With nearly three decades of experience, Tshepo Kgare is a leading figure in global transport innovation. Currently, she is instrumental in developing a Smart City in the Middle East, setting new standards for sustainable transport infrastructure.

Tshepo previously served as Chief Executive Officer of the Railway Safety Regulator (RSR) in South Africa, where she successfully led a turnaround, achieving financial recovery and improving stakeholder relations. Her leadership skills were further demonstrated in her roles as Chief Operations Officer at the RSR and Head of Department at the Eastern Cape Department of Transport.

Internationally, Tshepo has collaborated with various transport consulting firms in the UK and worked with organizations like the World Bank and African Union Commission. Her academic credentials include an MBA from Edinburgh Business School and postgraduate qualifications in Transport and Civil Engineering. Tshepo’s extensive expertise showcases her commitment to advancing the transport sector.

Madelein Williams, a communications expert with over 20 years of experience, is currently the Executive of Media and Communications at the Railway Safety Regulator. With a background in banking, petrochemicals, education, and rail sectors, she has a proven track record in developing and executing communication strategies, managing internal and external communications, and enhancing stakeholder engagement. She is pursuing an MBA at the University of Johannesburg.

Mr. Lungi Maminza, the Founder and Chief Executive Operator (CEO) of Maminza Resources Holdings (MRH), is an experienced professional with a diverse background. He holds an Engineering Degree in BSc. Elec. Eng from the University of Cape Town, a Certificate in Maintenance Management from Augsburg Hochschule in Germany, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Erasmus RSM in the Netherlands. He is a registered Professional Engineer and serves as the Chairperson of the Gauteng National Society of Black Engineers. With over 22 years of industry experience, including 10 years in the Railway industry, he has developed expertise in various sectors such as Railway maintenance, government consulting, FMCG, mining, and heavy manufacturing. His skills range from Electrical Engineering to Project Management, Business Turnaround, and Strategic Procurement.

Prof. Hannes Gräbe is Head of the Department of Civil Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Information Technology (EBIT) at the University of Pretoria. He holds the Chair in Railway Safety, sponsored by the Railway Safety Regulator.

Prof. Gräbe’s research focuses on the behaviour of railway foundation materials subjected to cyclic loading and the characterisation of track component performance and behaviour through field and laboratory experimentation. He combines his experience in track technology, soil mechanics and advanced laboratory testing for the development of novel condition monitoring techniques, maintenance models and numerical analysis of track structures.

Prof. Gräbe holds a PhD degree from the University of Southampton (UK) in Geotechnical Engineering and is a fellow of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE), the South African Academy of Engineering (SAAE) and registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) as a professional Engineer.

William Dachs is a professional Civil Engineer with degrees in engineering and law. He has worked in the railway industry for over 20 years with most of this time spent on the Gautrain Rapid Rail Link project. He is currently working for Iridium Concesiones de Infraesructuras, S.A as an Asset Management Director on rail projects in Spain and the USA. Prior to this, he assisted the National Treasury as an infrastructure finance advisor in the office of the Director-General. He has been the Chief Operations Officer (COO) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Gautrain Management Agency in South Africa. In addition, he has worked for the National Treasury, the World Bank, and several public and private sector companies active in the infrastructure space. His experience in these roles makes him a global expert in the field of public private partnership.

Jaap van der Merwe, an accomplished engineer with has extensive experience across transport, energy, and ICT sectors worldwide since the 1980s. He focuses on developing economic infrastructure, rail advisory, and capacity building. Currently, he serves as a rail advisor for the New Development Bank in SADC and the World Bank in Southern, Eastern, and Horn of Africa. In South Africa, Jaap authored the “White Paper on National Rail Policy” for the Department of Transport in 2022 and co-authored the ‘Roadmap for the Freight Logistics System’ in 2023. He supports the National Logistics Crisis Committee and assists the Department of Transport in establishing its Private Sector Participation unit. Additionally, he has been the technical author of the Railway Safety Regulator’s Annual State of Safety Report since 2016.

Ngwako Makaepea is the Deputy Director General for Rail Transport in South Africa, responsible for developing a rail regulatory framework, facilitating sustainable infrastructure strategies, overseeing the PRASA capital program, and ensuring rail operations. With 20 years of experience, he specializes in rail policy and strategy development, legislation, safety regulation, economic regulation, and infrastructure development. He served as Acting Director General for the Department of Transport from June to November 2022 and was a Board Member of Railway Safety and a shareholder representative of PRASA. Ngwako, with a Bachelor of Arts, Honours in Political Science, and Masters of Management in Public Policy, conducted research on assessing the implementation of the National Passenger Rail Plan on priority corridors.