We are excited to announce that the new CEO of Engineers Without Borders South Africa, Chikondi Gurira, joined the team on the 1^st of July 2023.

Chikondi is an Agricultural Engineer, who ran the secretariat offices of three national and Africa-wide voluntary engineering societies before joining EWBSA, namely the South African Institute of Agricultural Engineers (SAIAE), the South African National Committee on Large Dams (SANCOLD) as well as the Pan African Society for Agricultural Engineers (PASAE). Prior to joining the engineering nonprofit world, she managed a provincial consulting engineering office, focusing on civil and agricultural engineering projects in KwaZulu-Natal, in partnership with government departments, parastatals, private sector and nonprofit organisations. A key theme in her career has been maximising impact, through embracing digital transformation, whether in supporting student engineers, professional’s continuous professional development or implementing agro-processing and water infrastructure projects in the rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Chikondi envisions increased effectiveness and efficiency in running our existing projects, while improving how we document and consistently share our successes and learnings with the EWB-SA community. Growing the depth and breadth of our partnerships with private sector, government and other nonprofits will be at the centre of Chikondi’s role, and we look forward to witnessing how she leverages her experience across these sectors to increase the organisation’s visibility and empowerment of communities and engineering professionals.

As we look forward to the innovative leadership that Chikondi will bring to EWB-SA, we want to express gratitude to Irshaad Vawda, for the exceptional contribution he has made to the organisation over the years. The projects and partnerships he established, form a solid foundation to build an even brighter future.

In the coming weeks, Chikondi will continue to focus on listening, learning, and engaging with our dedicated team, partners, and stakeholders. We believe in the power of collaboration and encourage you to share your insights, ideas, and aspirations for the future. Together, we can achieve remarkable things and drive positive change in our country.