Key Spokespeople

Elroy Paulus

Advocacy Programme Manager

Elroy Paulus joined the Black Sash in October 2007, having spent the past eleven years involved in community development and economic literacy training.  Although he qualified as a medical technologist in chemical pathology, Elroy soon realized that his real passion lay with urban primary health care issues, especially on the Cape Flats.

Between 1997 and 2003, he worked as a provincial coordinator and senior researcher for Fair Share, School of Government, based at the University of the Western Cape.  Elroy then joined COSATU as the Research Coordinator at their Parliamentary Office and later consulted for various organisations on human and worker rights advocacy issues.

Elroy serves as a trustee on the Arabella Community Development Trust in the Overstrand where he worked and lived for two years.

Elroy’s areas of expertise include facilitating and coordinating community workshops and projects, helping people to understand policy issues; how these may impact on their lives, in particular the lives of the poor.

Nkosikhulule Nyembezi

Advocacy Programme Manager

Before joining the Black Sash, Nkosikhulule worked as a journalist for Independent Newspapers as well as a Political/Economic Advisor for the United States Mission in South Africa. He has served on various programme committees for the XIII and XIV International AIDS Conferences and presented papers in national and international conferences on Human Rights, HIV/AIDS and Behavioural Changes in Adolescents. As a senior researcher at Dance4Life, the youth face of the World AIDS Campaign, Nkosikhulule  worked with many young people from schools in South Africa. He has also conducted research on the impact of HIV/AIDS as an epidemic on indigenous law and traditional institutions.

Nkosikhulule has an LLB from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Nkosikhulule’s areas of expertise include Social, Economic, Ethical, and Human Rights issues around HIV/AIDS as well as National and Local Government Social Security/Insurance Policy as it relates to Orphans and Vulnerable Children. He is also considered an expert on the Institutions of Traditional Leadership in South Africa.

Ratula Beukman

Advocacy Programme Manager

Ratula joined the Black Sash at the end of August 2007. For the last five years she worked as an Advocacy Programme Manager her area of expertise lies in policy development advocacy and implementation monitoring in the area of Social Security Laws (inclusive of Social Assistance, Social Insurance (Private Pensions and Provident funds), Unemployment Insurance, Compensation for Occupational injuries and Diseases). 

She completed her law degree at the University of The Western Cape in 2001 and did her articles at Balsillies Incorporated in Cape Town from 2002-2003. Ratula was admitted at the Cape Provincial Division in June 2004 whilst working as a legal advisor at the Women’s Legal Centre. During this time, she used her experience in Magistrate and High Court procedures to provide South African women with advice on how to find relief using appropriate legal paths.

Between 2004 and 2007, Ratula worked at The Secretariat of the African Decade of Persons with Disabilities (SADPD), a continental organization that advocates for disability inclusion. The programme brings governments and civil society together in a national disability steering committee to work towards a more inclusive society. She was part of a team that advocated together with the local disability communities to set up steering committees in Rwanda, Senegal, Namibia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Burundi and Tanzania.

Ratula’s area of expertise is community based advocacy and advice on international and domestic human rights law in relation to Social Security and Consumer Protection.

Leonie Caroline

Provincial Director, Western Cape

Prior to joining the Black Sash 5 years ago, Leonie Caroline lectured at ProteaTechnical College in Belville. She was also responsible for vocational training and student placements. Leonie worked for 15 years as a social worker with the Students’ Health and Welfare Centres Organisation (SHAWCO) at their Manenberg offices in Cape Town. She has also held the position of social worker at JAFTA (Johannesburg Association for the Aged) and in the Health and Welfare Department of South Africa’s House of Representatives. Leonie began her career as a youth worker for the Ambassadors and Nomad Youth Programmes.
She holds a BA Social Work from the University of the Western Cape and a Diploma in Marketing Management from UNISA.

Leonie’s areas of expertise include social assistance and social insurance.

Alexa Lane

Provincial Director, Eastern Cape

Alexa joined the Black Sash in 1990 and worked for fifteen years as a senior paralegal and volunteer programme manager, before being appointed Regional Director of the Port Elizabeth office in 2004. Alexa represents the organisation on the Eastern Cape Human Rights Working Group and is also the community representative on the UIF Regional Appeals Board in the Eastern Cape.

Alexa’s areas of expertise include social assistance grants and administrative justice. She is a worthy commentator on who’s eligible for grants, what the criteria are and how to apply. Alexa can also advise on what the applicants rights are in terms of Promotion of Administrative Justice legislation if there are unreasonable delays or applications are refused without written reasons.

Jonathan Walton

Provincial Advocacy Manager, Eastern Cape

Jonathan Walton has worked for the Black Sash for nearly 20 years. He joined as a junior paralegal caseworker in 1988 after being illegally incarcerated for more than a year under apartheid's State of Emergency laws. Jonathan's working knowledge of the law, his deep understanding of human rights issues and dedication to his clients saw him promoted to senior paralegal caseworker in 1998. He was appointed Regional Director of the Black Sash’s advice office in Grahamstown in 2001.
Jonathan sits on the Free State Regional UIF Appeal Committee and represents the Black Sash on many other public forums in the Eastern Cape.

Jonathan's areas of expertise include social insurance (UIF, COIDA and retirement funds), social assistance grants and administrative justice.

Evashnee Naidu

Provincial Director, KwaZulu-Natal

Evashnee joined the Black Sash in June 2007. Her passion and commitment to Human Rights and Constitutional Values has meant that she’s worked almost exclusively in the NGO sector after completing her articles in February 2003. As a qualified attorney, she held the position of Legal Officer at the Durban Lesbian and Gay Community and Health Centre from March 2003 to May 2007. She was very influential in many of the Constitutional Court Rulings that gave rise to the recognition of rights for Lesbian and Gay people, culminating in the victory of ensuring same-sex marriage for same-sex couples.

Thandiwe Zulu

Provincial Director, Gauteng

Thandiwe Zulu worked for the Black Sash as Paralegal Caseworker between August 1997 and October 1999. She rejoined the organization in June 2007 as Regional Director for the Gauteng office. Before joining the Black Sash, Thandiwe worked as a Social Worker for Association for the Deaf under The DEAF Federation of South Africa and also held the position of Socially Excluded Project Coordinator and Facilitator at the Workers Education Project, a Labour Service Organization.

Thandiwe holds a Social Work Degree from the University of the Western Cape, a Diploma in Labour Relations (Damelin College), a Certificate in Industrial Relations (Wits Business School) and a Certificate in Business Management (UNISA- School of Management).

Thandiwe’s areas of expertise include Social Assistance and Security, Labour laws and Labour issues, as well as community work and development.