MFANAWAKHE ZAKHELE GUMEDE
St Lucia
Summary
Experienced Community and Stakeholder Relations professional with over 10 years of experience leading stakeholder engagement, social performance, community development, project management and enterprise development initiatives across infrastructure, public sector and socio-economic development projects. Proven ability to build and sustain strategic relationships with municipalities, government departments, traditional authorities, regulators, contractors, community leadership structures, NGOs and private sector stakeholders. Extensive experience managing complex stakeholder environments, facilitating community participation, resolving conflicts, identifying social risks and implementing sustainable community development programmes that support project delivery and strengthen an organisation's social licence to operate. Strong background in Local Economic Development (LED), stakeholder intelligence, regulatory compliance support, monitoring and evaluation, social impact assessment and executive reporting. Recognised for delivering practical stakeholder solutions that minimise project risks, improve community trust and promote sustainable socio-economic outcomes.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
Work History
Regional Stakeholder Engagement Manager
Yandi Holdings (Pty) Ltd
06.2025 - Current
- Develop and implement regional stakeholder engagement strategies.
- Provide strategic leadership for stakeholder engagement and social performance activities on major infrastructure projects implemented on behalf of uMngeni-uThukela Water.
- Build and maintain effective relationships with municipalities, government departments, traditional authorities, regulators, councillors, contractors and community leadership structures.
- Coordinate stakeholder engagement throughout project planning and implementation.
- Facilitated public participation meetings, community consultations and stakeholder forums to gather insights and foster community support.
- Establish and coordinate Project Liaison Committees (PLCs) and Business Monitoring Desks.
- Support Local Economic Development initiatives through local labour, enterprise development and community participation programmes.
- Identified stakeholder risks and developed mitigation strategies to minimise disruptions and safeguard project timelines.
- Manage community grievances and facilitate conflict resolution.
- Monitor implementation of project social commitments and stakeholder obligations.
- Compiled executive stakeholder reports, monitoring reports, risk registers and project updates to inform project leadership and enhance decision-making.
- Provide stakeholder intelligence and strategic advice to project leadership.
- Successfully established community engagement structures supporting major infrastructure projects.
- Improved stakeholder relationships through structured engagement and proactive communication.
- Reduced stakeholder-related project disruptions through effective risk management.
- Strengthened collaboration between municipalities, traditional leadership, contractors and communities.
Community Engagement, Stakeholder Relations & Development Manager
MPS Strategic Solutions (Pty) Ltd
09.2020 - 05.2025
- Led stakeholder engagement programmes across multiple project sites.
- Managed stakeholder engagement and community development programmes to drive infrastructure and socio-economic development.
- Strengthened partnerships with municipalities, NGOs, and government departments to enhance collaborative community development.
- Facilitated community consultations and public participation processes.
- Coordinated enterprise development initiatives to stimulate local economic growth.
- Conducted stakeholder mapping and community profiling.
- Performed social risk assessments and impact monitoring.
- Developed mitigation strategies for social risks.
- Supported social investment programmes and community development initiatives.
- Prepared compliance reports, monitoring reports and strategic stakeholder reports.
Project Manager
Ikhumiseng Consulting / JE Foundation
10.2017 - 10.2019
- Managed project risks and ensured compliance with donor requirements.
- Coordinated stakeholder engagement with community organisations and government partners to enhance collaboration.
- Led community development and education programmes, fostering sustainable growth.
- Implemented youth empowerment programmes that focused on building essential skills.
- Facilitated youth empowerment and skills development initiatives, equipping participants with valuable skills.
- Built partnerships with tertiary institutions and employment organisations.
Project Manager
uThungulu Community Foundation
11.2016 - 09.2017
- Managed donor-funded community development projects, enhancing community engagement and resource allocation.
- Managed project budgets and donor reporting.
- Prepared funding proposals for Early Childhood Development Centres, securing necessary funding for programme implementation.
- Facilitated stakeholder engagement with municipalities and community organisations, fostering collaboration and support for project initiatives.
- Facilitated stakeholder engagement with municipalities and community organisations.
- Organised training workshops for community members to enhance skills and knowledge.
Programmes Manager
EDI Training & Community Development
09.2012 - 10.2016
- Managed youth development and community empowerment programmes, enhancing community resilience and youth engagement.
- Facilitated entrepreneurship and small business development programmes, supporting local economic growth and job creation.
- Coordinated stakeholder engagement with schools, municipalities and NGOs, fostering collaboration and resource sharing.
- Supervised programme implementation and reporting.
- Conducted monitoring and evaluation activities.
Education
Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) - Project Management
MANCOSA
01-2024
National Senior Certificate -
Silethukukhanya High School
01-2007
Bachelor of Commerce - Business Management & Human Resources
University of Zululand
Skills
- Community & Stakeholder Relations
- Stakeholder Engagement Strategy
- Social Performance Management
- Social Licence to Operate
- Local Economic Development (LED)
- Community Development
- Enterprise Development
- Government & Municipal Relations
- Traditional Authority Engagement
- Regulatory Compliance Support
- Public Participation Facilitation
- Stakeholder Intelligence
- Stakeholder Risk Assessment & Mitigation
- Social Impact Assessment
- Project Liaison Committee (PLC) Facilitation
- Business Monitoring Desk Coordination
- Community Conflict Resolution
- Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E)
- Strategic Planning
- Corporate Social Investment (CSI) Support
- Project Management
- Budget Management
- Report Writing
- Change Management
- Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
- Microsoft Teams
- QuickBooks
- USAID Reporting Systems
- RP Software Management
- Stakeholder Databases
- Risk Registers
- Monitoring & Evaluation Systems
Accomplishments
- Over 10 years' experience in stakeholder engagement and community development.
- Successfully led stakeholder engagement programmes on major public infrastructure projects.
- Established and coordinated Project Liaison Committees and Business Monitoring Desks.
- Built strong partnerships with municipalities, government departments, traditional authorities and community leadership.
- Successfully managed complex stakeholder environments and resolved community conflicts affecting project delivery.
- Led Local Economic Development initiatives promoting local employment and enterprise participation.
- Produced strategic stakeholder reports informing executive decision-making.
- Successfully implemented community participation strategies that strengthened project sustainability.
Custom
- Monitoring & Evaluation – NACOSA Training Institute
- Stakeholder Engagement – MPS Strategic Solutions
- Community Profiling – MPS Strategic Solutions
- Social Practice Introduction – Synergy Global Consulting
- Strategic Planning – NACOSA Training Institute
- Social Connectedness – NACOSA Training Institute
- Child Care Forum Training – NACOSA Training Institute
- Management Training for Home Community Based Care Organisations – SODIC Training Development Centre
Timeline
Regional Stakeholder Engagement Manager
Yandi Holdings (Pty) Ltd
06.2025 - Current
Community Engagement, Stakeholder Relations & Development Manager
MPS Strategic Solutions (Pty) Ltd
09.2020 - 05.2025
Project Manager
Ikhumiseng Consulting / JE Foundation
10.2017 - 10.2019
Project Manager
uThungulu Community Foundation
11.2016 - 09.2017
Programmes Manager
EDI Training & Community Development
09.2012 - 10.2016
Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) - Project Management
MANCOSA
National Senior Certificate -
Silethukukhanya High School
Bachelor of Commerce - Business Management & Human Resources
University of Zululand