TEDxUniversityofJohannesburg

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.

• Adonia Mankou Yanate

  Interior Designer

  Adonia Mankou Yanate is a qualified interior designer and founder of Shumukh Design, a South African studio redefining African spaces through cultural authenticity and modern innovation. Her work blends storytelling, heritage, and intentional spatial design, creating interiors that are visually striking, climate-conscious, and rooted in African materiality. Beyond interiors, she engages in conversations about infrastructure, development, and design’s role in shaping Africa’s future. Featured in platforms such as African Column, Lioness of Africa, To Build magazine, Afrimaxx on DW, and Decorex South Africa, Adonia represents a new generation of African creatives using design as a tool for identity, sustainability, and nation-building

• Franaaz Khan

  Head of Department: Private Law, Faculty of Law, University of Johannesburg. Admitted Attorney of the High Court of South Africa

  Associate Professor and Head of Department of Private Law at the Faculty of Law at the University of Johannesburg. She is also an admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa (non-practicing). She has over 15 years of experience in academia. Her legal career spans more than two decades, beginning with an LLB and LLM, followed by practice as an attorney before transitioning into academia. She pursued her PhD. Passionate about the evolution of delictual law, she explores its intersections with constitutional values, social justice, and emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence. She has presented at national and international conferences, published significantly, and supervised postgraduate students in diverse areas. She is committed to gender equity initiatives, actively supporting Black female students through mentorship programs.

• Habib Noorbhai

  Professor (Health & Sports Science), University of Johannesburg Visiting Professor: MIT Faculty of Health Sciences

  Habib Noorbhai is a full Professor in Health and Sports Science at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and a Visiting Professor at MIT. He obtained his Ph.D. in Exercise Science from UCT in 2017 and his interdisciplinary research spans cricket science, exercise physiology and health technologies, with a growing focus on AI and XR. Since 2012, he has delivered talks at more than 40 national and 20 international events (including the United Nations, UNESCO and BRICS), as well as two TEDx talks in 2017 and 2021. Prof. Noorbhai remains committed to using data, science and technology to drive impact in sports and health.

• James Maisiri

  Researcher

  James Maisiri is a researcher and speaker whose work investigates how artificial intelligence and robotics are transforming labour, education, and society across Africa, with particular attention to the intersections of technology, migration, and inequality.

• Kim Vermaak

  Author | Book Coach | Publisher Speaker | MC | Facilitator

  Kim Vermaak is the author of Seven Letters and Taming the Monster of Postpartum Depression, a powerful testament to her lived experience and mission to break the stigma around parental mental health. As a keynote speaker and Mental Health Activist, she shares raw and honest stories backed by heartfelt insights from mothers and fathers whose voices are too often unheard. After battling postnatal depression with all three of her children, most painfully during her first pregnancy, when she had terrifying visions of wanting to hold her baby under water, Kim found the courage to reach out for help. That pivotal moment became the catalyst for her healing journey and her commitment to helping others heal.

• Nasreen Watson

  Business Consultant

  Nasreen Watson is the Founder of a growing Business Consultancy and currently completing a Master’s in Artificial Intelligence Ethics. With a background in corporate strategy and human resources at one of South Africa’s leading banks, she brings practical industry experience to her work on ethical technology governance.

• O'Haji Vuyani Ndlovu

  Architectural Technologist

  O’haji Vuyani Ndlovu is a professional senior architectural technologist, writer, and creative thinker based in South Africa. Currently studying his B Arch Hons at The Graduate School of Architecture (GSA), Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture at the University of Johannesburg. He explores the intersection between design, ethics, and everyday life. O’haji is passionate about creating spaces that not only look good, but feel right—spaces that foster connection, dignity, and care. In both his professional practice and public engagement, he advocates for architecture that listens first and echoes forward—shaping a better future for generations to come.

• Sibonisile Ngubane Cossa

  Public Relations Specialist

  Sibonisile Ngubane Cossa is an Award-winning Public Relations Specialist with over a decade experience in Marketing & Communications. She is the founder of Purecoms, a Sustainability Marketing Agency aimed at advancing people and the planet through purposeful communication.

• Siphiwe Moyo

  HR practitioner and Organisational Behaviour specialist I Author I Motivational Speaker

  Siphiwe Moyo is a sought-after and highly rated International Keynote Speaker, Author, and OD Facilitator. A Southern African Speaker Hall of Fame and a Southern African Educator Hall of Fame Inductee, Siphiwe is a safe pair of hands for Executives trying to solve people-related issues in organisations. He’s a seasoned HR practitioner and Organisational Behaviour specialist. He is the Executive Director at the Organisational Behaviour Institute. Siphiwe's unique blend of academically sound content, motivating storytelling, humour, and practical, implementable takeaway points—relatable to executives and the shop floor—sets him apart as a distinguished global speaker. Siphiwe designed the initial postgraduate module in Organisational Behaviour offered at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. He has also worked as an Adjunct Faculty member at GIBS, Henley Business School Africa, Wits Business School, and the Johannesburg Business School. He is the author of four best-selling books.

• Thatohatsi Radihlare

  Chartered Accountant

  Thatohatsi Radihlare is a passionate difference maker and proud alumna of the University of Johannesburg. She believes that regardless of circumstances, we are all in the process of becoming: constantly evolving toward an elevated version of ourselves. With authenticity, integrity, and excellence at the heart of her work, Thatohatsi leads conversations that inspire change and choices that shape a better tomorrow. Her journey began in Bloemfontein at the Central University of Technology, where she studied Hospitality Management and discovered a love for serving people. She later pursued a Bachelor of Accounting at the University of Johannesburg, driven by a desire to broaden her influence and contribute meaningfully to South Africa. Today, as an aspiring CA(SA), she combines her passion for people with her knowledge and lived experiences to create impact that resonates far beyond her immediate sphere.