CSIR Board

Vuyani Jarana is the Chairperson of the CSIR Board. In 2025, he was appointed as Chairperson for the Startup20 Engagement Group for South Africa’s G20 Presidency. He is also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ilitha Telecommunications and prior to this role, he was the CEO of South African Airways. He also held various roles at Vodacom before joining South African Airways. He is a C-level business leader, expert in strategy, business development and business transformation.
Jarana holds a Master of Business Administration and an Honours degree, both from Stellenbosch University.

Dr Thulani Dlamini has served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) since February 2017. His career began at Sasol Technology in 1998, where he worked as a research scientist and advanced to the role of Chief Researcher, specializing in heterogeneous catalysis and materials characterization.

He joined the CSIR in 2005 as Manager of the National Laser Centre. In 2008, he was appointed Group Executive: Research and Development, a position he held until 2011 before returning to Sasol. There, he served as Executive Manager: Research and Development and later as Vice-President for Strategic Research and Technology.

Dr Dlamini holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of the Witwatersrand and a Master of Business Leadership from the University of South Africa. His professional interests include innovation management, technology commercialization, and strategies for leveraging innovation to advance development.

He has contributed to numerous boards and advisory committees, both nationally and internationally. These include the South African Presidential Commission on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the National Advisory Council on Innovation, the Sasol Pension Fund, the African Laser Centre, the Automotive Industry Development Centre, and the Council of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He also serves on the Board of the United Nations Development Programme South Africa and is a member of the South African Academy of Science and the Institute of Directors South Africa.

Dr Yunus Ballim is a retired Emeritus Professor at the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand. Prior to this role, he served as the Vice-Chancellor at Sol Plaatje University in Kimberley. He has also held various positions in academia and industry.
Dr Ballim holds a PhD in engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand and a Master of Business Leadership from the University of South Africa.

Mahesh Fakir was an Operation Vulindlela consultant at the National Treasury before becoming a member of the CSIR Board. Prior to his role at the National Treasury, he served as the Chief Executive Officer and a Regulator/Board Member at the Ports Regulator of South Africa.
Fakir holds three master’s degrees: an MSc in development finance from the University of London, an MSc in civil engineering and a Master of Business Administration from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (formerly Durban-Westville).

Michelle Govender is the Chief Executive Officer of Ocatarity and currently serves as the Cyber Risk Emerging Technology Leader at Deloitte. Prior to her current role, she held various positions at Eskom. She is a cybersecurity leader with a proven track record of experience in the energy utilities industry. She believes that leveraging emerging technologies to advance industrial environments is the key to growth and safety. She is passionate about preparing and equipping organisations to manage their industrial environments against exposure to cyber threats.

Govender holds a BSc in electrical engineering from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and a Postgraduate Diploma in applied risk management from the University of South Africa. She is registered as a professional engineer with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA).

Maleke Joel Matolong is currently the Chairperson of the Finance Committee at the North-West Cricket Board. Prior to this role, he was a Senior Audit Manager at ARMS Audit. He is a supply chain management and turnaround expert.
Matolong holds a Master of Business Administration and a BCom in accounting from North-West University (formerly the University of Potchefstroom). He has completed a Programme in Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management from the University of South Africa. He is an Accountant in Practice with the Chartered Institute for Business Accountants

Dr Vuyo Mthethwa is currently the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: People and Operations at the Durban University of Technology. Prior to this role, she was the Managing Director at Hucad cc, a company she founded, and for a brief period, she served as the Executive Director in the Office of the Vice-Chancellor at Mangosuthu University of Technology. She has broad experience in leadership, human resources management, strategy and governance.
Dr Mthethwa holds a PhD in higher education governance from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Mike Mulcahy is the Chief Executive Officer of GreenCape and the Chairman of the International Cleantech Network. Over the last decade, his work has been focused on unlocking the potential of the green economy. With experience in circular economy, energy, water, manufacturing and green finance, Mulcahy hopes to bring a pragmatic contribution to the CSIR’s work of accelerating socioeconomic prosperity through leading innovation.
Mulcahy holds an MPhil in development finance from the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business as well as a BSc (Hons) in chemical engineering.

Jules Newton has been on a sabbatical since August 2021. Prior to her sabbatical, she served as the Executive Director: Innovation (Green Business Value Chain portfolio) at Avocado Vision. Her areas of expertise include strategic partnership development; executive leadership development, education and training at scale; small, medium and micro enterprise development, management and support; rural economic development; green business value chains and sales and fundraising management.
Newton holds a BA in education from the University of the Witwatersrand.

Dr Christine Render is an Engineering Consultant with 40 years of experience working on industrial mega projects in both technical and management capacities, including leading the commercialisation of several “first-of-a-kind” technologies. She has been a Consulting Partner at Owner Team Consultation (Pty) Ltd. since 2014, a position she continues to hold. Prior to her current role, she held various positions at Sasol Technology.
Dr Render holds a PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Leeds.

Prof. Arnold van Zyl was the President of Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University in Stuttgart, Germany. He has held various leadership positions in both Germany and South Africa. He was the Vice-Chancellor at Technische Universität Chemnitz in Germany and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Stellenbosch University. He was also the CEO of ERTICO – ITS Europe in Belgium and occupied various positions at Daimler R&D.
Prof. van Zyl holds a PhD, an MSc and a BSc in engineering from the University of Cape Town.