Date: Monday 24/05/2021

Time: 13:00 – 15:00

Host: South African Cities Network

South Africa

Let’s play CITOPOLY! A valuable game for built environment practitioners.

CITOPOLY is accessible to all and sheds light on systemic, institutional, and societal issues facing built environment practitioners and the network of implementers in built environment projects (civil society, private sector, politicians, etc). It brings together different perspectives and nuances on obstacles faced in building societal vs institutional value and is a great conversation starter for how all of society can work together for better outcomes. Since it is based on learning from a project of case studies, it’s a great way to democratize knowledge and for people to absorb its key messages in a fun way.

Sithole Mbanga

Sithole has been with the South African Cities Network (SACN) since 2002. He is arguably one of the most knowledgeable people in the country about the journey that our current system of local government has travelled, and particularly the evolution of our municipalities. He has been a consistent advocate and informant of the urban development agenda for over a decade and has helped steadily grow the influence and contributions of the SACN to improving urban governance practice and analysis. 

Sithole was previously the Local Government Coordinator at the National Business Initiative (NBI), was involved with conducting capacity building training in Municipal Service Partnership (MSP), and participated in the development of the then National Department of Local Government’s (DPLG) national policy on Integrated Development Planning (IDP). 

Sithole’s contributions are well recognized in political and technical circles in South Africa. Reputed for a “no holds barred”, creative and dynamic approach to tackling issues, he has been continually sought after to advise municipal and party leadership, contribute to various Boards e.g. Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA) and South African National Parks (SANPARKS), and speak at various engagements. He has contributed to strategic processes in various sectors (cooperative governance, human settlements, The Presidency), and is a clear thought leader in the urban sector. He was also part of the South African Local Government Transformation Programme (LGTP) that pioneered the new system of local government in democratic South Africa and is the nominated Deputy Secretary General of the Pan African body of local governments, the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) Africa.

Rehana Moosajee

Rehana is a research associate at SACN and works closely with the Built Environment Integration programme. Rehana is passionate about people, places, potential and planet. She is committed to creativity, collaboration and connection. She has been invited to various local and international platforms to
share from the heart. Her assignments have included amongst others: wellbeing economies, food systems, eco-mobility, place-maki ng and staying connected to nature in rapidly urbanising contexts.

Rehana’s style is characterised by bringing the richness of her life experiences authentically into her work – from retreats in Rajasthan, to business principles from Bhutan to inter-faith/ inter-cultural tour of Turkey. She combines her professional training in education, with her years of community activism and a 13-year stint in local government with the deep learning she has gained from the opportunities that life has brought to her.

Kayla Brown

Kayla Brown is a project manager in the built environment programme, working in research to understand issues and dynamics affecting municipalities and their goals of achieving built environment transformation.

Siwe Ntombela

Siwe Ntombela is a researcher in the built environment integration programme at SACN. She is an urban planner, with an interest in the ability for community voices to be activated and fundamentally drive co-created spaces.