Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much

BRIGHT LAAKA

Founder & CEO

Bright is an academic with the penchant and flair for business. Motivated by passion for learning and succeeding as he strives to become an outstanding and successful man in today’s society. Bright holds the following qualifications:-

Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (Animal Health): University of North West
Master of Science in Agriculture(Production Physiology): University of Pretoria
MBA (Entrepreneurship): Management College of Southern Africa
Business Management Courses
Marketing Management Courses
Executive Management Development Course
Management and Executive Leadership Development
Corporate Strategy Course
Having been a Business Development Executive for two of the multinational companies listed in the New York Stock Exchange (Pfizer Incorporated and Zoetis Animal Health), between 2005 – 2016, Bright has proven his business development skills, responsible for managing a portfolio of key accounts and for delivering client-focused solutions. Bright has taken his knowledge and combined this with his experience in order to now propel RUDAG into a respected SMME development business, with a focus on youth and women empowerment within the agri arena.
Bright aims to create programs that will contribute towards alleviating the unemployment gap and poverty in South Africa and Africa at large.

As an Entrepreneurial Professional, Bright received several awards:-

Business Development Manager of the year: 2009/10/11/12/13 & 6 PFIZER Inc & ZOETIS)
Innovation Award by Minister of Public Enterprise (Public Sector Innovation Awards): 2012
Innovative Partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development & Veterinary Services (Gauteng). 2012

COLLIN MATJILA

Chairman

Prior to 1994 Collin was an active member of the Soweto Civic Movement and later held various leadership positions within the African National Congress (ANC) on a local and provincial level. Collin served in various positions in the public sector and migrated to the private sector in 2001. He still undertakes specific mandated duties in the public sector from time to time. Collin holds the following qualifications:-

BA degree in Law from the University of Lesotho
LLB Degree from the University of the Witwatersrand,
MAP and SEP Diplomas from Harvard University (Boston, USA)
South African Chamber of Business Awards nominee for 2001/2 Businessman of the Year.
Between 1994 and 2000 Collin became a key strategic figure in the restructuring process of local government in South Africa and Internationally. Collin also holds professional membership with the Institute of Directors, Gordon Institute of Business Science and the

South African Law Society. Collin’s extensive exposure to a global and diverse spectrum of cultures and practices on matters of transformation, strategy, governance and economic development over several years, has optimized his strategic leadership and management skills in the fields of business development, strategic guidance, economic development and transformation. Collin has also served as Director in various private sector companies including as Chairman of the Board of JSE listed construction company Raubex. In 2015 he went into business full time and formed Kanana Investments, a diversified investment company with a focus on property, energy and agribusiness.

Collin strives to achieve excellence by paying particular attention to governance issues and the overall performance of the business in relation to its strategic objectives and set goals. Between 2000 and 2015 Collin Matjila had been appointed:

Chief Executive Officer of the Command Centre for Emergency Reconstruction, a special purpose vehicle formed by Cabinet in

2001 to reconstruct flood damaged infrastructure in the country with a project budget of over R1.5-­‐billion.
Chief Executive Officer of Kopano Ke Matla Investment Company, the investment arm of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU).
Appointed Chairperson of the National Electricity Regulator (later National Energy Regulator of South Africa) by the Minister of Minerals & Energy and later the Minister of Energy.
Member of Eskom Board of Directors
Acting Chief Executive of Eskom

BASANI MAMETJA

(ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT: EXECUTIVE)

Basani has a strong background in Enterprise Development and has the following qualifications: –

Basani obtained her educational qualifications in South Africa and United States of America.
Undergraduate degree from University of Venda majoring in Education and Economics
Honours degree with University of Pretoria in Education.
Masters in Sustainable International Development from Heller School for Social Policy, Brandeis University, funded by Kellogg Foundation Scholarship.
Basani is currently an Executive Manager at the Gauteng Partnership Fund (GPF). GPF aims to serve as the funding and implementing.

Sciences (JSS), and Journal of Agricultural Science” jas@ccsenet.org.

BASANI MAMETJA (ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT: EXECUTIVE)

Basani has a strong background in Enterprise Development and has the following qualifications: –

Basani obtained her educational qualifications in South Africa and United States of America.
Undergraduate degree from University of Venda majoring in Education and Economics
Honours degree with University of Pretoria in Education.
Masters in Sustainable International Development from Heller School for Social Policy, Brandeis University, funded by Kellogg Foundation Scholarship.

Basani is currently an Executive Manager at the Gauteng Partnership Fund (GPF). GPF aims to serve as the funding and implementing agent for integrated, sustainable human settlement developments in the Gauteng Province. Prior to joining GPF, she was Chief Director: Executive Support in the Head of Department’s Office at the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements.

She also worked at Absa Bank as head of Non-Financial Support of Enterprise Development. Absa Enterprise Development aims to create and promote entrepreneurship to ultimately contribute towards job creation and the sustainability of small and medium-sized businesses. Prior to joining Absa Bank, she was heading the Danida Business Partnerships Programme at the Embassy of Denmark in Pretoria. The programme aimed at promoting economic growth and social development through capacity building and transfer of skills and know-how and technology by a Danish company to the SA company within the same line of business. She also worked at the National Department of Trade and Industry as an Assistant Director, mainly responsible for the establishment and maintenance of South Africa’s economic relationship with countries in the SADC community.

Professor Mike Antwi

(Executive: Commercialization)

Prof M.A. Antwi is an Agricultural Economist, with more than twenty-two years of experience in lecturing at tertiary level. He has the following qualifications: –

PhD in Agricultural Economics from North-West University (NWU)
Sc. Agricultural Economics from University of Pretoria
MBA from Potchefstroom University
Sc. (Honours) Agricultural Economics from University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
He is currently working with UNISA as Professor in the Department of Agriculture and Animal Health (AAH), lecturing modules, supervising postgraduates in Agricultural Economics, Coordinator for Climate Change Collaboration Research Centre of University of South Africa, University of Pretoria and Agricultural Research Council (ARC) of South Africa, Coordinator of postgraduates’ Agriculture and Animal Health Department (College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences). He is the team leader of a Market Access, Research and Farmers’ Training Project for the Department of Economics, SMMEs, Trade, Environment and Agriculture (DESTEA) in the Free State Province, South Africa. Prof Antwi won the UNISA CHANCELLOR’S EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH AWARD, 2019.

He has successfully supervised many students at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels ((6 PhDs, 26

MSCs & 139 BSc honours)). He is currently serving as external reviewer/examiner for NRF funding applications, masters’ dissertations and PhD theses for five tertiary institutions in South Africa. He has also contributed chapters/series in books, has over forty-five articles in internationally accredited journals, presented at a number of local and international conferences. He has successfully undertaken more than fifty professional services including quite a number of development trainings and workshops. His general research interest currently includes: Land Reform research, Climate change research, Socio-economic research, Agricultural project analyses research, Food Security studies, Agri-Business & Cooperatives research, Impact Evaluation of projects/programmes (land reform projects/programmes), and Financial, Production and Market Analysis research.

He’s a reviewer for accredited journals including ELSEVIER journals, Journal of development and agricultural economics, Habitat International, IFAMR, Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension, Economics and Sociology; SCIENCEDOMAIN, Journal of Social Sciences (JSS), and Journal of Agricultural Science” jas@ccsenet.org.

JAMES JEKINSON

(ENGINEERING & ENERGY)

In 2002, James made the important decision to start his own engineer’s consultancy business. He assists up and coming emerging farmers to start farming with pigs and poultry. Furthermore, he had the privilege to have been involved in various African countries (Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi, Swaziland, Angola and Nigeria). James has the following qualifications: –

Batchelor of Engineering in Agriculture at the University of Pretoria

James has a prototype biogas plant on his own farm. It converts pig effluent to biogas and gas to power by means of a turbine. He is currently involved in various projects where he is assisting with the

commissioning of biogas plants in Southern Africa. James had the honor of being a member of organized agriculture by serving on pork producer’s organizations on provincial, as well as national, board level since 1993. In this period, he had the privilege of chairing both these boards on different occasions. It was also a very special day when he was awarded a golden medal in 2012 for his contribution to the pig industry – this was a very humbling experience.

James had the opportunity to be involved in various projects. These included the following:

Planning of broiler & layer houses.
Piggery design, planning and erecting.
Design of dairy portals and zero grazing barns.
Waste management of different animals’ effluent.
level since 1993. In this period, he had the privilege of chairing both these boards on different occasions. It was also a very special day when he was awarded a golden medal in 2012 for his contribution to the pig industry – this was a very humbling experience.

James had the opportunity to be involved in various projects. These included the following:

Planning of broiler & layer houses.
Piggery design, planning and erecting.
Design of dairy portals and zero grazing barns.
Waste management of different animals’ effluent.
Development of home mixing mills, or better known as the mini-mill concepts.