Team

Olmo von Meijenfeldt

Executive Director - ex officio

Olmo von Meijenfeldt, DWF’s Founding Executive Director, continues to serve as a board member in an executive role. He spearheaded the organisation’s establishment, securing seed funding and guiding its growth with the support of the DWF team. His passions include international solidarity, the African Renaissance, and addressing non-profit financial sustainability while ensuring DWF’s relevance in democracy development.

With nearly 30 years of experience, Olmo has overseen the investment of half a billion Rand in governance, democracy, and human rights initiatives in South Africa and the region. He has also fostered DWF’s growth as a diverse, multi-national African team, emphasizing gender balance and women’s leadership.

Democracy building is and must be an ongoing process, whether in South Africa or the EU. It is never ‘finished’, as older democracies show. Investing in democracy takes time, vision and long-term commitment. The returns don't necessarily show overnight, perhaps not even in our lifetime. It is a political development process that should involve all sectors of society.

Sandra Mutyambizi

Director of Finance and Operations - ex officio

Sandra Mutyambizi – ex-officio. Sandra Mutyambizi, DWF’s Director of Finance and Operations, joined the board in an executive role after rising through the ranks since 2018. A seasoned finance professional with over 20 years of experience, she has managed complex financial operations and implemented robust financial policies and controls.

Sandra has successfully led audits and compliance exercises with international donors like USAID and the EU. Her expertise in budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting has ensured sound financial management at Democracy Works Foundation and the Southern Africa Trust. She also has a strong background in operational management, overseeing human resources and contributing to strategic planning. Sandra holds a Postgraduate Certificate in International Accounting and Finance from the University of Liverpool and leverages her financial and operational expertise to ensure organisational success.

Liz Letebele

HR & Administration Manager

Liz has worked at ActionAid South Africa (AASA), at Australia Awards for Africa (AAA) program, with nine years at the Department for International Development (DFID-SA). She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa (ISLA), a Pan-African and feminist-led initiative that aims to contribute to the development of jurisprudence on sexual rights and women’s human rights on the continent by providing expertise on strategic litigation.

Patience Hwenha

Senior Programme Manager

Patience Hwenha has dedicated over two decades to the field of development, democratic governance and peacebuilding. Her expertise includes research, grant-making, leadership development and capacity-building initiatives for political parties and civil society organisations. She holds an advanced Master’s qualification in Mediation Studies and a Master of Management in Public and Development Management. She is an avid follower of history, which enriches her understanding of socio-political dynamics and informs her approach to conflict resolution and peace promotion in countries like CAR, DRC, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi and Zimbabwe.

Lerato Maloka

Engagement Manager

Lerato Maloka is Corporate Communications Specialist with over 14 years of expertise in 360 communications, specialising in strategic communication, digital media, stakeholder management and project management. Certified in Digital Marketing and Research, she is currently pursuing her BCom Degree in Corporate Communications while leading the strategic communications of various programmes in several African countries. She has agency, Public Relations and Content Development experience. During her tenure as PR Manager, she has conceptualized captivating digital media campaigns and bespoke events, building solid relationships with key stakeholders, media, and content creators. Passionate about leveraging digital technology to amplify citizen voices, Lerato also advocates for people living with mental disabilities, human and climate justice.

Boitumelo Setlhaku

Finance Manager

Boitumelo has Over 15 years of experience in the finance space having started in advertising and branding. She then went into the commercial media space, starting at Multichoice and then progressed to KayaFM where she worked as an accountant for nine years before moving to Media 24 as a senior accountant. Highlights of her career include serving on the Employment Equity Committee while at Kaya FM.

She has a CIS Professional Qualification – Corporate Governance and Administration from WITS University (Fasset). She also completed the Management Development Program (PMD) at The Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS). Boitumelo has a passion for women empowerment and early childhood education as she believes that a solid foundation is essential for a child's development.

Shannon Bernhardt

Programme Manager

Shannon Bernhardt brings more than a decade of experience in programme management, grant management, and environmental and social governance across Southern and Eastern Africa. His expertise spans climate and environmental governance, safeguarding, environmental and social due diligence, stakeholder engagement, and the management of donor-funded programmes.

Shannon previously served as Programme Manager at DWF, where he led the Southern Africa Political Parties and Dialogue Programme. He later joined Concentric Alliance, where he oversaw stakeholder engagement and human rights due diligence, before moving to African Risk Capacity Ltd. Shannon holds a Master of Arts from the University of the Witwatersrand and a Bachelor of Social Science Honours degree from the University of Cape Town. He is also certified in Sustainability Reporting by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and is a PRINCE2-certified Project Manager.

Mogale Mashiapata

Project Specialist

Mogale Mashiapata is a seasoned professional with nearly 20 years of technical and leadership experience in governance, public health communication and development programs. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated exceptional technical and leadership abilities, serving in various key positions. His professional journey includes roles at the Institute for Multi-Party Democracy, the Policy Project, and the Health Policy Initiative. For over a decade, Mogale has contributed significantly at the Johns Hopkins Health and Education SA now Centre for Community Impact. He is committed to working on programmes that promote human rights; democracy through evidence-based and accountable interventions.

Rhulani Ramela

Monitoring and Evaluation Officer

Rhulani Ramela is a seasoned Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Specialist with over seven years of experience in youth employment, health, skills development, and gender. She is passionate about advancing evidence-based decision-making to inform policies and programmes that promote sustainable development.
Her professional journey includes impactful roles at GIZ, FHI360, and Tshikululu Social Investments, where she supported initiatives such as the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention and developed M&E frameworks that enhanced programme outcomes and policy impact. Rhulani holds an MSc in Emerging Economies and International Development (Distinction) from King's College London and enjoys baking and watching movies.

Khulekani Biyela

Project Coordinator

Khulekani Magwaza is a Project Coordinator with nearly a decade of experience in the NGO sector, specialising in climate and energy justice. His work sits at the intersection of theology and development, which he applies through climate justice activism and advocacy.

He has led and supported strategic advocacy initiatives across ecumenical and civic platforms, while coordinating grassroots movements and contributing to regional and global coalitions. Khulekani holds academic and practical training in theology, development studies, project management, and international humanitarian law.

He is deeply passionate about community wellbeing and culture, and is committed to continuous learning and engaging with new ideas.

Ronaldo Giko

Project Officer

Ronaldo Bambatha Giko has a career in broadcasting and community communication spanning over 13 years, strengthened by 2 years of renewable energy project experience under the REIPPPP framework. Ronaldo began his career in radio, anchoring news and hosting programmes for an audience of over 80,000 listeners, before joining OFM as an intern journalist and assistant content producer. Later, he transitioned into the renewable energy sector as a Project Officer Intern at a Northern Cape wind farm, where he managed community communications and stakeholder engagement.

Beyond his professional work, he serves as Treasurer of Lutsha Youth Development, an NPO dedicated to youth economic upliftment.
Ronaldo is currently completing a Higher Certificate in Project Management, with plans to further his studies in community engagement and the energy sector.

Keelane Carroll

Project Officer

Keelane Carroll has three years of experience in environmental management, with a strong focus on conservation management and environmental awareness initiatives. His academic and professional background is rooted in Nature Conservation, with a specialisation in data management and animal behaviour.

Keelane participated in the South African National Biodiversity Institute Groen Sebenza Phase 2 Programme, during which he served as an Environmental Management Intern at the Namakwa District Municipality for 2 years. He later continued his experience in environmental management through an internship programme at Goegap Nature Reserve. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology from the University of the Western Cape. Outside of his professional work, Keelane has a keen interest in photography and videography.

Moeketsi Koahela

Project Coordinator

Moeketsi Koahela served (2025) as Co-Chair of Youth 20 (Y20), the official Youth Engagement Group of the Group of Twenty (G20). Moeketsi serves as an expert panel member for Democracy Works Foundation’s Polarisation Project with support from the Ford Foundation. Moeketsi is a former (2023-2026) Education and Training Officer of the Youth Activism Programme at the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation (AKF) and served as Chairperson of National Youth Coalition (NYC). Additionally, serves in key Sub-Committees of the National Dialogue process formally announced by South African Head of State, His Excellency Cyril Ramaphosa.

Moeketsi previously held a Project Assistant role responsible for Training and Development at the Development and Leadership Unit (DLU) in the Centre for Student Development (CSD) at Wits University. Moeketsi holds a Master's in Sociology (2022) from Wits University. His thesis dissertation explored “How is Masculinity Performed among Male University Students in an All-Male Residence at Wits.” Moeketsi also holds a Bachelor of Arts Honours in Sociology (2018), and a Bachelor of Arts degree (2017), having majored in Psychology and Sociology.

Kahisano Kolobe

Project Manager

Kahisano has 10 years of experience in the development sector where she has served as a Human Rights activist and youth development worker. She also has experience in projects of governance, enterprise development, civic education, leadership, youth development, health, public policy and education.

The highlights of her work include being a member of the Local Education Group, a National educational planning team, co founding the Accessible Education, Development and Leadership – an organisation that promotes access and equity to health and education. She also won the 2020 SADC Gender Protocol Barometer by Genderlinks Barometer awards and serves as the Secretary General for the Common Wealth Young Women in Local Government Network Lesotho Chapter.

Kahisano’s key interests lie in youth development and access to education for marginalised groups.