In this meeting, we will discuss where we are currently and lay out some of our plans for 2024.
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Ruben van der Merwe, CCP
Ruben van der Merwe is a Project Controls and Cost Engineering professional with experience in the Mining and Rail Manufacturing sectors. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree focused in Economics from the University of Pretoria and is a Certified Cost Professional (CCP). His career spans projects of all sizes—from small initiatives to mega developments—across every phase from concept to execution.
Currently serving as President of AACE South Africa, Ruben is passionate about advancing the discipline of Cost Engineering. His leadership focuses on promoting industry-recommended practices, fostering collaboration across the sector, and driving professional certification to elevate standards and strengthen the profession.
With a commitment to precision, integrity, and continuous improvement, Ruben brings both technical excellence and strategic insight to every engagement.
Morne Beeslaar, PMP, PMI-SP
Morne Beeslaar is the Managing Director of the Faolan Group of Companies, which he co-founded in 2020. With over two decades of experience, Morne has worked on large-scale projects across the energy, mining, and water engineering sectors for multinational companies such as Anglo American, De Beers, and OVIVO Water.
Morne holds an MBA from Stellenbosch University, in addition to technical and professional certifications from the Project Management Institute and the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineers. His reputation as a project management and controls expert has been instrumental in growing the Faolan Group, which now includes entities in South Africa and the United Arab Emirates, with a joint venture focused on Africa.
He leads Faolan’s global operations from the group's head offices in Pretoria and Dubai, and a satellite office in Singapore. Morne's leadership is pioneering and entrepreneurial, driving the company to offer a comprehensive suite of services, including project management, project controls, lifecycle studies, and holistic sustainability solutions. He is currently leading a research and development partnership with data scientists and AI engineers to create affordable, accessible, and AI-driven technology for the project controls landscape, aligning with his 8-P Philosophy of Principled Profit, People (Em)Powered, Protecting the Planet, and Pioneering Projects.
Thabo Nkobo, CCT
Thabo Nkobo holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Economics and a Certificate Programme in Principles of Business Management from Vista and Wits Universities respectively. He is a Certified Cost Technician from AACEI. He has been involved in projects from feasibility to implementation in various roles mainly as a Cost Engineer.
Thabo started working in the Free State mines 24 years ago after graduating and worked himself up until he became a Superintend Financial Reporting at GoldFields. He started working on projects 12 years ago when he joined Barrick Gold of which he was recommended to the Tanzanian operations. He then joined CoAL of Africa as a Project Controller and De Beers Venetia Mine 2 years later as a Lead Cost Engineer.
He started Management Consulting in 2016 at (MQA) for the Bursary department advising on the processes to follow and system to use in managing the bursar’s funds. He then joined Pragmatis Consulting 1st as a Cost Engineer in Eskom Kusile project and later as a Mining Business Advisor.
In Jan 2019 he started consulting on his own company and subcontracted under (PCC) as part of the Morupule Coal Mine in Botswana where he successfully establishes and developed a cost management system to manage their Motheo project. In March 2019 he joined PACE in the Exxaro Matla Programme as Cost Engineer on Matla Mine 1 Relocation and Shortwall Replacement projects.
Chris Mandhlazi, CCP, MRICS
Chris Mandhlazi is a seasoned project controls professional with over 12 years of experience working as a Cost Engineer and Quantity Surveyor in the mining, civil construction, and oil & gas industries.
Chris holds a BSc (Hons) in Quantity Surveying from the University of the Witwatersrand. He is a Certified Cost Professional (CCP) with AACEI and is also a chartered member of RICS (MRICS).
Anton van der Merwe, CCP, PMP
Anton van der Merwe is a skilled business professional with over 15 years of extensive experience providing Project Management and Project Control Support to project teams and PMO departments. He is currently the program lead for the Exxaro Capital Excellence Programme.
In 2016, he obtained his CCP qualification from AACEI and has since been a member of the organisation. He has also served as an AACEI South African section board member since 2018, holding various portfolios during this time. He is also a frequent attendee at the AACEI conferences and presented a paper on Corrective Governance through a Project Life Cycle at the 2019 AACEI-US Western Section Conference held at Lake Tahoe, California.
Yvonne Mazengera, MPSA, CMP
Yvonne Mazengera is a seasoned marketing, brand, and communication strategist with over 14 years of management experience. Her professional career spans diverse sectors, including Professional Services, Consulting, ICT, and Financial Services. She is a Certified Marketing Practitioner with a proven track record of developing and executing ROI-focused marketing strategies that align with broader business objectives.
Yvonne's expertise includes Strategic Brand Management, Integrated Marketing Communications, and Digital & Content Strategy. She is adept at applying behavioural economics to create powerful brand experiences, manage crises, and build reputations. She also has experience in P&L responsibility, stakeholder relations, and leading cross-functional teams in both B2B and B2C global marketing environments.
Thato Mokgoro, MRICS, PMP
Mr Thato Mokgoro is a seasoned Project Controls Professional currently serving as a Senior Estimator at Anglo-American with over a decade of expertise in the mining and mineral processing sector. He has worked with contractors and owners in the mining industry, managing several teams of estimators and quantity surveyors to deliver projects within budget and on time. Areas of focus include estimating, cost management, risk management and quantity surveying consulting in medium to large projects throughout the project lifecycle.