Ayanda Mjekula

Ayanda is a director of Safika and a member of its audit committee and remuneration committee. He has 24 years banking experience, having held many senior positions. He is a former director of both Nedbank and Standard Bank. He has experience in credit, retail operations, corporate finance, public sector banking and social strategy. For seven years, he was chairman of UBank.

He also serves as deputy board chairman of the Coega Development Corporation and chairman of its audit and risk committee.

In 2007, Ayanda was appointed chief executive of the South African Supplier Development Agency, a state-funded agency primarily concerned with increasing access to industry procurement opportunities by black suppliers. In this position, he worked very closely with the South African Petroleum Industry Association and its oil member companies.

Ayanda has also played a prominent role in the energy industry. He has served as chairman of the Central Energy Fund, the South African National Committee of the World Petroleum Council and the South African Agency for Promotion of Petroleum Exploration and Exploitation. He has also served as a director on the board of PetroSA and Strategic Fuel Fund.

Ayanda is a trustee of the University of Fort Hare Foundation, chairman of the Grahamstown National Arts Festival – a major event on the South African cultural calendar – and a former member of the executive committee of the Golden Lions Rugby Union. He is also currently a trustee of the Anglican Church South Africa Pension Fund.