BRIEF RESUME – MR THWADI KOMANE

Career Synopsis:

Mr Thwadi Komane holds a Bachelor of Arts degree (having majored in Organisational Psychology and
Sociology), a post graduate Diploma in Development Studies and two post graduate Certificates in
Development Communication and in Leadership and Management for Transformation from various
colleges within the University of the Witwatersrand.

Mr Komane has strong experience in human development theory and practice. His professional experience
spans across different sectors over the last twenty-three years. These include public service, academia,
institutions supporting democracy, civil society and the international/multilateral development
cooperation sectors. His long-term career objective is to be a change agent with sound experience and
appreciation of human relations and the dynamics and linkages between local and global development
levels who will contribute to the realisation of an economically vibrant, just and fair society where all
citizens enjoy their full human potential.

Expertise and Professional Knowledge:

• Sound understanding and appreciation of national, regional and international political, economic
and social landscape
• Multi-stakeholder coordination, community and political risk assessment, development
communication and public participation facilitation
• Strong managerial experience in the national public service, civil society as well as in the
multilateral/international development cooperation sectors
• Extensive knowledge and expertise in human and social development, livelihood strategies,
research and public policy analysis

Relevant Professional Experience:

• Director - Management Secretariat, Office of the National Commissioner (Department of

Correctional Services): The role entailed providing executive secretariat management support
to the Accounting Officer, as well as coordination and management of all departmental executive,
statutory and compliance structures
• Director-Special Projects and Stakeholder Engagement, Ministry of Justice and Correctional
Services: Providing strategic and policy advisory support towards enhancing the Minister’s
executive and political oversight to the criminal justice as well as managing Ministerial stakeholder
engagement programme.
• Junior Lecturer – Development Studies, University of South Africa: Building on his many years
of practical involvement in the development sector, the shift to academia allowed for a robust
intellectual and theoretical reflection on the development question. Academic research interests
are in development and social transition theories
• Deputy Director - Human Rights Advocacy Programme, South African Human Rights
Commission: As Deputy Director in the HURAP unit, Mr Komane’s primary responsibility was to
manage and coordinate the conceptualisation, design, planning and implementation of the
SAHRC’s human rights advocacy and human rights education programme, including the national
seminar and advocacy series
• Deputy Director - Community Consultations, CRL Rights Commission: Coordinating and
managing national dialogue on cultural, religious and linguistic diversity and facilitating the
recognition of community councils
• National Project Coordinator – PRO 169, International Labour Organisation’s Pretoria Area
Office: Duties and responsibilities included the provision of technical support and advice to the
European Commission funded project to undertake research on constitutional, legislative and
administrative provisions in 10 African countries regarding matters of indigenous and tribal
peoples. He was also tasked with representing the ILO at the regular meetings of the African
Commission on Human and Peoples Rights and other relevant national/regional meetings
concerning indigenous issues

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Voluntary Community Involvement:

Mr Thwadi Komane is a founding member and inaugural Chairperson of Lepelle Alumni Education
Foundation (LAEF), a voluntary non-profit organisation/foundation that was established by former
learners of Lepelle Secondary School to assist in the improvement of matric result for their former school.
The foundation operates through collection donations from former learners to subsidise extra-tuition
classes and other educational advancement projects.

Academic Conference Presentations:

• VIVA AFRICA 2013 - 8th International Conference on African Studies hosted by

Cultura Africa Association, University of Hradec Kralove and the Metropolitan University
of Prague, Pilsen, Czech Republic; 24 – 25 October 2013. The tittle of the paper presented
was: The African Tradition vs. Western Modernity Conundrum in Post-Apartheid South
Africa – A Case of the Traditional Courts Bill

• LAMIPISA 2013 – The Inaugural International Conference on Leadership and

Management in Projectified Industry South Africa hosted by the Faculty of Business,
Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa; 31 March – 03 April
2013. The tittle of the paper was: Leadership and Cultural Diversity: The Challenge of
Mediating Diverse Cultural Values in the Workplace using South Africa’s Constitutional
Framework

• LAMIPISA 2014 – The 2nd International Conference on Leadership and Management

in Projectified Industry South Africa hosted by the Faculty of Business, Cape Peninsula
University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa; 08 –10 September 2014. The paper
presented at this conference was titled: Can the National Development Plan (NDP) Mould
South Africa into a Socially Cohesive and Plural Society? A Cursory Analysis of the Possible
Leadership Scenarios

Publications:

• Book Review: Ubuntu – Curating the Archive, Leonard Praeg and Siphokazi Magadla
(Eds) in Africanus, Volume 44, Issue 1, 2014 (electronic journal) UNISA Press

• The African Tradition vs. Western Modernity Conundrum in Post-Apartheid South

Africa – A Case of the Traditional Courts Bill in Tradition vs. Modernity in
Contemporary Africa, Tomas Machalik and Katerina Mildnerova (Eds); VIVA Africa 2013
Conference Proceedings, University of Hradec Kralove and the Metropolitan University of
Prague

• The Challenge of Mediating Diverse Cultural Values in the Workplace using South
Africa’s Constitutional Framework in Journal of Leadership and Management Studies
(JOLMS), Volume 1, Issue 2, December 2014, CPUT Press

References:

• Adv TM Masutha: Former Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Current Member of
Parliament – 082 496 8837 / michaelmasutha@gmail.com
• Dr Gavin Andersson: Adjunct Professor - University of Cape Town/ Director: Andersson Afrika -
083 675 6213 / gavin@aktivity.org
• Prof Puleng Lenka-Bula: Vice Chancellor: University of South Africa (UNISA) – 083 455 6560