Section 1 – Course Introduction
Welcome to the Course
Thank you for joining The Circular Economy: Building a Just and Regenerative Future.
We are excited to have you here and look forward to exploring how circular economy principles can help address some of South Africa’s most pressing environmental, social, and economic challenges.
In this course, you will gain a practical understanding of how circular thinking can be applied across sectors, businesses, and communities.
Introduce Yourself
Before we begin, we would love to learn more about you.
Please introduce yourself in the comment section below and tell us:
- What industry or field do you work in or study in?
- Why did you decide to take this course?
- How familiar are you with the circular economy?
Learning from each other’s experiences is an important part of this course.
My name is Kamogelo Kekana. I work in the water sector, in particular I work with water harvesting technology.
I decided to take this course because I wanted to learn about more opportunities in this sector but also because I am interested in circular businesses and in general a circular lifestyle.
The first time I had ever heard about circular businesses was around 3 years ago. It was introduced to me as a “regenerative business” and I liked the whole idea of a businesses being dedicated or at least having a byproduct that is a net gain for the environment. I have since then gone into the water sector because of that.
Hello everyone,My name is Richard Amponsah,and im excited to be part of this circular economy course.im interested in learning how sustainable practices can help reduce waste,improve resource efficiency,and create long term enveronmental and benefits.I work in the electrical field as an electrician,with a growing focus on renewable energy particularly solar installations.My work involves electrical systems as well as helping to implement sustainable energy solutions.im especially interested in how renewable energy and circular economy principles can work together to reduce environmental impact and improve energy efficiency.I decided to take this course because i want to deepen my understanding of sustainable practices and how the apply to my field.As an electrican working with solar and renewable,i see the importance of using resources more efficience and reducing waste.I will describe myself as moderately familiar with the circular economy.Over the the past two years ,i ve developed an understaning of its core principles ,such as reducing waste,reusing materials and improvingresources efficiency.Through my work in electrical and solar, i also seen how this ideas can connect to renewable energy and sustainable practices .Im now loooking to deepen my knowledge and apply thise concepts more effectively in my fielg.
Hello, my name is Liezl Myburgh. I am the Manager: Environmental Management Systems & Training at Mediclinic Southern Africa, where I oversee ISO 14001 implementation, compliance, and sustainability initiatives across healthcare facilities.
I joined this course to strengthen my understanding of the circular economy in a South African context and to translate these principles into practical, scalable solutions within the healthcare sector. I am particularly interested in circular approaches to waste reduction, resource efficiency, and driving behavioural change across large organisations.
My name is Albert Kasselman, and I am the Industrial Control Manager at Mediclinic Southern Africa, where I focus on automation, control systems, and data-driven optimization across healthcare facilities.
I enrolled in this circular economy course to strengthen my understanding of how circular principles can be practically applied within complex, resource-intensive environments like hospitals. My work sits at the intersection of energy management, water usage, and system efficiency, where even small improvements can have significant operational and environmental impact.
Through my experience, I have seen how critical accurate measurement, automation, and intelligent control systems are in reducing waste and improving resource efficiency. However, I am particularly interested in expanding this approach beyond optimization towards more regenerative and circular models that rethink how resources are used, recovered, and reintegrated into systems.
I would describe myself as practically experienced but looking to deepen my strategic understanding of the circular economy. This course presents an opportunity to bridge technical implementation with broader sustainability thinking, enabling me to design smarter, more resilient systems that support long-term environmental and operational sustainability in healthcare.
Hello everyone, my name is Mxolisi Emmanuelle Nontenja, and I am a social entrepreneur and circular economy strategist from South Africa. My work focuses on building community-driven systems for e-waste collection, repair, refurbishment, recycling, and sustainable waste recovery. I come from a background in Public Policy & Management, Business Management & Entrepreneurship. Thus, i am particularly interested in how innovation and local economic development can work together to create inclusive green opportunities for underserved communities.
I decided to take this course because I want to deepen my understanding of circular economy systems, sustainable innovation, and scalable business models that can transform waste into social and economic value. I also hope to learn from others working in this space and explore practical strategies for building more transparent and community-owned circular ecosystems.
I would say I am moderately to highly familiar with the circular economy, especially within the context of e-waste management, repair economies, reuse systems, and inclusive local ownership models. My interest is in designing systems that not only reduce waste, but also create jobs, affordable technology access, and measurable environmental impact.
Lorraine Shikwane is an accomplished Senior Project Manager with over 20 years of experience delivering complex programmes across science, technology, and innovation ecosystems in South Africa. She currently serves in a strategic delivery role within Circular Innovation South Africa (CISA)—an initiative of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), hosted by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)—focused on advancing South Africa’s transition to a sustainable circular economy. CISA plays a pivotal role in implementing key national frameworks, including the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) White Paper (2019), the STI Decadal Plan (2022–2032), and the Circular Economy STI Strategy (2024). The programme drives innovation, research and development, and human capital development to support resource efficiency, sustainable industrialisation, and inclusive economic growth.
I decided to take this course to gain practical insight into how circular economy principles can address South Africa’s environmental, social, and economic challenges.
In my role within CISA, I work on research and demonstration projects that have long-term impacts on communities and the environment. This has highlighted the importance of incorporating more sustainable, resource-efficient, and inclusive approaches into project planning and delivery.
I’m particularly interested in learning how circular thinking can be applied across sectors and within communities. I hope to utilise this knowledge to broaden my in-depth understanding of circularity and apply it in my projects to support more informed and sustainable decision-making in the future.
Hello
I’m Lindy and work as an independent business management consultant, specializing in Strategy advisory for sustainability and profitability. Therefore, my interest in taking this course is because I believe that circular economy is a critical and highly valuable as a both a strategic mindset and practice for industries and economies at large. I hope to benefit more knowledge and skills to influence and improve business practices, processes and equitable outcomes that ensures sustainability in every aspect of business and life while providing opportunities for growth, innovation and prosperity/profitability.
I currently work with global companies in manufacturing of industrial valves and filtration systems for all sectors including mining, petrochemicals, oil & gas, etc.