Our Board

Vuyolwethu is currently serving as Deputy Senior Traditional Leader at Jalamba Traditional Council. She previously served as District Secretary of Imbumba Yamakhosikazi Akomkhulu (IYA), with the goal of reviving the grassroots level of the Elliotdale District, and as Secretary General (2007-2013) and Provincial Secretary General (2013 – 2015). She is also a board member of Snako Community Development – an NPO in Elliotdale which focuses on Career Development Programmes for Elliotdale High Schools. Vuyolwethu has also held various senior business positions and runs her own sourcing and distributing company based in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape. She is a member of our local community.

Vuyolwethu holds the following qualifications: National Diploma Public Management & Administration – Eastern Cape Technikon, B-Tech Degree Business Administration – Cape Technikon, Management Development Programme – University of Stellenbosch Business School.

Lynne Wilkinson has a LL.B and MSc in Global Health. She is a technical consultant with the International AIDS Society and research associate at the University of Cape Town. She has been implementing HIV programmes since 2005 predominantly in South Africa, including in rural Eastern Cape where she set up and managed Madwaleni Hospital and its feeder clinics decentralised ART programme from 2005-2010. This HIV programme served Bulungula Incubator’s beneficiaries. She specialises in differentiated service delivery (DSD) across the HIV cascade and supports sub-Saharan African countries’ DSD policy development, model designs and implementation. She served as the Acting Director for the Bulungula Incubator in 2021, prioritising strengthening the health programme.

Samora Somdyala is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience providing accounting and tax advisory, development support for SMMEs, and project management for numerous private and government clients. She holds a B Com Accounting degree, Honours B Comm (Accounting), Masters of Commerce (Taxation), and various certificates including Project Management and Advanced Business Rescue Practice.

Currently, Samora serves as the executive director of Kenako Development and Business Solutions, non- executive director of Nombeko Development Partners (an NPO she co-founded), and non-executive director at Buhle Farmer’s Academy. Her extensive expertise and leadership continue to drive impactful development initiatives across multiple sectors.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Sonja Giese is founding Executive Director of Innovation Edge, a funding platform dedicated to the testing and acceleration of innovations that transform early life experiences for children. Sonja has over 20 years experience in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programmes in some of the poorest rural and urban communities in SA. She has engaged extensively with all levels of Government and has been instrumental in national policy reform and systems enhancements which have effectively leveraged massive gains for children. Sonja has consulted on a range of child rights issues and held senior leadership positions within the University of Cape Town, international NGO Absolute Return for Kids, the community-based Bulungula Incubator, and a national ECD donor consortium Ilifa Labantwana.

Sonja’s tertiary qualifications: Bachelor of Science (1989-1991) Psychology Honours – Cum laude (1995) Thesis published in South African Journal of Psychology

Réjane is an Economist and a CFA charterholder. She completed her undergraduate degree in Business Science at the University of Cape Town and her Masters degree in Development Economics at the University of Sussex, UK.  She has previously held the positions of Chief Economist and Head of International Portfolio Investments for Metropolitan Asset Managers and Research Analyst for US investment bank, Merrill Lynch, in the economics and fixed-income sales and trading departments.  

Rejane was a trustee and the National Treasurer for TCOE,  the Trust for Community Outreach and Education. She has previously served as a volunteer counselor and a member of the board of directors of the Rape Crisis Cape Town Trust. She is a fellow of the Africa Leadership Initiative (ALI) and the Aspen Global Leadership Network (AGLN). Réjane is a founding member of the Bulungula Incubator.