to contribute to education reform and literacy advancement through collaboration, mentorship, and advocacy for equitable learning opportunities in her new venture, PathSetting. When she’s not working, Maurita finds joy in mountain walking, cold-water swimming, and art.

Paulene Solomon holds a Bachelor of Primary Education and has 17 years of teaching experience, including 13 years in the Foundation Phase. She was seconded to the Metropole South Education District as a Foundation Phase Curriculum Advisor and co-authored educational materials for both Foundation and Intermediate Phases. After teaching, Paulene spent eight years with READ Educational Trust as a literacy trainer, coach, and mentor, contributing to numerous government and private literacy initiatives. She is dedicated to improving literacy outcomes for young learners.

Kerry is an experienced Foundation Phase teacher with 15 years of writing fiction, non-fiction, radio stories, and educational materials for young children across South and Southern Africa. Passionate about literacy, especially children’s picture books, she brings expertise in training and mentoring both in-person and online. Since joining Wordworks in 2019, Kerry has mentored in the Ready Steady Read Write Programme and contributed to the Little Stars, Stellar, and TIME programmes. She has also helped create audio and video materials and co-developed an online Ready Steady Read Write study course. Kerry is actively involved in developing, training, and mentoring for the Language programme within the GDE Grade R improvement project. She is committed to supporting early literacy development through training, mentoring, and creating engaging learning experiences that empower children and educators alike.

Ntsiki holds a BA (Hons) specialising in isiXhosa and a B.Ed degree. She has extensive experience as a teacher, WCED isiXhosa curriculum adviser, and Nguni language publisher, having developed Grade R–12 language books. Ntsiki is also a published author of literacy materials for Foundation to Further Education and Training (FET) levels. She has trained and mentored teachers both pre-service and in-service, including developing in-service training manuals for the WCED. Prior to joining Wordworks in 2020, Ntsiki spent three years as an InterSen mentor, supporting teachers in classroom management, planning, and learner engagement. Ntsiki is passionate about nurturing early literacy and empowering educators to create engaging and inclusive learning environments

Cheryl brings 34 years of teaching experience across the Intermediate Phase, Foundation Phase, and Special Education. She has held roles as teacher, coach, facilitator, manager, and Head of Department. While teaching in Ocean View, Cheryl implemented the Wordworks Home-School Partnerships Programme at Kleinberg Primary School. She is the author of several books in English as an Additional Language and Mathematics. Cheryl also served as a Foundation Phase Subject Advisor for five years. After leaving the WCED in 2019, she joined Wordworks as a trainer and mentor in the Home-School Partnership programme.

Bukelwa holds a Bachelor of Education (Hons) specialising in Inclusive Education for the Foundation Phase. She joined Wordworks after working at the Nelson Mandela Institute for Education and Rural Development, supporting Grades R–3 teachers through co-teaching and materials development in isiXhosa and Mathematics (2011–2015). Bukelwa also trained in storytelling with the International School of Storytelling in 2020. With 19 years of Foundation Phase teaching experience in Cape Town, Bukelwa has a strong passion for isiXhosa and English literacy, early reading promotion, and inclusive education. She advocates for the holistic development of children, focusing on child-friendly classroom management.

Omphemetse Sephai holds a B. Ed for Intermediate and Senior Phase. She began her teaching career in 2015 at Mogono Primary School in the North West, where she taught across Foundation, Intermediate, and Senior phases. Omphemetse has been an active member of the School Based Support Team and coordinated the National School Nutrition Programme at Bachana Mokwena Full Service School. She has also facilitated youth development programs at the Bafokeng Youth Centre. Omphemetse is passionate about supporting learners and educators, committed to fostering a positive learning environment that empowers young people to thrive.

Natasha completed a certificate and diploma in Early Childhood Development at the College of Cape Town in 2010–2011. During this time, she volunteered at an ECD and primary school in the Kewtown community, Athlone, Cape Town. In 2014, Natasha became the Grade R teacher at Athlone North Primary School, where she taught for six years. During her time there, she completed a certificate in Adult Facilitation and Training and became a certified assessor. More recently, Natasha earned a B.Ed (Foundation Phase) from the University of South Africa. She is deeply passionate about supporting the development of young children and empowering adults through education.

Faith has worked as a Senior Community Manager for Dlalanathi and as a Process Facilitator for the Pietermaritzburg Agency for Community Social Action in KwaZulu-Natal. Her experience in community development spans facilitation of trainings, mentoring, social justice work, leadership, and skills development. Faith’s passion lies in child development and protection processes within communities. She believes strongly in empowering people to think and act for themselves, guided by the principle that no one should do for others what they can do for themselves. Faith is dedicated to supporting communities as they build their own strengths to nurture and protect their children.

Sudika completed a certificate in education at the College of Cape Town. She worked as a pre-school teacher for four years at Little Care Daycare in Delft, which led to her managing an ECD programme at a non-profit focused on the overall development of children aged 0 to 5 years. Her interests include Foundation Phase education and socio-economic development. Sudika has facilitated and mentored through various community projects and is currently pursuing a Higher Certificate in Auxiliary Social Work at the University of South Africa, with the goal of supporting the holistic development of young children. She is passionate about empowering caregivers and educators to create nurturing environments where every child can thrive.

Lydia holds a B. Admin degree from UWC, an ECD Level 4 certificate from the College of Cape Town, and Level 5 certification from Northlink College. She began her career as a community development worker with SCAT, working across rural areas in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, and North West Province. Lydia later facilitated PAIA (Promotion of Access to Information Act) at ODAC. In 2009, she founded an ECD centre, and by 2011 she was managing and facilitating ECD projects and training with Elru, covering topics such as the first 1000 days, Smartstart, home-based learning, Wordworks’ Stellar Programme, inclusive education, the NCF, and classroom support. Lydia joined Wordworks in 2022 as an ECD trainer, bringing her extensive experience and passion for early childhood development to strengthen communities and support young learners.

Matlhale (Lucy) holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) and an Honours degree in Library and Information Sciences. She worked as a research assistant at the University of the Witwatersrand on multilingual education and literacy projects across Limpopo, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, and North-West schools. Before joining Wordworks as an Education Coach, Lucy was a Literacy Library Coach with Room to Read South Africa. A passionate literacy advocate, she regularly shares insights on community radio and leads reading and writing initiatives in rural Moletjie schools. Outside of work, Lucy is a researcher, editor, book reviewer, podcaster, and public speaker who enjoys exploring her diverse talents.

Jane Coombe holds a Master’s Degree from the Institute of Education, University of London. She began her career teaching at Mount View and Cathkin High Schools on the Cape Flats in the 1980s. Jane later worked at UCT, contributing to teacher and curriculum development, directing the Mathematics Education Project, and founding UCT’s Schools Development Unit. She served as National Programme Director at Black Sash for eight years before joining Wordworks, where she continues her commitment to education and social justice.