Executive Committee of the Association
Consisting of a Chairman, Treasurer, Secretary and a representative of each of the divisions of the association.
CHAIRMAN & TREASURER
Sagadevan (Raven Kisten) is currently a Director at The WaterWorx Group (Pty) Ltd (TWWG), a company based in Durban and offering groundwater and environmental solutions. Having graduated with a BSc (Hons) Geology and an MSc Hydrogeology, Raven has over twenty-five years of post-graduate, active involvement in the hydrogeological and environmental spheres. He has managed multi-disciplinary teams and fulfilled the role of technical lead on complex assignments in regional water resource assessments, land contamination, monitoring, and remediation for both private and public sector clients. He is professionally registered with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (Pr.Sci.Nat. Reg No.: 400102/05- Earth Sciences) since 2001, as well as the Groundwater Division (GWD) of the Geological Society of South Africa (GSSA). TWWG is registered as an ordinary member of the GAKZN (ORDW06) and Raven has previously served as a member of the GAKZN EXCO during 2015/16.
SECRETARY & CONSULTANTS DIVISION: HYDROGEOLOGY
Andile Gumede graduated with a BSc Environmental and Engineering geology, is working at JG Afrika as a Hydrogeologist. Andile is a professional registered earth scientist with over 8 years of professional experience and has been involved in numerous projects where he has conducted geophysical investigations for groundwater supply and landfill contamination studies. His involvement has included borehole pump testing, drilling supervision, hydrocensus studies, water and soil sampling, percolation tests, equipment installation supervision, water user license application and community liaison. He has experience in tendering, feasibility study to implementation, and the reporting thereof. Experience is primarily South African based, with projects being carried out throughout KwaZulu Natal, Eastern Cape, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and the Western Cape. He also has experience working in Angola, Botswana and Mozambique, where he has worked on projects to develop sustainable groundwater supply schemes and conduct sanitation protocol studies.
CONSULTANTS DIVISION: ENVIRONMENTAL
Gary Ainsworth is a Senior Environmental Scientist at JG Afrika with experience in the disciplines of contaminated land, waste management and water use licencing. He obtained a BSc degree in Environmental Science and Environmental Biology from the University of Natal, and an Honours degree from the University of KwaZulu Natal in Environmental Science. His experience includes contaminated land assessments; due diligence assessments; soils and groundwater remedial design, implementation, and management; environmental compliance audits, and water use licencing. He is professionally registered with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (Pr.Sci.Nat. Reg No.: 4000326/11) and is also a member of the Network for Contaminated Land in Africa (NICOLA), an Associate Member of the Groundwater Division (GWD) of the Geological Society of South Africa (GSSA) and an Affiliate Member of the South African Institute for Engineering and Environmental Geologists. Gary has served on the GAKZN EXCO since 2019 in the positions of Treasurer and Chairman.
DRILLING & YIELD TESTING DIVISION
Selwyn Govender is currently the Managing Member of Aquatec Pumps & Drilling and has been associated with and has gained a wealth of knowledge in groundwater projects spanning over 38 years. Selwyn started his career working for a leading pump manufacturing company for 5 years and thereafter ventured out into the Borehole Drilling Industry in the mid1980’s. His early involvement was with borehole test pumping, hand pump installations and various water reticulation which he managed for an established drilling company during the lates 80’s early 90’s. He progressed to managing the offsite drilling operations before owning and operating his own drill rig & pump company. Aquatec Pumps is a multi-disciplinary company offering Borehole Drilling, Yield Testing, Pump installations, Water Filtration & water related services.
SUPPLIER DIVISION
Brian Wyllie has been in the pump industry for the past 24 years currently with Franklin Electric who have several manufacturing facilities around the world. They are the manufactures of a number of products including Mono pumps, Orbit pumps, SVM borehole pumps, Franklin submersible motors and a number of other products. Brian has served in various sales positions over the years as well as Product manager/ product development for the Franklin Solar products and currently serving as a senior sales rep in the KZN area.
SERVICES DIVISION
Kyle Naidoo is a dedicated professional currently serving as the Senior Sales Consultant for Talbot, the Laboratory specialising in commercial environmental testing for water, waste, marine and contaminated land across the African Continent. With over 12 years of experience, Kyle possesses extensive expertise in analytical and environmental requirements. He has actively participated in contributing to projects in diverse sectors, including both public and private domains, steadily expanding his network of contacts over the past decade. Prior to his role in sales, Kyle has demonstrated excellence in various areas of the company’s operations. He has experience and shows to be a meticulous and reliable expert in conducting laboratory analyses, particularly in the field of environmental testing and quality requirements. In line with his dynamic skill set, Kyle has actively contributed to business development and strategy at Talbot. Leveraging his comprehensive knowledge of the industry, he plays a crucial role in driving growth for the company.
CONSULTANTS DIVISION: HYDROGEOLOGY (CO-OPTED)
Regan Rose graduated with a MSc in Hydrogeology at the University of Pretoria. He has 26 years of experience in geohydrology and related water and environmental studies. He has extensive experience in groundwater feasibility and implementation studies, Resource Directed Measures (RDM) (i.e., Groundwater Reserves), groundwater impact assessment projects, Water Use License Applications (WULAs), Geographical Information Systems (GIS), well field design, monitoring and management, geohydrological mapping and groundwater and surface water monitoring. Extensive experience has also been obtained in project management, compilation of contract documentation, cost estimates, tendering and tender evaluations. Apart from his numerous projects in South Africa, Regan also has working experience in Africa, Asia and Europe. His most recent project being the senior hydrogeologist responsible for drilling and pump testing 20 boreholes at Bisha Gold Mine in Eritrea.
INSTITUTIONAL REPRESENTATIVE
Vukani Tshabalala is currently working in the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) in KZN region as Production Scientist. His role is to look at the management of groundwater in KZN for the department. Vukani has worked for the department for 15 years, ensuring that groundwater data is available on DWS database system.
KwaZulu Natal Representatives
KZN BRANCH REPRESENTATIVE
Mark Schapers has an MSc in Geohydrology (University of the Free State – 2012), and 30 years’ experience in hydrogeological, geological, geotechnical, and environmental disciplines in Southern Africa. He has extensive experience in groundwater supply, sanitation, and groundwater resource management. He has also been involved in institutional studies, groundwater modelling, predictive planning, GIS based planning, backlog studies, and WSDP’s. Specialist hydrogeological inputs include geohydrological reports for EIA’s, contamination studies, risk assessments, groundwater monitoring and modelling, aquifer characterization, rudimentary and production borehole implementation, well-field development, spring protection, geohydrological mapping, WULA’s, and an active involvement in appropriate technology and innovative solutions. Recent focus includes integrated and active involvement in the WASH sector, including planning and implementation at a local, regional, and transboundary scale. He is professionally registered with the SACNASP (Pr.Sci.Nat. Reg No.: 400048/00 – Earth Sciences), is an IAH member, and on the Groundwater Division (GWD) of GSSA EXCO.
KZN YOUNG PROFESSIONALS PORTFOLIO
Hlengiwe Msweli is a professional registered earth scientist with 4+ years of professional experience in contaminated land, contaminant hydrogeology and groundwater resources management for supply. She holds a Master’s degree in hydrogeology from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). Most of her project experience are with leading oil and gas multi-national clients, with professional support on contaminated site, environmental impact, risk and hydrogeological assessments. She has been actively involved in the KwaZulu-Natal branch of the Geological Society of South Africa (GSSA), the Groundwater Association of KwaZulu-Natal (GAKZN) and Young Professionals Portfolio (YPP) of Groundwater Division (GWD) as a steering committee member.