Black Sash

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Black Sash Trustees

Sibongile Mkhabela
(Chairperson)

Sibongile (Bongi) Mkhabela  (Chairperson since 2006)  has headed the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund since 1999, first as Programme Director and then as CEO in 2001.  She sits on various boards and has immense experience in development issues, nationally and internationally, gained from working in senior positions at the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Education Programme in South Africa and in the Development Resources Center.  Bongi stared her career as a para-legal worker under the South African Council of Churches.  Before joining the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund she was Director for Special Programmes and Projects in the Office of the then President Thabo Mbeki.

Yasmin Turton (Deputy Chairperson)

Yasmin (Jessie) Turton (Deputy Chairperson since 2006) is currently a
Director of Umhlaba Development Services. Her work is largely with NGO's,
government departments and foreign donor agencies in areas such as organisation development, human resource development, strategic planning,
capacity building, training and evaluation. She has been with the Sash for
about six years.

Diana June Oliver

Di Oliver was a member of Black Sash from 1978 till the membership closed in 1995, and has been a trustee of the Black Sash Trust from 1995. She is a board member of several NGOs and an active parishioner of St George's Cathedral where she is a lay minister and the Coordinator of Caritas (the Cathedral's caring ministries). She served as chairperson of the Trust from 2005-2006.

Maria Macdiamid Burton

Mary Burton has served as the Chairperson of Black Sash, and also as deputy chairperson of the Council of the University of Cape Town. She is co-Founder of the Home for All campaign which was a plea to all white South Africans to acknowledge the ways in which they were benefited by the policies of apartheid in an attempt to help reconcile South African society. She has been involved in various capacities with the Black Sash since 1963.

Jennifer de Tolly

Jenny de Tolly practices architecture part-time and is involved in her family's business. She joined the Black Sash in 1982 and has been a Trustee since 1988. Jenny was at various times Chairperson of the Trust, Chairperson of the Western Cape region of the Black Sash, and National President of the Black Sash.

 

Margaret “Dolly” Jennifer Khumalo 

Alexa Lane

Dolly Khumalo is the Manager of Museum Service in the Office of the Premier, KwaZulu-Natal. She has been with the Black Sash since 2005. She serves on the Sustainability Committee of the Black Sash.

Rosemary Van Wyk Smith

Rosemary Van Wyk Smith has been with the Black Sash since about 1967,
working in the Advice Office and then holding various positions in the
organization including being a vice President. At the dissolution of the
membership organisation She was employed as Director of the Grahamstown Black Sash Advice Office for five years  She is currently on  a number of Local Boards and Trusts and is chairperson of the Grahamstown Friends of the Library.

Mary Kleinenberg

Mary Kleinenberg has retired from formal employment and is currently
helping to buy and organise craft for the Tatham Art Gallery. She joined
the Black Sash in 1980, first working in the Advice Office on Saturday
mornings, and soon after becoming more involved in the organisation. She
serves on the human resources and remuneration committee of the Black Sash.

Thembi Eunice “Nyami” Mbhele 

Thembi Eunice Mbhele is presently employed by the Clermont Resource Centre, Durban as an AIDS Desk Coordinator dealing with counseling, HIV/Aids and rights education. In addition, she manages a support group. She has been associated with the Black Sash since 2000.

 

Dr Hilary Southall

Dr Hilary Southall is a Director of the Joint Economic Aids and Poverty Programme (Jeapp). Her areas of interest and expertise are operational research, mathematical statistics theory, development statistics for policy and planning and health services.

Yasmin Sooka

Yasmin Sooka practised as a human rights lawyer until 1995 and has been Executive Director of the Foundation for Human Rights in South Africa since January 2001. Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms Sooka was a member of theTruth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa, serving first for three years as Deputy Chair to the Human Rights Violations Committee and then asthe chair of the committee.

During 2002 and 2004 she was appointed by the UNas an international commissioner for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Sierra Leone. She has consulted and assisted the governments of Ghana, Nepal, Afghanistan, Burundi, and Liberia in setting up truth commissions. She also serve's on The Board of Trustee's for Black Sash Trust, International Coalition of Historic Site Museums of Conscience,  Executive member for Niwano Peace Foundation as well as Advisory member for LeuvenCentre for Global Governance Studies and Institute for International Law.