Board and Management

Senior Manager: Registration and Recognition

Japie Nel

Mr Japie Nel is the Senior Manager: Registration and Recognition, he worked with NQF related issues since 1994. He was part of the National Training Board with the Minister of Labour in the development of a National Training Strategy for South Africa. Out of consultation with Unions and Employer Organisations, the NQF was proposed. In 1998, he joined SAQA as the coordinator of one of the National Standards Bodies.

In April 2000, he started his own business where he consulted with Sector Education Authorities (SETAs), Higher Education Providers (Public and Private), skills development providers and other stakeholders in relation to qualifications development, quality assurance processes and other NQF processes.

Japie also worked in the Kingdom of Bahrain, in the Middle East, where he was involved in the development of qualifications, policies and procedures, recognition of prior learning, and accreditation of providers and qualifications. After his stint in Bahrain, he rejoined SAQA in 2018, serving under the Registration and Recognition Division where he is involved in the registration of qualifications, recognition of professional bodies and development of policies and procedures.

Senior Manager: Research

Dr Heidi Bolton

Dr Heidi Bolton is the Senior Manager: Research at SAQA. She has held this position since 2009, previously as Director: Research. She leads, oversees, and collaborates in, SAQA’s research and development initiatives, and related events, engagements, and publications. Her research interests include national education systems, qualifications frameworks, Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), Credit Accumulation and Transfer (CAT), assessment, curriculum, learning and teaching, flexible learning pathways and the recognition of learning in all forms. Previously she oversaw research at Umalusi, worked as a publisher of academic textbooks, lectured part-time at a public higher education institution, was involved in adult education, and taught in schools.

Senior Manager: Strategic Research Projects

Nolusindiso Kayi

Ms Nolusindiso Kayi joined SAQA from Universities South Africa (USAf) where she was Senior Manager Student Success. Prior to that, she was the Director: University Research Support and Policy Development at the Department (Ministry) of Higher Education and Training (South Africa). She has worked for a number of universities in research management including, Stellenbosch University, University of the Western Cape and University of Cape Town.

Her portfolios focused on supporting and advancing research in South Africa mainly in research grants management and support for early career researchers, policy development for higher education, supporting internationalization of higher education in South Africa and evaluation of research and creative outputs.

Ms Kayi, holds a MTech: Business Administration Degree from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.

Ms Martha Pendu is the Senior Manager: Information and Communications Technology. She has occupied various positions in the ICT area in the past 18 years, working for the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG), managing Information Systems.

She has served in several committees pertaining to ICT. Ms Pendu possesses a combination of technical and strategic skills.

She holds a Degree in Information Science from the University of Pretoria and a Postgraduate Diploma in Information Management from the University of Johannesburg. She has several other certificates in IT including Business Analysis, COBIT, Prince II and ISO/SANS 27001.

Senior Project Manager: Information & Communications Technology (ICT)

Reginald Mazana

Mr Reginald Mazana is the Senior Project Manager: Information and Communications Technology. He holds an MBA and currently studying towards an MSc in Project Management. Mr Mazana has extensive experience in ICT, Fintech, Banking, Telecommunication Industries. He has managed portfolios of up to U$20million with over 15 years of experience. He is well travelled and successfully deployed projects over 15 Countries in Sub-Saharan .

Mr Mazana is PMP, Prince 2 Practitioner Certified and several related certifications. He currently sits on the Project Management Institute South African Chapter Board of Directors as a non-executive Chairman. He specialised in project delivery both Agile, Waterfall methodologies, driving complex projects and setting up Project Management Offices tailored to meet organisational needs.

Mr Mazana enjoys reading and researching on Information Technology ,Project Management and Leadership material. He also enjoys playing golf and watching soccer.

Mr Jeremy Thomas is a  Senior Manager: Supply Chain and Facilities Management. Jeremy has been in the position of Manager: Supply Chain Management at SAQA since February 2019.

He has acted in the capacity of Facilities Manager and advised as extensively in addition to his role of SCM Manager. He holds a BTech degree in Business Administration and an MTech degree in Business Administration from the University of South Africa. Jeremy  has held various management and senior and executive management positions throughout his career and has extensive experience in Supply Chain Management and Facilities Management.

Senior Manager: Governance, Risk, Compliance & Legal

Nomfundiso Kgomo

Ms Kgomo is an admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa, with over 15 years of legal administrative and advisory experience within public sector, 9 of which were spent at middle management level positions in various public entities inclusive of National Gambling Board and Transnet Engineering division of Transnet SOC LTD.

Ms Kgomo brings with substantial experience and exposure in legislative drafting and processing; litigation management; Intellectual Property management, as well as knowledge in compliance and corporate law.