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Based in Johannesburg and Durban, Umhlaba employs professionals and academics across a range of service areas. Our team is diverse, not only in our racial and gender combination but also in the skills and experience they bring to the projects we undertake. We also make use of associate consultants based through-out the country. Through our wide network, we are able to put together the best combination of skills required for any project and provide the necessary management skills to ensure an effective outcome.
Umhlaba’s work is grounded in the development of South Africa, and the Southern African region. We believe that all institutions – public, private or civil society – have a duty and a role in the development process. This commitment to development informs our business approach, our values and quest for innovation and excellence.
Central to our approach is the need to build the capacity of all institutions involved in the social and economic development process: government at all levels, parastatals, civil society organizations, international donors and business entities.
Equity Profile
| STATUS |
EQUITY |
MANAGEMENT |
STAFF |
| Black Male |
33% |
20% |
22% |
| Black Female |
51% |
80% |
78% |
| White Male |
16% |
0 |
0 |
| White Female |
0% |
0 |
0 |
| HDI: 84% Female: 51% White: 16% |
Our Misson
Umhlaba companies aim to promote effective delivery of development programmes and policy by supporting the plans and capacity building initiatives of government, non-state institutions and the client communities they serve.
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Advocate Brendan Pearce
Chief Executive Officer: Umhlaba Group
Brendan Pearce has 16 years experience in the development sector. Having started his career in the legal profession, he soon moved to become a key civil society leader as director of the National Land Committee both pre- and post 1994.
His career has taken him to a number of areas including development finance as a senior advisor at the land Bank, in skills development, in manufacturing and in local government as the CEO of the Manufacturing Engineering and Related Services SETA and acting CEO of the Local Government and Water SETA. These senior positions have all had a turn-around management focus, which is one key areas of his expertise. His experience straddles civil society, government and the private sector
Brendan together with one of his partners, Dave Husy founded Umhlaba in 1999. He leads the Group, which is fast becoming the premier development consultancy in the SADC region. Brendan is a keen runner, have completed 4 Comrades’ Marathons.
Brendan has a Bachelor of Arts and LLB Degree from the University of the Witwatersrand and has been admitted as an Advocate of the South Africa Supreme Court.
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Yasmin Turton
Director: Umhlaba Development Services
Ms. Yasmin (“Jessie”) Turton is a well-known development facilitator and organisational development specialist with approximately 26 years experience. Ms.Turton’s experience includes having worked in countries such as India, Mauritius and the Middle East, as well as a number of countries in the SADC region and in Anglophone Africa. Within South Africa, Ms. Turton’s experience includes work with national, provincial and local government as well as a variety of NGO’s across different sectors such as women, HIV and AIDS, land, children, gender and labour. Her key focus areas are in conducting evaluations and reviews, in organisational development, capacity building and training and providing executive support, especially to women in leadership positions. Yasmin is an accredited capacitor trainer. Capacitor training deals with alternative approaches to dealing with trauma and stress management.
Yasmin Turton has completed a Masters in Social Science (Community Development). She is a qualified Social Worker; having obtained a Higher Diploma in Advanced Social Work Practice from the University of the Witwatersrand, a Diploma in Youth & Community Work from the University of Birmingham and a Certificate in Capacity Building for Development Managers from Canfield School of Management in the United Kingdom.
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Sebolelo Nomvete
Director: Umhlaba Skills Services
Ms Sebolelo Nomvete has over 26 years experience as both practitioner and policy specialist in Education, training and skills development. Since the 1990s, in various capacities, her work has focused on contributing to or leading the transformation and implementation of education, training and skills development policies and systems. She has held senior management positions within government having been director at the South African Qualifications Authority, Department of Labour and CEO of MAPPP-SETA. She also has worked in other African countries. Sebolelo is a keen music lover and is passionate about live theatre.
Sebolelo has a bachelor of Arts from the University of Zambia; a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) from the University of Lesotho; and a Master of Education from Leeds University in the United Kingdom.
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Dave Husy
Director: Umhlaba Group
Mr. Dave Husy is a senior specialist in strategy review and development in Africa. His experience is focused on rural development and governance with extensive experience of working on policy and programmes related to civil society and development donors in South and Southern Africa. Dave is techno-junky and a keen soccer player.
Dave Husy has a Masters in Development Studies from the University of the Witwatersrand and is presently engaged in a PhD study with a focus on development finance.
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Lulu Makapela
Director: Umhlaba Group
Ms. Lulu Makapela is the operations manager of the Umhlaba Companies. Lulu Makapela started out her career as a financial officer at the Funda Centre, now known as the Funda Community Centre based in Soweto. Lulu has occupied various senior positions, including serving on the board of the National Land Committee and later moving over to Umhlaba Development Services as a financial Consultant. Lulu is the President of the Adventist Woman Ministry and is a Chorals and Alto-Soloist in her church.
Lulu Makapela has a certificate in Business Management from the University of South Africa.
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Nicky Omar
Director: Umhlaba Group
Nicky has 14 years experience in the Management and coordination of development projects, as a senior consultant for Umhlaba she has been responsible for the group’s larger research surveys and project evaluations. Nicky has also provided training and support to NGOs on various strategic management functions. Nicky loves music and is keen mosaic hobbyist
Prior to joining Umhlaba, Nicky held management positions in a number of development organizations’.
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| UMHLABA DEVELOPMENT SERVICES (UDS) |
UDS has a specific focus on working with government, civil society and the private sector. In addition, UDS works with international donor agencies, particularly in social development policy and programming, in areas such as women, HIV and AIDS, children, gender, social economic research and labour. Key focus areas are in monitoring, evaluating, organisational development, capacity building and training and employment equity planning. The emphasis is on assisting organizations, both public and private sector, to implement services including labour and cultural diversity interventions.
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| UMHLABA SKILLS SERVICES (USS) |
USS offers a range of service for human capital development, labour market research and planning. The emphasis is on assisting organisations, both public and private sector, to implement appropriate policies, systems and programmes to improve and increase the level of skills in the South Africa economy, Services include labour market policy research and development; Human Resources Development (HRD) needs research and planning; systems development and implementation; project / programme implementation; curriculum planning and advice; and institutional development.
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| UMHLABA RURAL SERVICES (URS) |
URS has a specific focus on rural development and land reform, and aims to assist government to develop and implement policies that benefit and sustain rural people in South and Southern African; Rural Local Government is a central focus of URS’s work.
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Southern African Development Community (SADC)
Umhlaba believes that the solution to development challenges in SADC countries lie in approaches that increasingly focus on the region, taking into account the need for integration and collaboration. As a result, Umhlaba now works regionally and has developed experience in: Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Swaziland, Mauritius, Mozambique, Tanzania and South Africa. Umhlaba has also carried out regional civil society capacity-building projects that involved people from the region in all 13 SADC countries, and has also conducted projects in other African countries such as Nigeria and Ethiopia.
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