Speakers

Jayant Bhagwan, is the Executive Manager of the key strategic area of Water Use and Waste Management at the South African Water Research Commission, which focuses on the management of water and wastewater in the Domestic, Mining and Industrial sector. He continues to be actively involved in a broad range of areas in the field of water supply, wastewater and sanitation, with current focus being on sanitation technologies for the future, technology innovation and application, social franchising of O&M, conduit hydropower, benchmarking, reuse and reclamation of effluents. He has been the founding member of the FSM Alliance and serves on the Supervisory Board, as well as founded the IWA-NSS Specialist Group of which he is the Chair.

Prof Feris is currently the Vice-Principal: Academic, at the University of Pretoria. Prior to working as a Law Professor at the UP Law Faculty, having re-joined UP in February 2022. She was Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC) Transformation, Student Affairs and Social Responsiveness at the University of Cape Town (UCT). She held numerous leadership roles at UCT, including the Director of the Institute of Marine and Environmental Law as well a Director of Research, both roles at the Faculty of Law. Prof Feris has 28 years of experience as an established scholar with international standing and commendable scholarly work with eight years of her experience at a senior management level. She has experience in teaching and learning through her participation in multiple academic committees, including the UCT teaching and learning, language and social responsiveness committees. From 2004 to 2009, Prof Feris was Associate Prof of Law and Programme Manager of the International Trade and Investment Law in Africa programme at the University of Pretoria. Prior to that, she was involved in several roles at the Washington College of Law, American University, Washington DC in the United States of America (USA).

In 1988, she obtained a BA degree in Law at the University of Stellenbosch as well as an LLB in 1990. In 1994, she completed her LLM at Georgetown University Law Centre, USA. She holds a doctoral degree in Environmental Law, an interdisciplinary field from the University of Stellenbosch. Prof Feris is a member of the IUCN Academy for Environmental Law where she has also served as a committee member in the Teaching and Training Committee and was requested to serve in a task team that was exploring innovative teaching methodologies for Environmental Law. She has served as an expert in the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Montevideo process, focusing on the development of environmental law at a global level. She was one of two lead academics
for the development of a global Curriculum on Compliance with and Enforcement of Multilateral Environmental Agreements, commissioned by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and UNEP. Professor Feris serves on the board of Biowatch and chairs the Board of Natural Justice, both civil society organisations with a strong focus on environmental justice.

Prof Kasan is a long-standing member and Senior Fellow of WISA and has been actively engaged in the water and sanitation sector for the past thirty-five years, locally, continentally and globally.  He has acquired a unique blend of skills, knowledge and expertise. His qualifications are in science, engineering, management, leadership and corporate governance.  He spent ten years in the academic sector and twenty-two years at Africa’s largest water utility, Rand Water, as General Manager of Scientific Services.  He has played and currently plays a leading role in many organisations e.g.,

• President Elect of IWA (International Water Association)
• Member of International Programme Committee of Singapore International Water Week (SIWW)
• Board member and Chair of Strategic Capacity Building Committee: AfWASA (African Water and Sanitation Association)
• Strategic Advisor to ROCKBlue
• Distinguished Fellow of IWA
• Honorary Professor: Durban University of Technology

He is currently independent advisor and consultant on water and sanitation.

Thokozani Majozi is the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment and a professor in the School of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering at Wits University, South Africa. Majozi was a Commonwealth Scholar at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology in the United Kingdom where he completed his PhD in Chemical Engineering (Process Integration). He serves in the editorial boards of various chemical engineering journals, including Process Safety and Environmental Protection Journal and Digital Chemical Engineering Journal. A member of various scientific academies, including African Academy of Sciences and Academy of Sciences of South Africa. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers and a Chartered Engineer, UK. He has received numerous awards for his research including the British Association Medal (Silver), the South African Institution of Chemical Engineers Bill Neal-May Gold Medal and the National Order of Mapungubwe bestowed on him by President of South Africa. Majozi is author and co-author of more than 300 scientific publications, including 4 books in Chemical Process Integration.

Alana Potter is the Head of Research and Advocacy at the Equality Collective, a community-based law clinic in the Eastern Cape. Alana’s first 10 years in the in the water sector were at the Mvula Trust where she provided policy and strategic support to provincial offices and to national government to advance local government-led rural water and sanitation in the newly democratic South Africa. Over the next 10 years she led IRC’s Africa Regional programme, working with public, private and civil society actors in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda to strengthen water, sanitation and governance and accountability systems. As Director of Research and Advocacy at the Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (SERI), she led a research and advocacy team that undertook legal, policy and social research and advocacy to amplify the socio-economic rights realisation agendas of marginalised people and groups. At End Water Poverty, hosted by WaterAid, she led a global civil society coalition of more than 150 civil society organisations in 80 countries that campaigned for the rights to water, sanitation and a safe environment. Until May this year, she led research training at Human Rights Watch, equipping researchers to investigate and hold accountability for violations of humanitarian and international law. Alana’s advisory experience includes serving on the AMCOW International Task Force; the UN Water Expert Group; the Africa Water Justice Network’s interim steering committee; the Water Integrity Network’s Supervisory Board; Accountability for Water’s global advisory group; Sanitation and Water for All’s grants committee; the steering committee for the Public Interest Law Gathering (2017-2020); the ICESCR CSO Coalition, and others.

Ms Tau is a professional Civil engineer with vast experience in management of infrastructure in public sector and State-owned Entity. Being a water engineer for KZN COGTA under municipal infrastructure and supporting in sector coordination and planning birthed her work in governance and service delivery. She is currently a Director in Infrastructure Analysis and Assessments at MISA. She holds a Master’s in Civil And Earth Resources Engineering majoring in hydrology and water resources at Kyoto University Japan. She holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Engineering from Wits University and a Management qualification from Wits Business School and is a certified Project Management Professional. She has participated in UNESCO and Japanese International Corporation Agency programs under Africa business education. In 2023 she joined KZN delegation for United Nations Water Conference in the United States. Research on aligning governance and service delivery through utilizing quantifiable data in decision making is her latest interest.