Prof. Kola Akinsomi (Ph.D)
President at African Real Estate Society (AfRES)
Prof. Kola Akinsomi (PhD) is an Associate Professor at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa and the Chief Economist of RealQuant Analytics. He holds a PhD in Real Estate Finance from the National University of Singapore; he is a qualified chartered surveyor (MRICS). His research interests include real estate investment trusts (REITs), real estate portfolio management, capital markets, Emerging Real Estate Markets, and Housing Economics.
He won the best paper award at the African real estate society conference in real estate finance and investments in 2017 and 2022. He was awarded the Emerald Literati Award for Research Excellence in 2019. Kola is the President of the African Real Estate Society and President-Elect of the International Real Estate Society (2025). In addition, Kola is an advisory member of the South African Council for Property Valuers Profession (SACPVP) and a member of the SA REITs Research Committee. Kola has held visiting research positions at the National University of Singapore, the University of Tokyo, Japan, the University of Western Sydney, Australia and Malmo University, Sweden. He has been invited as a guest lecturer at The University of Cape Town, South Africa; Oxford Brookes University, England; Widener University, United States; the College of William and Mary, United States; Virginia Tech, United States; Clemson University, United States and University of Sheffield, United Kingdom.
Sessions
Maje Maje
Ex-President at Real Estate Institute of Botswana (REIB)
Former Board Member and Head of Valuation Standards at the Real Estate Advisory Council (Botswana). Ex-President of the Real Estate Institute of Botswana. Maje Maje is actively involved in the development of valuation standards, ethics standards and measurements of properties in collaboration with IVSC and RICS. In addition, he has participated in continental and international assignments, which have far-reaching impact on how the valuation profession functions in the years to come.
Sessions
Mankuroane Matseba
Chief Valuer at City of Tshwane Metro Municipality
Nohlanhla Mayisela
CEO of uKukhula Property Fund
Nonhlanhla is the Co-owner and Executive Director of Ukukhula Real Estate, a majority black-women-owned real estate asset management company with circa R1bn of commercial assets under management. Ukukhula is an independent, experienced boutique real estate asset manager who provides a fully integrated property solution to property owners.
Nonhlanhla is also the co-founder and director of African Women in Property, an investment holding company with a mandate to democratize property ownership by providing a platform for private investors to co-invest in quality real estate investments that deliver sustainable long-term returns over time.
With over 22 years of experience in the property industry, Nonhlanhla specializes in commercial (office & industrial) property investments, fund and asset management, as well as property developments.
Nonhlanhla has been at the forefront of driving gender diversity in the property industry with her extensive involvement in the Women’s Property Network. As the past national chairperson and current board member of the WPN, Nonhlanhla has spearheaded several initiatives, most notably the launch of the State of Gender Diversity Report in Real Estate as well as the Real Estate Board Masterclass Series.
Nonhlanhla is a non-executive director of Liberty 2 Degrees, Afrit Group, and an investment committee member of Summit Africa: Social Infrastructure Fund.
Sessions
Siyabonga Mbanjwa
CEO of PACE Group
Siyabonga Mbanjwa is the CEO of the Pace Group of companies. The Group comprises Pace Property Group, Pace Project Management and Pace Power & Energy.
Siyabonga Mbanjwa was Regional Managing Director of SENER. SENER in an engineering and technology group that originated in Bilbao, Spain in 1956. Today it is a multinational engineering and technology group with 2,500 professionals and 22 offices globally. It has a group turnover in excess of R15 billion. He successfully opened SENER's first office in Sub-Saharan Africa, offering a range of services in the Renewables, Power Oil & Gas sectors in Southern Africa.
Siyabonga has been involved in South Africa ́s Renewable Energy Energy IPP Procurement Programme since its inception in 2011. He has worked with a number of international and local investors, developers, EPC contractors and lenders.
He has also held the role of CEO of Delta Property Fund, a sovereign-underpinned REIT with over R7,5bn of property assets.
Sessions
Afezekile Moko
Lecturer at University of Johannesburg (UJ)
I am a young woman, passionate about the property industry. I have gained over 5 years of technical and professional experience in the built environment; from real estate to spatial planning and construction. With extensive knowledge in valuation as well as real estate finance and investments.
I graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand with an honours degree in Property Studies and completed my Masters in Town & Regional Planning at the University of Pretoria.
I am now a registered Candidate Valuer with the South African Council of the Property Valuers Profession (SACPVP), a member of the South African Institute of Valuers (SAIV) and a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society.
Sessions
Prof Ephraim Munshifwa
Chairperson at AfFRES Southern Africa Chapter
Ephraim Kabunda Munshifwa is an Associate Professor of Real Estate and Dean of the School of the Built Environment at the Copperbelt University in Kitwe. He is the current chairperson of the Valuation Surveyors Registration Board (VSRB) and the Southern Chapter of the African Real Estate Society (SAfRES). He is also a Director at Quest Real Estate Services Ltd and the immediate past chairperson of the Mukuba Pension Trust Board. He holds a BSc and MPhil. in Land Economy from the Copperbelt University (Zambia) and the University of Cambridge (England), respectively. He also holds a PhD in Construction Economics and Management (Property Studies) from the University of Cape Town (South Africa). Professor Munshifwa has published extensively
Sessions
Vuyiswa Ramokgopa
Chairperson at National Property Practitioners Council (NPPC)
Vuyiswa is managing partner and co-founder of AWIP Investment Holdings and Vukani Real Estate Services Proprietary Limited. She has held various industry leadership roles, including being Chairperson of the National Property Practitioners Council, a member of the board and former CEO of the SA Institute of Black Property Practitioners and is a member of the Property Sector Charter Council and Technical Committee. She also sits on the executive committee of the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance and Black Council portfolio coordinating committee.
Vuyiswa is an experienced strategist and transformational leader who is passionate about social entrepreneurship, economic transformation and sustainable development. She holds a BCom PPE from UCT and has completed executive finance programmes with GIBS and Oxford University, as well as a certificate in Property Development and Investment (UCT). She is an alumnus of the Fortune 500/US Global Mentoring Programme and Bain Academy Board Leadership Programme, as well as a recipient of the 2011 Destiny Magazine Top 40 Under 40, 2018 Young Independents Top 100 and was a finalist for the 2018 CNBC Africa All Africa Business Leaders Award and Standard Bank Top Women in Property (2019).
Sessions
Kgoshi Sasa
CEO of Mogalakwena Valuations
Paul Serote
CEO of Kago Solutions
Paul is an experienced corporate executive and chartered accountant with extensive operational, financial and advisory experience. Since leaving a career in corporate, Paul has, for over a decade, led consulting assignments in the areas of financial management and real estate advisory.
Paul has previously held various senior executive positions in both the private and public sectors. These organisations include Liberty, Bidvest and the Auditor General of South Africa.
Paul was the Head of Property Management Trading Entity (PMTE), which manages in excess of 92,500 properties and 30,000 land parcels on behalf of the South African government.
Paul holds an MPhil in International Business (GIBS), a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration (PDBA), a Post Graduate Diploma in Accountancy (UKZN) and a B.Compt (UNISA).
Sessions