Chairman: Dr Trueman Goba
Dr Trueman Goba is the chairman of Hatch Africa (Pty) Ltd, a global group of engineers and professionals in the field of consulting and construction management. He has held numerous positions in the Engineering profession and industry, including President of SAICE (2002), President of ECSA (2007-2009), chairman of the then Cement and Concrete Institute (2004-2005), member of the CIDB (2004-2007), and was appointed on the first National Planning Commission (2010-2015). He is currently the President of the SA Academy of Engineering.
Dr Trueman Goba was born in Durban where he attended primary schools in the well-known townships of Chesterville, Clermont and Inanda. During this time he was a Cub.
Ms Crystal Valere Abdoll
Ms Crystal Abdoll was the Group Executive: Shared Services (designated CFO) at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) and was previously the Chief Audit Executive (CAE) at PetroSA. She is also a Specialist Audit Committee member at the Department of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme.
Ms Abdoll understands the benefits of governance, its evolution and the critical role it plays in driving an organisation’s performance in a sustainable manner. She has also seen the impact Scouting programmes have on the lives of youth in her community. Read more here.
Mr Ajay Daya
Mr Ajay Daya is a Chartered Accountant and has been a partner in a Chartered Accounting practice for over 20 years. He has been involved in strategic development in large to small businesses and offers financial management and consulting services to National, Provincial and local Government. Furthermore, Ajay is a qualified assessor and moderator and understands the South African training environment. Due to his public sector knowledge, he is in a good position to determine where funding can be obtained from government to benefit Scouting in South Africa.
Ajay Daya became a Scout at the age of 10, and an adult leader until the age of 21. When his children joined Scouting he became an active volunteer raising funds of R1,5m to refurbish their Scout hall, taking on the role of SGL for the Surat Hindoo Scout Group and ensuring the growth of the Group to 51 members with young adults in leadership positions.
Mr Phillip Mulungo
Mr Philip Mulungo is a member of the Executive Team of the Toronto Group, where he oversees the Group’s Executive & Strategic Direction. He is an active director of companies across a number of sectors including oil and gas, manufacturing, energy, technology, farming, and property development, both nationally and internationally. He has been recognized by the DTIC and by the media for his contribution to the economy. He is an alumnus of Unisa School of Business Leadership, University of Pretoria, and Stellenbosch University Business School Executive Development.
Mr Mulungo hails from Mpumalanga where he joined the 1st Mataffin Scout Group as a Scout. His peers recognise his innovative spirit and sound values inculcated during his Scouting adventures. Read more here.
Mrs Farai Ntuli
Farai is the Africa Livelihoods and Education Lead for Accenture Development Partnerships. Through her work in international and youth development and gender equality she is shaping and creating opportunities for growth and youth employment in Africa and Asia. Previously, she served as the Chief Partnerships Officer at the Youth Employment Service, and as the Youth Health Africa project manager at the Aurum Institute. In her spare time, she runs a blog titled ‘Impact with Farai’ which seeks to enhance the employability of youth with critical insights.
Farai was recognised in the Donors Africa, Top 50 African Women in Development in 2024. She is a Dalai Lama 2019 Fellow, a recipient of the Stellenbosch University Exceptional Alumni award (2021), and in 2022, she became an Honourary Member of the Golden Key International Honours Society and won the TransUnion Rising Star award for the Service: Public and Private sector category.
Mr Vivian Reddy
Mr Vivian Reddy is the founder of the Edison Group, which includes diverse interests in energy, healthcare, financial services, and property development. He has received national and international acclaim for his philanthropic work and is the patron of over 10 organizations in the fields of education, religion, welfare, health, people with disabilities, feeding schemes, conservation programmes, and peace and cultural initiatives.
Mr Vivian Reddy was born in Durban as the youngest of 9 children. He has bootstrapped himself from poverty to playing a leading role in job creation and wealth management in South Africa. He ascribes much of his professional success to his grounding in Scouting and in particular his experience at the 13th World Scout Jamboree in 1971 where he met astronaut Neil Armstrong.
Mr Sandile Tshabalala
Mr Sandile Tshabalala is the co-founder and owner of Huruma Bantfu. He has over a decade of expertise in corporate governance, corporate philanthropy, human rights, and entrepreneurship development. Mr Tshabalala has held governance positions with multinationals and most recently as a Board of Directors and Investment Committee Secretary for the Public Investment Corporation. He is also a recipient of the Mail and Guardian Top 200 Young South Africans 2023 under the Business category supported by the African Bank and a recipient of the News24 100 Young Mandelas of the Future 2023 under the Humanitarianism category. He is also in the 2024 cohort of the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, Leading For Humanity Fellowship.
As an internationally acclaimed entrepreneur, Mr Sandile Tshabalala is changing the world, after learning how to change his community as a 7-year-old Cub in the Kanyamazane township of Mpumalanga. In November 2023 he joined the SCOUTS South Africa Board. Read more here.
Chief Scout: Mr Khonzaphi Mdaka
Mr Khonzaphi Mdaka joined the Scouting Movement in 1994 in Mataffin. In 2000 he became Deputy Provincial Commissioner and two years later he took on the role of Provincial Commissioner. In 2011 he was named Provincial Chairman and was also elected at the National Scout Council to serve on Steercom which oversaw the revitalisation of Scouting. In 2015 Khonzaphi stepped into a National position as the Chair: SSA Properties, after which he was appointed Deputy Chief Scout in 2018. On the 1st of February 2022 Khonzaphi Mdaka became the Chief Scout of South Africa. Read more here.