Yesterday Today and Tomorrow 

Welcome to my web domain. I am Jan Bezuidenhout, a scenario, strategy and transformation planning consultant. From 1 August 2025 - 30 July 2026 I am contracted to the Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDAT) and currently unavailable for any other consulting work. 

SERVICES

QUALIFICATIONS

• B.A. Political Science (1995), University of Pretoria (International Politics, History, Sociology, Political Science)

• B.A. Hons History (1999), University of Pretoria (African History, US foreign policy in Southern Africa, 1960 - 1984 and an English literature module on South African and Nigerian political prisoner's writing) 

• Diploma in Project Management (1999), Damelin

• Post Graduate Diploma in Management (2005), Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town

• M Phil Futures Studies (2012), Institute for Futures Research, University of Stellenbosch (Environmental Scanning, Systems Thinking, Quantitative Forecasting, Research Report on Future of Devolved Government in Kenya with distinction) 

• Member of the Association for Professional Futurists and the Project Management Institute

• Registration as a Project Management Professional (PMP) (2008 – 2015)

I am fluent in English and Afrikaans, communicate well in Portuguese and Dutch and have some vocabulary in various African languages such as Xitsonga, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sesotho sa Lebowa, Ndebele, Swahili and Shona.

HIGHLIGHTS OF PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

During my career, initially in programme and project management, and then progressively towards futures research, strategic foresight and scenario planning I was privileged to work across a range of sectors and subject matters. In my first formal job (in the late 1990s) on behalf of the South African High Commission in Mozambique, I helped to set up an industrial hive to support micro-enterprise development in Maputo. I spent a significant part of my career at the Parliament of South Africa Strategic Project Management Office and the Development Bank of Southern Africa. Since becoming independent consultant I facilitated shared visioning and strategic foresight/strategic planning retreats for clients such as the United Nations and the Peace Parks Foundation in southern Africa. Most recently I completing three chapters for a student handbook about scenario planning for the next industrial revolution, published in April 2025. 

Organisations for whom I've done programme or project management, strategic foresight, development facilitation and/or strategic planning, either as clients or employers, include:

• Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDAT) - currently on a full time contract.

• United Nations Resident Coordinator in Namibia 

• Consortium of Peace Parks Foundation, CIRAD, Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambican National Administration of Conservation Areas (ANAC), Limpopo National Park (Mozambique) 

• EY

• Deloitte

• City of Cape Town

• Development Bank of Southern Africa

• Kenya Commercial Bank

• Old Mutual Masisizane Enterprise Development Fund

• Japanese External Trade Organisation (JETRO)

• South African National Department of Higher Education and Training

• University of the Witwatersrand

• Pearson Education - South Africa

• South African Navy

• Westminster Foundation for Democracy

• Parliament of the Republic of South Africa

• Joint initiative of SANParks, Industrial Development Corporation (South Africa), South African National Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, DBSA, Mopanie and Vhembe District Municipalities, Giyani and Thulamela Local Municipalities, Village Councils of communities adjacent to the Kruger National Park

• Various local and district municipalities in South Africa (on behalf of the Development Bank of Southern Africa)

• British Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO)

• Canada World Youth

• Centre for Human Rights (Southern African Student Volunteers)

• United Nations Development Programme

• World Food Programme

See additional detail here

KNOWLEDGE CONTRIBUTIONS and other initiatives

• Foresight in Focus: Scenario Planning for the Next Industrial Revolution - SKU: FTSP020000, ISBN: 978-1-4327-0511-4, Edge Education  on behalf of Stadio Holdings. Contributing author for three chapters in this student handbook.

• Universal Basic Income in South Africa, time for an official pilot? Online published Foresightfordevelopment.org (2018) https://www.foresightfordevelopment.org/featured/universal-basic-income 

• On meeting Nelson Mandela during January 1998 – Our Madiba, Stories and Reflections of those who met Nelson Mandela, compiled by Melanie Verwoerd p. 212 – 216, (2013) 

• The Transition to Devolved Government in Kenya – the story unfolds, Online published – Foresightfordevelopment.org (2013) https://www.foresightfordevelopment.org/featured/kenya 

• Kenya’s Technological and Political Future, published in SCENARIO, Journal of the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies (2012:05)

• A forecast of the role and effectiveness of devolved government in Kenya: four scenarios (2012-2032), 2012 – Research paper for academic requirements – M Phil Futures Studies

• Profiled as futurist of the month on the foresight for development page during 2012   http://foresightfordevelopment.org/profile/jan-bezuidenhout

• Challenges and possible solutions for Project Management Units in Municipalities, 2010 (March April), DEBANSA – Development Bank of Southern Arica

• Youth volunteering for development – Research report on behalf of the United Nations Development Programme, (2004)

• National Volunteering in South Africa – Research report on behalf of British Voluntary Service Overseas, December (2003)

Other initiatives

• I registered a charitable trust to provide South African youths the opportunity to travel and learn about scenario writing through community theatre. This video clip provides a snapshot of one such learning journey that took place in Zambia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8fQDiZYy7w 

• During 2018 I initiated and actively assisted to drive the South African initiative to develop responses to change brought about by the 4th Industrial Revolution - Future of Work Tech Scenarios 2050. This was done in collaboration with the Southern African Millennium Project Node – a United Nations initiated global futures research think tank.