Executive Management

Fabrizio Dionisio is the Executive Manager: Business Development and Commercialisation for the CSIR Advanced Production and Security division. Prior to his appointment, Dionisio served as Acting Divisional Executive: Research and Technology Development at the Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa (NECSA).
Dionisio is not new to the CSIR, having previously been with the organisation for 20 years in various specialist and management positions. He was the Contract Research and Development Manager at the former Modelling and Digital Sciences unit and Key Account Manager for the CSIR. He has extensive experience in leadership roles, including business development for local and international projects, strategy development, stakeholder management and project management.
He holds an MSc in aeronautical engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand.

Nomsa Dlamini is the Executive Manager for the CSIR Smart Mobility. Before joining the CSIR, Dlamini served as Portfolio Director for Transport at MPAMOT Africa (Pty) Ltd. From January 2017 until May 2023, Nomsa held the position of Executive Manager for Asset and Maintenance Assurance at the Gautrain Management Agency. Additionally, within the same organisation, she assumed the role of Acting Senior Executive Manager for Technical Services before 2017.
Her leadership expertise has been refined through this extensive experience, setting her on a path marked by innovation and continual growth. Ascending through the ranks within the engineering field, Nomsa's career journey has led her to the forefront, where she now leads a team of seasoned professional engineers.
Dlamini's remarkable journey has been marked by outstanding achievements, one of which is her receipt of a Harvard South Africa Fellowship Scholarship Award. This prestigious scholarship paved her path to Harvard Business School, where she successfully completed the General Management Programme, earning a certificate that further underscores her commitment to excellence.
Nomsa holds a BSc in civil engineering from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and an MSc in engineering from the University of Pretoria. Nomsa boasts a rich and extensive career spanning over two decades.

Anne Gabathuse currently serves as the Executive Manager for Business Development and Commercialisation at CSIR Smart Society. With a career spanning over 13 years in the field of technology transfer, her vast wealth of experience has equipped her with an impressive skillset for managing and commercialising intellectual property. Gabathuse's academic background features a BSc (Hons) in biochemistry and an MSc in chemical engineering, both earned at the prestigious University of Cape Town. Her thirst for knowledge also led her to obtain a Master of Business Administration from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
In her role, Gabathuse's proficiency in technology transfer and intellectual property management plays an integral role in shaping business development and commercialisation strategies. Beyond her professional accomplishments lies an individual who is deeply passionate about pushing boundaries within the tech industry. Under her stewardship, the division continues to carve its niche as a forward-thinking player within the research, development and innovation sector, amidst rapid advancements in innovation.
Gabathuse’s unique blend of passion, expertise, leadership qualities and constant drive for improvement makes her a forerunner in her field. She not only brings value to Smart Society with her extensive experience but is also set on shaping its future direction with great foresight.

Dr Luyolo Mabhali brings over 15 years of extensive experience in spearheading innovation within the manufacturing, research and academia domains. He holds a PhD in engineering, as well as a second PhD in business administration (thesis on innovation management) from the University of the Witwatersrand, along with a Master of Business Administration from Wits Business School. His expertise spans from theoretical training to practical application, equipping him to conceptualise, drive innovation and industrialise projects.
In his previous roles, Dr Mabhali served as the Research and Development Manager at the South African Mint Company, where he led a team dedicated to pioneering research in materials and processes crucial to the minting industry. He also served as a Research Group Leader at the then CSIR National Laser Centre, now known as the National Photonics Centre, focusing on laser additive manufacturing and surface engineering. Additionally, he worked as a senior engineer at ArcelorMittal South Africa, specialising in process modelling and coke production. Dr Mabhali has also contributed as a part-time lecturer at the Tshwane University of Technology, imparting knowledge in physical metallurgy.
His academic journey, coupled with professional experiences, has cultivated a diverse skill set encompassing strategy formulation, project management, International Organisation for Standardization certification processes, governance, risk and compliance frameworks, innovation management, implementation of sustainability initiatives and advanced manufacturing, among others.

Dr Setobane Mangena joined the CSIR from Sasol, where he spent 19 years in various roles, ranging from Principal Specialist, Senior Manager to Acting Vice President in the Research and Technology division. While at Sasol, he spearheaded the development and implementation of a portfolio of development projects worth billions of rands.
His career began at the CSIR in 1997 when he served as an intern in the Materials Technology division. He subsequently moved to Miningtek, another division of the CSIR, where he worked as a researcher in coal preparation. While at Miningtek, he was a member of the CSIR energy thrust team and a project manager for the government-funded Sustainable Development through Mining Research programme until 2005, when he joined Sasol. 
Dr Mangena holds a PhD in chemical engineering from North-West University, a MSc degree in chemistry from Tshwane University of Technology, an MSc degree in project management from the University of Pretoria and a Master of Business Administration in renewables from Berlin University of Applied Sciences in Germany.

Sipho Mbhokota is the Executive Manager for the Defence and Security cluster. He joined the CSIR in 2014 as the Competence Area Manager for the Integrated Systems Group within the former Defence, Peace, Safety and Security unit.

His career in the defence and security sector spans over 20 years, with 10 of those years spent as a member of the South African Air Force, where he was a Systems Engineer in the VIP Squadron, as well as a Project Engineer on the RSA Airbus A400M Aircraft Acquisition team. Prior to joining the CSIR, he was the Divisional Manager for Engineering Services at Armscor’s Dockyard in Simon’s Town.

Sipho holds Bachelor of Engineering and Master of Engineering degrees from the University of Pretoria. He also has a Master of Business Administration qualification from the University of Stellenbosch.

Bongi Ntsoelengoe is the Executive Manager for Future Production: Mining. She joined the CSIR on 6 April 2020 from Kumba Iron Ore Limited, a division of Anglo-American plc, where she had been the Manager of Technology, since January 2014. In her role as Manager of Technology, she was responsible for leading Kumba’s digital technology strategy and innovation roadmap, which has seen the company roll out some significant technologies, such as full autonomous drilling fleet at Kolomela Mine, advanced process control for plant operations, autonomous braking system for haul trucks, as well as remote-piloted aircraft systems (drones), as a new tool for surveying and other applications. She has been recognised as a leader in the field of mine modernisation, which led to her being a panellist at several conferences and, most recently, at the 2020 Investing in Africa Mining Indaba.

Bongi has over 15 years’ experience in the mining industry, having worked in iron ore and base metal commodities. Her career started after graduating from the University of the Witwatersrand with a BSc in Metallurgy and Material Engineering. Bongi holds a Master of Business Administration from GIBS, University of Pretoria, and a BSc (Hons) Metallurgical Engineering, University of Pretoria. She also has a Certificate in Business Management, University of South Africa, and an Advanced Management Programme Certificate, University of Navarra, IESE Business School.

She has held various positions in the mining industry, which has given her experience in the processing of minerals, delivering capital projects, technology research, innovation and modernisation across the mining value chain, including the marketing of commodities. Bongi also served as a member of the innovation steering committee at the Minerals Council of South Africa and she is also a Council Member for the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.

Dr Nthabiseng Motete is the Executive Manager for CSIR Advanced Agriculture and Food, a cluster in the CSIR Advanced Chemistry and Life Sciences division.

Prior to joining the CSIR, Dr Motete held the position of Group Executive responsible for Crop Sciences at the Agricultural Research Council for eight years. In this role, she led research, development, innovation and service delivery in crop-based agriculture to drive sustainable agricultural systems for agrarian transformation, food security and nutritional well-being.

Additionally, Dr Motete has served as the Deputy Director-General for Forestry and Natural Resource Management at the erstwhile Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

Dr Motete holds a PhD degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Alongside her academic achievements, she has completed the Executive Development Programme at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School in the United Kingdom. Currently, she is pursuing Executive MBA studies at the same institution.

Dr Lulama Wakaba is the Executive Manager for the Next-Gen Enteprises and Institutions Cluster. He joined the CSIR in October 2021. Prior to joining the CSIR, Lulama was an independent consultant in the enterprise development arena. In this role, he developed commercialisation strategies and incubation processes for technology-based enterprises.

Most of Lulama’s formal education is in physics and applied mathematics, culminating in a PhD degree from the University of Illinois, at Urbana-Champaign. He subsequently gained experience in various industries, ranging from financial services to airports management.

While working in the financial services industry (at an international investment bank), Lulama developed and implemented quantitative trading strategies for equity markets. In this role, he worked across the entire innovation chain spanning idea-generation and selection, research and development, and the deployment of trading strategies in live environments.

Lulama is not new to the CSIR, having previously been with the organisation as a Senior Researcher and a Strategic Research Manager in the former Modelling and Digital Sciences unit. He then left the CSIR to serve as the Group Manager for Technical Research and Development at the Airports Company South Africa.