Dr. Mlawule Mashego – Mzansi Afrika Consulting Services

Dr Mlawule Mashego is a founder and Non-Executive Director of Mzansi Afrika Consulting Services (Pty) Ltd. Dr Mlawule Mashego is currently responsible for governance and company strategy development and implementation, as well as implementing client’s major waste to energy feasibility studies at local government environment. He also serves as a Chief Scientific and Technology Officer focussing on Integrated Waste Management Plans, Biotechnology, and Bioengineering Innovation and Technological solutions implementation. He has over 20 years’ experience in Scientific Research, Innovation and Technology Development and project management and implementation. Mlawule has over 10 years senior management experience gained in one of the traditional big five management consulting companies, and a leading South African R&D council as well from the biggest African City of Johannesburg. In addition, Dr Mlawule Mashego has 3 years board governance experience gained as an independent board member/director in a leading local animal vaccine production company.

Dr Mlawule Mashego

Executive Chairman and CEO

Dr Mlawule Mashego was until July 2019 a General Manager responsible Service Delivery and Budget Implementation Plan (SDBIP) for the Waste Minimization Unit at Pikitup SOC Limited. In addition, was responsible for the Implementation of various Alternative Waste Treatment Technologies at PIKITUP (JOHANNESBURG) SOC Limited, a waste management entity of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan. Mlawule played a leading role in execution of Municipal Waste to Energy feasibility studies, with a project budget of over R10 million. In addition, Mlawule led a mandatory waste separation at source including its gazetting in the City of Johannesburg By-laws. The budget of the separation at source project was in excess of R 180 million over a period of three years.

Dr Mlawule Mashego has served as a director and board member on the Board of Directors of Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP) SOC Limited for a period of three years, from 14 May 2014 until 13 May 2017. He also served on the Research and Development, and Operations Board Sub-committee as well as member on the Audit & Risk Sub-Committees.

Mlawule also serves as a business mentor of entrepreneurs as well as an Expert on the Panel of Experts for the Climate Change Centre at The Innovation Hub Management Company SOC Limited. He was also a Research Group Leader at the Council for Science and Industrial Research (CSIR), Natural Resources and the Environment Business Unit; within the Pollution and Waste Research Group. The research group comprised approximately 15 Scientists and Engineers. The research group focused on the research and development of cost effective waste and wastewater treatment technologies targeting valuable product recovery and re-use, such as water and nutrients and chemicals (e.g. Sulphur, Phosphorus). This work has resulted in two inventions for solid waste beneficiation called HaP and GYPSHydroTM processes respectively. Prior to Joining CSIR, he was a Senior Consultant in the Strategy and Strategic Finance Practice at Deloitte Consulting, Johannesburg. He has worked on various projects in the Energy Sector, Financial Services, and Mining Sectors. Prior to Joining Deloitte, he spent over six years in academia abroad as a Post-Doctoral Research Scientist at the University of Delft in The Netherlands and the University of Gent, in Belgium respectively.

During this time, Mlawule developed skills related to managing research programmes across Chemical, Biotechnology and Engineering disciplines at a postgraduate level and skilfully managed the technology transfer between the Technical University of Delft and the University of Gent under the European Union Framework. He has supervised 2 PhD’s and 4MSc Research students. Mlawule also served as a reference group member for a number of Water Research Commission (WRC) research projects.

He has authored and co-authored over 16 scientific publications in international peer reviewed scientific journals and two patents. He also served as a reviewer for a number of International scientific journals in the area of Biotechnology, Biochemical Engineering, Microbial Cell Factories as well as Microbial Metabolomics.

Mlawule holds a PhD in Biochemical Engineering from the Technical University of Delft, in the Netherlands, Master’s Degree in Biotechnology from University of Zimbabwe, and a Master’s Degree in Business Leadership from UNISA School of Business Leadership, Pretoria, South Africa, specializing in Corporate Strategy, Strategic Finance as well as International Business.