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Management Team

Management Team

LLEWELLYN PIKE

LLEWELLYN PIKE | PR ENG | PR CPM

DIRECTOR | CEO

Llewellyn has enjoyed over 40 years of experience within the consulting engineering industry, particularly in roads and transportation, in which he has become a recognised and respected figure.…

LLEWELLYN PIKE

LLEWELLYN PIKE | PR ENG | PR CPM

DIRECTOR | CEO

Llewellyn has enjoyed over 40 years of experience within the consulting engineering industry, particularly in roads and transportation, in which he has become a recognised and respected figure. LLewellyn’s passion for developing and empowering staff along with being an ardent proponent of Ubuntu, is widely known and he continues these practices within Merchelles as CEO.

Having worked with a wide range of clients, including national and local government, municipal and metro authorities, scheme developers and contractors, Llewellyn’s field of expertise includes new business development and marketing, client liaison, feasibility studies, design development, construction supervision and project management.

As previous COO of Goba Consulting Engineers for a decade, Llewellyn has also played leading roles in various major multi-disciplinary, transportation-related projects, several being award-winning, e.g. the iconic Nelson Mandela bridge, the Harper Road bridge in Bedfordview - which utilised a world-first bridge rotation technique and more recently, the Gauteng Freeway Infrastructure Programme (GFIP) for SANRAL.

Llewellyn’s current focus is on being the independent engineer on the N1/N4 Platinum Toll Highway, project, lead for the access road to the new Lanseria Waste Water Treatment Works and the multi-disciplinary infrastructure upgrade to Coca-Cola Beverages, Polokwane   South Africa manufacturing plant. Llewellyn is also responsible for the roads discipline within the company.

Llewellyn’s most recent accolade has been his well-deserved award of the CESA Lifetime Industry Achievement Award in recognition of his contribution to the industry.

KAYAKAZI MAFUTA

KAYAKAZI MAFUTA | CPENG | MBA | PMP

DIRECTOR | BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT LEAD

Kaya is a leader in her field with almost two decades of global experience in design, design management and construction of civil and structural works. She has worked on some of the most prestigious projects in Australia,…

KAYAKAZI MAFUTA

KAYAKAZI MAFUTA | CPENG | MBA | PMP

DIRECTOR | BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT LEAD

Kaya is a leader in her field with almost two decades of global experience in design, design management and construction of civil and structural works. She has worked on some of the most prestigious projects in Australia, such as the Northwest Rail Link, Woolgoolga to Ballina (Pacific Complete) Project and the Northern Beaches Hospital Connectivity and Network Enhancement (NBHCaNE) Project.

She currently leads the Business Development division at Merchelles Collectives as one of the company Directors. This role provides Kaya with the opportunity to live out her passion in her Civil Engineering profession and remains committed to engineering excellence.

Kaya Mafuta is a Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) on the National Engineers Register (NER), Institution of Engineers Australia. In addition, she holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Sydney, Australia, a BEng Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Johannesburg (UJ), a National Diploma in Civil Engineering from the Walter Sisulu University of Technology (WSU) in the Eastern Cape, South Africa and is a registered Project Management Professional (PMP).

RYNO NEL

RYNO NEL | PR ENG

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR | SHAREHOLDER

Ryno is a professional civil engineer with a decade of post-graduate experience in structural engineering, particularly in bridge design. He obtained his undergraduate B Eng. (Civil) and post…

RYNO NEL

RYNO NEL | PR ENG

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR | SHAREHOLDER

Ryno is a professional civil engineer with a decade of post-graduate experience in structural engineering, particularly in bridge design. He obtained his undergraduate B Eng. (Civil) and post graduate B Eng. Hons (Structures) degrees at the University of Pretoria in 2010 and 2013 respectively. He is a COTO certified bridge and culvert inspector.

Starting his career at ARQ in the bridges and structures division, he developed a keen interest in bridge structures. In 2013, he was appointed assistant resident engineer for the widening of SANRAL bridges near Nelspruit where he gained his site and contract experience. In 2015, he registered as a professional engineer, and in 2018, he joined Ingerop South Africa as head of bridges and structures. He was involved with the bridge upgrades along the N2 between Empangeni and Kangela. In 2019, he joined Merchelles Collective as structures lead where his involvement has included several bridge and culvert inspections, bridge designs, hydraulic modelling and analyses, preliminary and project feasibility studies, site investigations (including geotechnical), concrete retaining wall designs and structural steel warehouse extensions.

Ryno is well versed in using trending software within the industry and is an avid computer programmer in his own right, having developed several structural modules in various programming languages.

Ryno is a highly versatile and valued member of the Merchelles team with a proven track record of working effectively beyond the scope of his specialised discipline of bridge engineering, involved to some degree in most of Merchelles current projects.

LERATO KGOA

LERATO KGOA | BSC (CIVIL)

ASSOCIATE | SHAREHOLDER

Lerato is a civil engineer with broad exposure in the field of transportation engineering and housing developments. She is an ardent philanthropist, Lerato’s passion is improving communities’…

LERATO KGOA

LERATO KGOA | BSC (CIVIL)

ASSOCIATE | SHAREHOLDER

Lerato is a civil engineer with broad exposure in the field of transportation engineering and housing developments. She is an ardent philanthropist, Lerato’s passion is improving communities’ quality of life through infrastructure development. She strives to play a significant role in transforming urban developments to be sustainable and energy efficient whilst meeting the needs of communities.

Her technical experience includes traffic impact assessments, highway traffic modelling and analysis, intersection capacity evaluation, road network modelling, stormwater assessments, feasibility studies and public transport studies.

Key projects that Lerato has been involved in include the N2 Wild Coast Greenfields project, the Secunda-Leandra public transport financial viability study, development of a SATURN Model for the R512 road upgrade project, feasibility of the PWV 3 highway, traffic impact assessments for small developments and various other transportation-related projects.

She has previously worked on housing projects, namely the Hartbeespoort detailed feasibility and development study for the Housing Development Agency (HDA) and potential social housing projects in KwaZulu-Natal for Social Housing Regulatory Authority (SHRA). Her most recent housing/infrastructure development projects include Blue Hills, Midrand and Ravenswood, Boksburg.

An invaluable asset to Merchelles, Lerato is an enthusiastic, diligent and outstanding young engineer. She’s completed a management course for consulting engineers presented by Consulting Engineering South Africa. She also efficiently leads Merchelles’ Urban/Infrastructure Development discipline unit.

KATLEGO MODISANE

KATLEGO MODISANE | BCompt Financial Accounting

Financial Administrator

Katlego Modisane’s role at Merchelles is that of Financial Administrator, performing the internal finance and accounting function for the company. A very conscientious and versatile individual, Katlego is also highly computer…

KATLEGO MODISANE

KATLEGO MODISANE | BCompt Financial Accounting

Financial Administrator

Katlego Modisane’s role at Merchelles is that of Financial Administrator, performing the internal finance and accounting function for the company. A very conscientious and versatile individual, Katlego is also highly computer literate with a particular penchant for financial software. She is also called upon to assist with general office administrative functions and the preparation of tenders.

Katlego has 5 years’ experience in financial administration in the consulting engineering industry. With her in-depth knowledge and involvement in the financial matters of the company, she is called upon to report on financial matters at Executive Committee meetings. Whilst still in her early years of schooling, Llewellyn Pike, a current director of Merchelles, recognised Katlego’s potential, and encouraged, mentored and guided her, ultimately assisting her to reach the position she holds today at Merchelles. Upon matriculation, Katlego commenced her studies through the University of South Africa (UNISA) where she is currently at an advanced stage of a Bachelor of Accounting Sciences (Financial Accounting).

LOUW MPOSI

LOUW MPOSI | PR TECH

ASSOCIATE

Louw is a registered professional civil engineering technologist with over 17 years of experience in project/construction co-ordination and site monitoring, project progress tracking and administration…

LOUW MPOSI

LOUW MPOSI | PR TECH

ASSOCIATE

Louw is a registered professional civil engineering technologist with over 17 years of experience in project/construction co-ordination and site monitoring, project progress tracking and administration management.

His knowledge and great interpersonal skills make Louw an excellent asset when it comes to consultation with stakeholders and supporting contractors as they strive to comply with project plans, budgets, scope, policies, procedures and feedback reporting in general to the stakeholder base.

Louw’s career started at Goba Moahloli Keeve Steyn (currently Goba Hatch) as a junior site technician and progressed to clerk of works, assistant resident engineer, resident engineer, routine maintenance manager and project package manager.

Louw is an outstanding site representative with vast project experience ranging from major road rehabilitation to complex multi-disciplinary projects. He is popular with clients, and goes well beyond the call of duty, consistently exceeding clients’ expectations.

Staff

Nonzwakazi Ncolosi

Nonzwakazi Ncolosi

Nonzwakazi Ncolosi is a promising junior civil engineer at Merchelles with a special interest in pavement and materials engineering. She has a BSc (Eng) in Civil Engineering from the University…

Nonzwakazi Ncolosi

Nonzwakazi Ncolosi

Nonzwakazi Ncolosi is a promising junior civil engineer at Merchelles with a special interest in pavement and materials engineering. She has a BSc (Eng) in Civil Engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand. Her two years’ experience in pavement material research and testing have provided her with invaluable experience and a greater understanding of material properties and functions. She is currently working towards attaining her professional registration with the Engineering Council of South Africa and has her sights set on furthering her education by obtaining a master’s degree in pavement engineering in the near future.

Tintswalo Sebashe

Tintswalo Sebashe

Tintswalo Sebashe’s role at Merchelles is that of Tender Administrator, which involves searching for new tenders as well as compiling them for the company, entailing coordinating and collating…

Tintswalo Sebashe

Tintswalo Sebashe

Tintswalo Sebashe’s role at Merchelles is that of Tender Administrator, which involves searching for new tenders as well as compiling them for the company, entailing coordinating and collating the detailed content/requirements to be included as part of the tender documentation with the relevant procurement team members. Tintswalo is enthusiastic and conscientious with the ability to adapt to any situation and work under pressure. She also assists with monitoring key tender milestones in concert with tender administration processes to ensure that the tenders are accurately completed and that deadlines are met.

Tintswalo has 17 months’ experience in tender administration in the consulting engineering industry.  She is a graduate from the University of Limpopo with an Honours degree in Development Studies.

Ariadne Albanis

Ariadne Albanis

Ariadne Albanis holds a BSc (Eng) in Civil Engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand and is currently registered as a Candidate Engineer with the Engineering Council of South Africa.

Ariadne Albanis

Ariadne Albanis

Ariadne Albanis holds a BSc (Eng) in Civil Engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand and is currently registered as a Candidate Engineer with the Engineering Council of South Africa.

Although versatile in her ability and interests, her experience at Merchelles has been predominantly focussed on structural design and inspection. As part of her array of skills, she prides herself on her ability to combine her analytical and personable strengths to understand clients’ needs and design requirements.

Ariadne, in her personal and professional capacity, remains consistently aligned to Merchelles values, of which integrity and excellence echo the loudest. Ariadne is committed to continuously growing her knowledge to ensure that she continues to offer Merchelles’ clients robust and valuable outputs.

Consultants

BALARKA ROBINSON | PR ENG

SPECIALIST CONSULTANT | MENTOR

Balarka Robinson began his career in 1993 in Harare, Zimbabwe, where he worked for Stewart Scott Zimbabwe on a range of irrigation dam and wastewater treatment design projects. His work covered…

BALARKA ROBINSON | PR ENG

SPECIALIST CONSULTANT | MENTOR

Balarka Robinson began his career in 1993 in Harare, Zimbabwe, where he worked for Stewart Scott Zimbabwe on a range of irrigation dam and wastewater treatment design projects. His work covered several disciplines but focused primarily on the hydraulic design components of these projects.

In late 1995, Balarka moved to Auckland, New Zealand. There, he joined consulting firm City Design (initially a subsidiary of Auckland City Council but later a part of Australian consultant GHD). At the time, Auckland City Council had embarked on an ambitious programme to move away from combined sewers and use stormwater catchment management planning to prioritise capital expenditure projects. Over the next eight years, Balarka further developed his hydraulic engineering expertise and became fully conversant in hydraulic modelling, stormwater management (including early SuDS initiatives) and urban flood management.

In 2004, Balarka returned to Southern Africa, joining Stewart Scott International (SSI, now Royal Haskoning DHV) in Johannesburg. He soon became a senior specialist in SSI’s hydraulic engineering team, working on numerous projects in flood protection/management, flood hydrology, dams, bridges and culverts, road drainage, airport drainage, flood lines and water management. During his time at SSI/ Royal Haskoning DHV, Balarka worked in various professional roles and on projects in more than eleven African countries.

In 2017, Balarka left Royal HaskoningDHV and now works as an independent civil engineer, providing specialist support/mentoring to consultants such as Merchelles.

Balarka’s significant experience, combined with his resolute attitude to producing quality work, provides clients of Merchelles with an invaluable resource and addition to Merchelles’ already considerable expertise, a role which Merchelles greatly appreciates.

BILL KENNEDY | PR ENG

SPECIALIST CONSULTANT | MENTOR

For the first 10 years of his career, Bill Kennedy was involved in the design of many national, provincial and municipal roads in South Africa. Later, he developed a greater interest in traffic…

BILL KENNEDY | PR ENG

SPECIALIST CONSULTANT | MENTOR

For the first 10 years of his career, Bill Kennedy was involved in the design of many national, provincial and municipal roads in South Africa. Later, he developed a greater interest in traffic and transportation engineering and has practiced in this field of engineering for the last 30 years. He has directed and managed numerous transportation and traffic studies in South Africa, many of these being of a mega-investment nature. Having been involved with the Department of Transport in the development of South African toll roads in the early 1980s, he gravitated further into this field during the late 1990s, as a result of Government’s desire to develop toll roads in South Africa by way of public/private sector partnerships.

Whether performing the role of consultant to governments while developing state-run toll roads or acting as a traffic and toll advisor to private sector companies when bidding for toll concession contracts, his recognised experience in this field has led to his continued active involvement in many of the toll projects he initially helped to develop. He has published several papers on toll roads, transportation modelling, transport needs and transport funding.

As a previous director of both Keeve Steyn and Goba Consulting Engineers, Bill has collaborated with Rochelle Rajasakran and Llewellyn Pike for many years. With his broad experience in the roads and transportation environment, Merchelles is utilising Bill’s valued experience for specialist input and review functions. An individual of Bill’s caliber is a valuable member of our team, further enhancing our quality of service.