A propos du CTIN

Geci was contracted as the CTIN National Organiser in 2018, at a time where she had also accepted a Visiting Research Fellow role at the Wits School of Governance. She has a background in using tech and innovation to work with communities and is also a thought-leader who is Associated with South African Cities Network (SACN), a public urban governance learning network.

Her previous roles include being the Executive Manager for Programmes at SACN; developing knowledge and evaluation systems for National Treasury’s Neighbourhood Development Programme; managing research programmes at the CSIR and HSRC, and working as a technology associate at the UCLA Advanced Policy Institute.

Her research interests span a range of development foresight, policy, planning and practice topics, particularly relating to urban governance, socio-technical systems, and innovation systems. She is also a co-editor of the Innovation Africa book series (2016, 2020) and an associate editor on several journals on futures.

Nkosinathi is an Urban Planning graduate and a Wits alumni. While studying planning he took a lot of interest in issues surrounding urban governance and the ability of the State to be transparent and accountable to its constituents. He recently completed a postgraduate qualification in Business Administration at the Wits Business School.

Nkosinathi has worked in the education space, as part of the Student Equity and Talent Management Unit which facilitates a number of pre-university and university programmes including the Targeting Talent Programme. He played a significant part in his 2 years there as part of the projects team that brought these projects to life. He currently writes as part of a collective of bloggers writing about youth issues.

Yasmin Shapurjee is a multi-passionate urban planner and researcher that holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc) and BSc Honours degree in Urban and Regional Planning, as well as a Master’s in Urban Studies, specialising in Housing and Human Settlements from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. Her research interests include low-income housing policy; sustainable housing construction and design; informal economies urban renewal; and urban agriculture. She also has a keen interest in the role of technology and its influence on innovative governance processes to improve the citizens’ lives, especially in rapidly growing African cities.

Yasmin has over 10 years of experience working in the research space, first as a Researcher within the Urban and Regional Planning group at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) from 2011 to 2017, and thereafter as a Research consultant to the non-profit Our Future Cities. Among these roles, Yasmin takes an active interest in community development projects and has volunteered her time, skills and expertise to sustainable building and framing projects in Taos, New Mexico in the United States; and in the inner-city, Soweto, and the Free State within South Africa. .

Some things that are central to Yasmin life are: spending quality time with family and friends, time in nature, reading; cooking and baking, sport, travel, photography, music and art.

In her current  role as Project Lead at CTIN, Yasmin drives the research agenda and strategy, and is instrumental in sustaining and building networks amongst CTIN members, partners and potential collaborators. She also manages and curates the updates to the African Civic Tech Atlas – a database of emerging civic tech initiatives and case study profiles across the African continent.

Frans is a Bachelor of Accounting Sciences graduate at the University of the Witwatersrand, who has a background in using mentorship, leadership, advocacy and activism as a tool to positively impact spaces and people through various local and global organisations.

Before joining the CTIN, Frans was a Projects and Finance Intern the Student Equity and Talent Management Unit (SETMU) over the past year.  As part of his duties, he was a mentor coordinator and liaison for the Targeting Talent Programme, while also forming part of a collaborative mentor coordination team between SEMTU and the DLU for the First Year Experience (FYE) Mentorship programme.

Frans also serves as a board member of the Association for the Advancement of Black Accountants of Southern Africa (ABASA) Johannesburg Branch.

In 2021, He was a member of Project approval sub-committee entrusted with the allocation of $200 000 for the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Covid-19 recovery fund and he was also recognized as one of the Top 100 most employable students by the DHL 2021 Gradstar awards.

An impact maker at heart, that is who and what Rofhatutshedzwa strives to be. She finds herself in spaces of growth, learning, and innovation. An individual who is passionate about development and branches into galaxies that aim to make the world a better place. This could be done through research, writing, collaboration, or advocacy.

Rofhatutshedzwa holds 2 degrees from the University of Johannesburg and is currently pursuing her MA in Social Policy and Development. A published co-author who tells real-life stories. Moreover, she has been involved in youth leadership platforms and civic educational spaces and continues to immerse herself in these spaces.

_{Wiseman Mqondisi Mavundla is a passionate community developer dedicated to driving positive change in Africa and on a global scale. He is a firm believer in the power of continuous learning to navigate the complexities of development, democracy, and globalization. His ongoing Master’s degree in Population Studies is deepening his understanding of population dynamics and intricate development challenges.}

_{Throughout his career, Wiseman has consistently sought opportunities to create a positive impact and empower local communities. In his previous roles as a program manager, he successfully led cross-functional teams. He fostered a culture of creativity and collaboration to develop and implement innovative solutions for complex development issues.}

Siwe Ntombela is an urban researcher and environmentalist currently working in the NGO sector. She has experience in the private sector as a development economist and more recently, working with cities on spatial transformation, stakeholder engagement and inclusive climate action. She is passionate about sustainable community development in the urban context and elevating the voices of young people placemaking.

Sinenhlanhla Kheswa is a dedicated professional with a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in Communication and Media Studies from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. With a strong foundation in strategic corporate communications, journalism, and marketing, she is committed to continuous learning and skill development. With her passion for the media and communication industry, Sinenhlanhla aspires to make a meaningful and positive impact through creativity.

The Civic Tech Innovation Network has been generously supported and funded by Luminate since 2018. Luminate is a global philanthropic organisation with the goal of empowering people and institutions to work together to build just and fair societies.

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The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) is a German political foundation committed to freedom, justice and solidarity. KAS has funded two CTIN projects in 2020:

1. Strong Cities webinars at UrbanFest / CTIF 2020
2. The African Civic Tech Case Studies Series

SACN has been collaborating with CTIN on a range of projects linking civic tech with urban governance issues and the work of the South African Council for City Data

• Stakeholder mapping of urban data ecosystem actors and initiatives (2020)
• Civic Tech for Cities Webinar / World Cafe (July 2020)
• SA Covid-19 Data Mapping Project (March 2020)

In 2019 CTIN co-hosted a breakfast session with Corruption Watch, Corruption and Tech session focused on how technology can mitigate corruption in South Africa.

The Civic Tech Field Guide is a crowdsourced, global collection of tech for good tools and projects. It’s your place to find and be found. Thousands of civic tech practitioners from over 100 countries around the world have contributed to this living resource. They catalog not only the tools, but also the social side of the field: the conferences, funders, awards, design principles and playbooks. The Civic Tech Innovation Network is an African partner for the Civic Tech Field Guide

Global Black Youth connects, amplifies and invests in the reach and impact of the most cutting-edge technology generated by young Black disruptors, innovators and entrepreneurs on a global scale.

Global Black Youth has established a global community of Black youth disruptors that brings visibility to their work and achievements harnessing Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship while countering the inequalities and inequities present within their communities, societies and ultimately, the world.

Open Cities Lab is a non-profit organisation (NPO 255-261) established by a group of founding members who desire to serve the common good through the advancement of transparency.

We are governed by a Board of Directors currently made up of Matthew Adendorff, Nicole Copley, Richard Gevers, Geci Karuri-Sebina and Bryden Neville.

We operate from Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town.

CTIN was incubated from within JamLab which has made for conducive relations and Explorations from 2017 to May 2020. The Journalism and Media Lab (Jamlab) is a project of Wits Journalism and the Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct.

Jamlab aims to support more and better innovation in journalism and media in Africa. Jamlab has online magazine and other digital platforms showcase innovations and innovators, share experiences of using new technologies and tools and provide access to research. Jamlab also hosts events that provide an opportunity to share experiences, knowledge, and learning. It also has an accelerator programme provides coaching, mentoring, working space, technical support and the opportunity to meet leaders in journalism and media as well as potential investors and partners.

Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct is a founding partner of CTIN which means that through the relationship with Tshimologong, CTIN has been able to leverage strong synergies across the domains of new technologies, journalism and media innovation, and social justice /civic activism.  CTIN has also used Tshimologong services and space for our events.

With the guidance from the CTIN Reference Group, in May 2020 CTIN relocated from the administration and offices of the Journalism Department to the Wits School of Governance (the University of Witwatersrand remains as the host for the project). The move is in response to strategic shifts in Journalism as well as to opportunities to grow the project’s reach. Some members of the WSG academic team are currently assisting CTIN in its research project. The WSG is a leading regional institution in the arena of governance, policy and development management for the public sector.

The University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) is Africa’s leading research-intensive university, and as such is a gateway to research engagement and intellectual achievement in Africa. Based upon the university’s commitment to contributing to society through research, teaching and social engagement, and encouraging its academics to be engaged public intellectuals, Wits has served as an incubator for CTIN. Through the University, CTIN enjoys access to the full range of Wits intellectual and organisational resources, as well as the established systems and facilities for effective programme management, including through Wits Enterprise where needed.