The South African School for Digital Policy, Community Networks edition, is being held from 12 to 16 April in Johannesburg. Meet the fellows that are part of it here:
Amos and Dineo Msiza
Amos and Dineo Msiza are the founders of the Amaqhawe Group Network.
Founded in 2019, Amaqhawe Group Network was born from a simple yet powerful vision: to ensure that rural communities, regardless of location, have access to reliable, affordable internet connectivity. Today, they stand as a testament to what's possible when innovation meets community commitment. As a 100% Black-owned and BBBEE-certified company, they are not just providing internet services – they are creating opportunities, fostering digital literacy, and building a foundation for economic growth in the communities in South Africa.
Amos and Dineo come from a banking background and are also very committed and close to community-based projects. They have worked for Old Mutual, Ctrack and Jireh Technologies. They understand what fair internet access means for a child in the rural areas of Mpumalanga. Their work and passion in the internet space has touched many lives through various projects like the APC LocNet initiative and SA Connect Phase 2, working with partners such as OpenServe, Uyinjabulo, GloGiant and EC Internet.
Jabulani Vilakazi
Jabulani is a network engineer by profession. He has held a technical director position at Uyinjabulo Suppliers Pty Ltd since 2024.
He studied at the Midrand Graduate Institute where he earned a BA in Internet Communications in 2004. A passion for technology led him to further studies in networking and he recently graduated as a fibre technician and network designer.
With a solid background in network support, Jabulani worked at MTN in the early days of GPRS, HSDPA and 4G technologies. His experience includes the deployment of SA Connect projects in Mpumalanga and Gauteng, with a focus on fibre to the home and wireless to the home solutions.
Janine King
Janine King paid for a one-year secretarial diploma by working after class at a TAB in Maraisburg, Johannesburg. This taught her to be responsible with her finances, paying her own tuition instead of waiting for a handout. Janine started a full-time job at Nedbank Limited as a switchboard operator in 1998, where she learned to deal with nice, rude, polite and impolite people/customers; it also honed her problem-solving skills. Janine did not stay in one department but explored admin divisions within the bank as well as in the marketing department where she worked as a marketing secretary. Here she learned the etiquette of workplace communication, events planning as well as crisis management. Her ambition led her to quit Nedbank and join a temp agency, which led her to a position as a data capture clerk at the National Health Laboratory Service, learning data capturing, managing invoices and at the same time working weekends as a waitress at Turn n Tender. She then got a permanent position in the Reconciliation Department and worked as a supervisor till she resigned in 2011 to relocate to the Eastern Cape where she and her husband started JUS Technologies.
Kgwarishi Malatji
Kgwarishi Malatji is a telecommunications and geospatial technology professional with a BSc in Geomatics and an MSc from the University of Cape Town. He has strong expertise in network engineering, wireless networking, MikroTik routing and configuration, RF hardware procurement and testing (2 - 5 GHz), network authentication systems, and solar backup power solution design and installation. Over the past six years, he has operated a large-scale community network focused on informal settlements and townships to help bridge the digital divide, managing infrastructure that supports more than 70,000 unique devices per month on a public Wi-Fi network, and over 300 home internet clients. His work focuses on building resilient and accessible connectivity systems that expand digital access in underserved communities.
In addition to operating network infrastructure, Kgwarishi has contributed to technical training and capacity development in the community networking sector. He developed and facilitated the technical curriculum for the School of Community Networks South Africa, helping train emerging network operators and technicians. He also holds a Wireless Internet Service Provider (WISP) certification from the Vaal University of Technology, strengthening his practical expertise in wireless broadband deployment and management. Combining his background in geomatics, telecommunications, and community network development, Kgwarishi works at the intersection of connectivity infrastructure, spatial technologies and digital inclusion initiatives aimed at expanding reliable internet access to underserved areas.
Leora Magoro
Leora Magoro is an entrepreneur, project leader and operations specialist with a unique blend of experience across retail, manufacturing and community-driven telecommunications initiatives. As the founder and managing director of Basadi Aluminium & Hardware, she has built a resilient enterprise grounded in product design, engineering support and local manufacturing excellence. Her leadership spans project management, creative product development, and the coordination of a multidisciplinary team responsible for delivering customised infrastructure and aluminium solutions.
With more than 15 years of experience in the retail industry, Leora brings a practical, people-centred approach to management and operations. Beyond her business, she is also a founding director of the Zuri Foundation, where she focuses on infrastructure development and human-capital growth. She played a key role in the successful construction of the Wi-Fi backhaul infrastructure for the Mamaila Community Network and oversaw the deployment of the Dell Technologies Solar Community Hub, a major project led by the Zuri Foundation. She continues to support the hub’s operations and partnerships, working to ensure that community-centred connectivity becomes both sustainable and scalable.
Across all her roles, Leora brings together policy awareness, business process management, technical understanding and community-focused capability development. Whether she is designing a product, managing a team or supporting a connectivity initiative, she leads with intention, collaboration and a strong sense of purpose.
Lizeka Ntsikeni
Lizeka Ntsikeni is a community leader from Bizana in the Eastern Cape, located along the Wild Coast near the Mtentu River. She is the co-founder and leads Amadiba Community Network NPC (ACN), a youth-led non-profit organisation focused on providing affordable internet access to rural communities.
Lizeka is deeply passionate about connecting people, protecting the environment, and creating meaningful opportunities for local youth through technology and community-driven initiatives. Her work is rooted in empowering underserved communities by improving access to digital resources and fostering local innovation.
She recently completed the Blended Training Programme for ICT Network Managers in Indigenous and Rural Communities, further strengthening her technical and leadership capacity to expand digital inclusion and support sustainable community development.
Lungelo Mtwa
Lungelo Mtwa is co-founder of Amadiba Community Network (ACN), based in Amadiba, under Bizana town, in the rural Eastern Cape. He founded the ACN with his fellow team in 2021. As a passionate advocate for community connection and growth, Lungelo helps shape ACN's vision and strategy.
He also has a background in advocacy, sustainable development and film-making.
Pinkie Ngcobelo-Malothana
Pinkie Ngcobelo-Malothana is proud to be a “fully qualified” woman in tech who has “excelled in achieving accredited certificate”. She has problem-solving skills that enables her to work independently and lead installation teams, oversee daily operations, and provide comprehensive reports.
She attributes her success to “collaboration with my colleagues, including Mr Kgwarishi Malatji, [which] has been instrumental in my growth.”
Saba Zahara HoneyBush
Saba Zahara HoneyBush is a social impact communications specialist, creative director, curator, cybersecurity analyst, and founder of the HoneyBush Healing Arts Platform, working at the intersection of culture, technology and community development. With an MBA in Social Entrepreneurship from the Roxbourg Institute of Social Entrepreneurship (RISE) in Switzerland, and experience including certifications spanning digital marketing, cloud engineering, education, film, batik design, #1000WomenInDesign, the practical application of statistics in the cultural and creative industries, global press reporting, cyber security analysis and public arts strategy, she supports initiatives across the Global South that centre cultural resilience, inclusive innovation, and environmental justice, including working with children to paint murals in public spaces.
She has led communications strategy for interesting work initiatives as a consultant with the Consortium to Promote Human Rights, Civic Freedoms and Media Development (CHARM), Rural Women’s Assembly | TCOE (Trust for Community Outreach and Education) and Cape Town TV to mention a few. Her awards include Best Overall Business Pitch and Presentation voted by the audience for the 2019 Future Cities Hackathon, an impact-oriented event utilising Cape Town as a laboratory to address pressing issues related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including SDG 6: Clean Water & Sanitation, SDG 11: Life Below Water, and SDG 14: Sustainable Cities & Communities.
She serves on the board of the Artscape Theatre Centre, VACSA (Visual Arts Cluster of South Africa) and the Botanical Society of South Africa, she forms part of the ICT Network Managers in Indigenous and Rural Communities in the Africa Region 2025-2026, graduating from the programme representing 19 countries across Africa. She is a member of She Code Africa (SCA), a community dedicated to celebrating and empowering young girls and women in technology across the African continent. She is currently completing a second Masters in Integrative Eco Social Design, reflecting that at heart she is a committed environmentalist.
Samkelo Mkhwazeni
Samkelo Mkhwazeni is a dedicated professional with a strong passion for community networking and digital inclusion. With experience working with Zenzeleni, Samkelo has been actively involved in initiatives aimed at expanding connectivity and promoting digital literacy in rural and underserved communities.
Passionate about social impact, Samkelo’s interests lie in leveraging technology to support community development and foster collaborative partnerships. He is deeply committed to empowering communities through innovative solutions that enable inclusive and sustainable growth.
Sean King
Sean King is an IT and network engineer with 23 years’ experience in ICT. Throughout his career, he has excelled in building systems, process design, building networks, and problem solving in multiple roles and positions. He has achieved all this being part of small team and his achievements include building stockbroker IT infrastructure from ground up, integrating it into an international bank, and building an ISP from scratch with no external funding.
With strong skills in business management, disaster management and client relationships, Sean has worked with notable brands such as Comsol, Internet Solutions, and Vox, helping them with project rollout and maintenance.
Outside of work, Sean King enjoys fishing, beach days and music. He finds inspiration in creating an equal ICT environment for previously disadvantaged communities and creating ecosystems and communities where everybody is treated equally and fairly.
Siyabulela Tembani
Siyabulela Tembani is a founder and a director of Sansano Group, a local community network operator (LCNO) based in Lusikisiki under the OR Tambo district. He is a business development professional with an educational background in Computer Science and Electronics. Before founding Sansano Group, Siya worked for multinational companies such as Afrix Telecom, where he served as a country manager overseeing its day-to-day operations and establishing its South African entity, Fraunhofer as a researcher in Chile, and Telkom SA as a business analyst. He has over a decade of experience in telecommunications, serving in various roles, including independent consultancy on business development and telecom regulatory services (Annual Compliance - USAF& ALF, individual license transfers, etc.)
Having lived, worked and studied in Chile's top engineering institute, Universidad Federico Santa Maria, Siya speaks, reads and writes Spanish. He also worked for Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club as a Spanish interpreter, a part-time role between 2019 and 2020.
He is an active member of the Quantum Computing Institute (QCI) in Cape Town.
Tebogo Kissy Tseke
Tebogo Kissy Tseke was born and bred in Diepkloof Soweto, Johannesburg. She is an extrovert and passionate about life. She holds a diploma in Microsoft Office and worked in the telecom industry for more than 10 years. She joined the Soweto Wireless User Group (SOWUG) under the leadership of Jabulani Vilakazi, who mentored her to have a full knowledge and understanding of technical language.
Vilakazi introduced Tebogo to the School of Community Networks in 2022. Since then, she has acquired a lot of experience that has enabled her to help fellow community members.
Learn more about the South African School for Digital Policy / Community Networks edition (ZASDIP 2026/CN).