Visionaries Driving Digital Transformation

A diverse collective of technology leaders united by one mission: transforming Africa's digital landscape through accessible skills development and youth empowerment.

Our Collective Commitment

We bridge the gap between global digital opportunity and African talent. Our board brings together decades of industry experience to guide CDSA's mission of making world-class digital skills training free, accessible, and impactful for South African youth.

Clife Mhlongo

Clife Mhlongo

Software Engineer • Board Member

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"Building scalable solutions isn't just about code—it's about creating pathways for the next generation of African innovators."

Shaping CDSA's Technical Excellence

Clife champions technical excellence in CDSA's curriculum design, ensuring our programs reflect real-world industry standards. His experience building enterprise solutions at LexisNexis and leading development teams informs our approach to teaching scalable architecture and modern software practices. He advocates for hands-on, project-based learning that prepares youth for actual industry challenges.

Professional Journey

LexisNexis

Software Engineer

Oct 2024 - Present

Inzalo EMS

Intermediate Software Developer

Sep 2023 - Oct 2024 · 1 yr 2 mos

XContent Business Solutions

Software Developer - Team Lead

Feb 2023 - Sep 2023

Education

Honours, Computer Science & Information Technology

State University of Nizhni Novgorod (UNN)

2017 - 2021

Edwin Motlokwa

Edwin Motlokwa

Full Stack Engineer • Board Member

Connect
"Bridging business needs with technical excellence—that's how we unlock economic opportunity for African youth."

Leading Cloud & DevOps Excellence

Edwin brings enterprise-grade cloud and DevOps expertise to CDSA, shaping our Cloud Computing and Kubernetes training tracks. His work at Alexforbes with RESTful APIs, authentication systems, and Angular frameworks directly influences our curriculum. He ensures CDSA graduates understand both frontend excellence and backend robustness—the full stack thinking that makes developers invaluable.

Professional Journey

Alexforbes

Full Stack Engineer

May 2023 - Present · 2 yrs 5 mos

Architected RESTful APIs with C# ASP.NET Core, implemented JWT authentication, optimized performance through caching strategies, and built responsive Angular interfaces serving enterprise financial solutions.

BBD (SARS)

Software Engineer

Jun 2022 - May 2023 · 1 yr

Built government-scale applications with ReactJS, orchestrated CI/CD pipelines via Azure DevOps, and deployed containerized solutions to Kubernetes clusters.

Technical Expertise

C# & ASP.NET Core Angular JavaScript SQL Server Azure DevOps Docker Kubernetes
Khumo Kotane

Khumo Kotane

Recruitment Consultant • Board Member

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"Skills without opportunity is potential unrealized. We're building the bridges that connect talent to transformation."

Connecting Talent to Opportunity

Khumo is CDSA's connection to industry reality. Her recruitment expertise informs what employers actually seek, ensuring our soft skills training and career readiness programs align with market demands. She develops our employer partnerships, internship pathways, and job placement strategies—transforming CDSA from a training program into a career accelerator. Her focus on sustainable employment outcomes keeps CDSA grounded in measurable impact.

Professional Journey

Liyema Consulting Group

Junior Researcher / Recruitment Consultant

Sep 2023 - Present · 2 yrs 1 mo

Specializing in business process outsourcing and talent acquisition, connecting skilled professionals with opportunities while building sustainable career development pathways.

Education

Bachelor's Degree, International Relations & Affairs

Lobachevsky University

Sep 2018 - Jun 2022

Sean Mukariri

Sean Mukariri

Data Engineer & Scientist • Board Member

Connect
"Data tells the story of impact. Every pipeline we build, every insight we generate—it's about proving that African talent can compete globally."

Building Data-Driven Impact

Sean leads CDSA's data science and analytics curriculum, partnering with IBM's Cognitive Class to deliver cutting-edge training. His expertise in BigQuery, Python, and ETL pipelines shapes how we teach students to extract insights from data. More critically, he builds the data infrastructure that tracks CDSA's impact metrics— enrollment rates, completion rates, and employment outcomes—ensuring we remain accountable to our mission.

Professional Journey

Empire Partner Foundation

Data Engineer

Jan 2023 - Present · 2 yrs 9 mos

Education

Computer Science & Information Technology

Nizhny Novgorod State University

Sep 2019 - Aug 2022

Technical Expertise

Google BigQuery Python Data Pipelines ETL
Thabang Khoza

Thabang Khoza

Fullstack Software Engineer • Board Member

Connect
"Driven to create seamless full-stack solutions that empower businesses and enhance user experiences."

Championing User-Centric Development

Thabang brings full-stack development expertise from Prime Reason, where he builds C# solutions that balance business requirements with technical excellence. His previous experience at SovTech with JavaScript and ASP.NET Core enriches CDSA's web development curriculum. He emphasizes the importance of user experience in digital products, teaching students that great code serves great user needs.

Professional Journey

Prime Reason Pty Ltd

C# Developer

Jan 2023 - Present · 2 yrs 9 mos

SovTech

Software Engineer

Feb 2022 - Nov 2022 · 10 mos

Fullstack Development with JavaScript and ASP.NET Core

Education

Bachelor's Degree, Information Technology

State University of Nizhni Novgorod (UNN)

Sep 2017 - Jul 2021