Highlights of employment and professional experience
Jan Bezuidenhout
Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDAT) (Current)
Director: Cape Catalyst
Independent consultant (November 2022 - July 2025)
Edge Education (July - October 2024)
Wrote three chapters in a student handbook called "Foresight in Focus: Scenario Planning for the Next Industrial Revolution".
University of Johannesburg (August - October 2024) - (through EY)
Review of their capital programmes governance, planning, initiation and delivery.
United Nations (November 2023)
Facilitation of strategic foresight component of Strategic Prioritisation Retreat (SPR) of the United Nations and the Namibian government, led by the UN resident coordinator and the Namibian Planning Commission. This was done as part preparation for an updated Cooperation Framework between the Namibian Government and all UN Agencies present in the country.
Peace Parks Foundation (through a French NPO: CIRAD) (August 2023)
Stakeholder analysis and workshop facilitation for the Limpopo Greater Transfrontier Park, One Limpopo One Health (OLOH) initiative. Pre delivery vision alignment session for a range of consortium partners.
University of the Witwatersrand (March - July 2023) - (through EY)
Review of the long term campus planning and development function in the organisation.
ESKOM (November 2022 - February 2023) - (through EY)
Setup PMO alongside the South African state owned power utility (ESKOM) Transformation Management Office to assist driving a cost saving initiative. The team I managed helped all divisions within ESKOM with the market analysis and strategies to negotiate discounts with some of their current and future suppliers and service providers.
EY (September 2015 – October 2022)
Japanese International Development Agency
Researched the future of telecoms, fin tech start-ups and telecoms market share forecast in eighteen African countries. This included forecasting the use of mobile telephony and smart phones in these countries and providing insights about the support for the development of fin tech solutions. The ultimate outcome being advice to Japanese government agencies and investors about opportunities for support.
City of Cape Town
Set-up and handover of a Project Management Office in their Corporate Services Directorate.
Compiled 5-year programme management plan for improving contract management maturity across all directorates in the organisation.
Fleet, facilities and waste sector plans – sector planning and optimisation and rationalisation plans for fleet and facilities. This included option analysis between owning and leasing in City facilities such as corporate offices, libraries, clinics and other related buildings. Also the compilation of:
10-year scenarios for the City's fleet including the unfolding of the application of drone technology and the advent of electric vehicles
a 20-year ideal realisable scenario for the City's portfolio of properties (including municipal offices - hosting more than 30,000 employees pre-covid 2020)
South African Navy
Manage five asset verification teams.
Pearson Education
Project manager to support digital transformation requirements for new year intake of students.
Old Mutual Masisizane Enterprise Development Fund
Conduct research and interview similar organisations to identify best practice in enterprise development , support development of strategy for Masisizane.
During my time at EY I also did some pro-bono work for the Westminster Foundation for Democracy and conducted a political economic analysis of the Mozambican National Assembly.
I also conducted independent futures research and wrote scenarios on behalf of Afrikelp (a firm that produces an environmentally friendly, kelp based, crop growth stimulant) for market expansion to Mozambique.
IZAZI (2014 - August 2015)
Major Commercial Bank in Kenya
Conducted programme readiness assessment for the reimplementation of their core banking system. Interviewed the directors of all departments in the bank to identify pain points and blockages to an ideal outcome. Then developed solutions and advised on the ideal programme/project organisational setup to deliver the updated core banking system.
Delivery of software in financial services sector.
Development Bank of Southern Africa (2009 – 2013)
Managed delivery of show cases of long-term sustainable development projects (sustainable human settlements, Breaking New Ground project at the King Sabatha Dalindyebo Local Municipality – Mthatha).
Conducted municipal project management maturity assessments. I also wrote an article about the setup of Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) project management units.
Infrastructure delivery methodology - the DBSA was requested to become an implementing agent for major infrastructure projects that had been in the doldrums for years - I was requested to support the establishment of this function and specifically helped to design and activate the methodology. This was closely alligned with the Infrastructure Delivery Management System guidelines provided by the South African National Treasury.
Led teams of town planners, engineers, economist to do integrated sustainable development planning involving various spheres of government and community stakeholders (Giyani, Muyexe). See case study below.
Shangoni Gate and Muyexe Development Charters - brief case study (my role - project manager)
Background: Announcement of Presidential development node (adjacent to Kruger National Park) caused uncoordinated spending by various organs of state (so called white elephant projects). Disagreement re position of new gate to Kruger National Park.
Solution: The unit I worked for at the DBSA (Sustainable Communities) was requested by Department of Rural Development and Land Reform to resolve the matter. Alongside the stakeholders we initiated the Muyexe and Shangoni Gate development charters and integrated sustainable development plan. We used a development facilitation approach to manage multiple role players to align their efforts. A team of town planners, rural development experts, engineers and economists was contracted and assisted to compile the plan.
Outcome: Both charters signed by all involved – more than 15 role players in each case i.e. SANParks, Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, Limpopo Provincial Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (LEDET), Giyani Chamber of Commerce, Mopani and Vhembe District and Greater Giyani Local Municipalities and village headmen. The integrated sustainable development plan completed and uncoordinated spending mostly resolved.
Parliament of the Republic of South Africa (2006 – 2008)
We had a 5 year strategic plan with three portfolios of projects. Our strategic project management office was located in the office of the Secretary to Parliament so we could drive holistic organisational transformation.
I was project manager for a range of strategic digital transformation projects to improve Parliament’s oversight capability, including setting up Members of Parliament on mobile email and calendaring. I also did dedicated risk management on Parliament's content management system and project managed the ICT infrastructure delivery for parliamentary democracy offices.
I was requested to establish and chair the Strategic Projects Integration Forum. This increased alignment between our strategic PMO and the ICT department projects office and helped resolved a stalemate between them.
Deloitte (2005-2006)
Western Cape Department of Education - Project manager: Central Education Management Information System (CEMIS) for Cape Town metropolitan area. Gathering and processing of learner data from 778 schools in preparation for upload on learner tracking system. I had a team of ten project managers reporting to me - each covering on average 70 schools. A move from the NPO sector to consulting project management in a fast paced high pressure environment.
Independent consultant (2004)
I helped to set up offices for the Volunteer Centre (Cape Town) in Vredendal and Murraysburg. Coordinated a six month multi country volunteer exchange programme for Canada World Youth, Bush Radio, the Volunteer Centre and various youth organisations between Canada, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Mozambique.
Centre for Human Rights - SASVO (1999 – 2003)
Full time salaried employment, but arranging and coordinating voluntary work.
Coordinator and leader for more than 40 school building and renovation student volunteer work camps in rural and township areas of South Africa, Mozambique and Swaziland. The students volunteers hailed from all over southern Africa, but also from Uganda and sometimes other parts of the world.
Established offices for the Southern African Student Volunteers (SASVO) in Mozambique, recruited and appointed Mozambican local project officers as National United Nations Volunteers.
Worked with World Food Programme on 2 weeks assignment during floods in Mozambique - food distribution monitor.
Studied operations of international volunteer sending agency in London and adapted tools and techniques to the South African context.
Arranged “Rainbow nation experience days” at schools in England and lead a group of exchange volunteers in discussions to compare communities in a "developing country" with a community in a "developed country" over a six month period.
During this time I was interviewed on Morning Live to discuss volunteering in South Africa. This was in celebration of The United Nations International Year for Volunteers (2001). I also attended a United Nations Youth Conference (for UN supported youth agencies) in Dakar, Senegal during the same year.
Towards the end of my time here, I did a six months contract with the British Voluntary Service overseas a a programme officer to coordinate their volunteer placements with NPO's that focused on HIV/Aids and gender equality.
South African High Commission, Mozambique (1997 – 1999)
I started my formal career as an intern at the South African High Commission in Mozambique and worked alongside a Mozambican counterpart project manager to set up an industrial hive (micro enterprise development project) in Machava on the outskirts of Maputo. During this time I worked closely with and learnt from the development attaché.
As a secondee of the Southern African Student Volunteers (SASVO) I also arranged the first work camps for students from South Africa alongside students from Eduardo Mondlane University in Mozambique. A highlight of my early career was to meet with our former South African head of state, Nelson Mandela, at the presidential guest house in Maputo. He supported our organisation and encouraged us to do more.