Braamfontein office, national nomination reach
Our work is based in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, but the nominations programme reaches people across South Africa. That includes Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Gqeberha and Polokwane, along with the wider Gauteng, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Limpopo, Free State, North West and Mpumalanga regions.
The team handles a public-facing awards process built around everyday action. People nominate carers, teachers, volunteers, first responders and neighbours who step in when a community needs practical help. A strong nomination names the person clearly, explains what they did, and gives enough detail for the story to stand on its own.
- Clear name and contact details for the nominee where available
- A short account of what happened and where it took place
- Useful context on impact, not just praise
- Consent from the nominee where needed
Thandeka Nomvula Mokoena, managing the whole programme
Thandeka Nomvula Mokoena oversees the full awards programme and keeps the team aligned on process, tone and public accountability. Her role sits at the centre of the nomination cycle, where details matter and the work must stay respectful to the people being recognised.
She keeps the programme anchored in plain language. That means reading each phase through the same lens: can a member of the public understand how to nominate, and can a nominee recognise their own story without feeling exposed. It is careful work and it asks for good judgement.
Nominations and story work
Kagiso Daniel Molefe manages the flow of nominations and makes sure each submission moves through the right steps. Ayesha Fatima Khan works on the nomination side too, helping shape the story so the reason for recognition is easy to follow. Together they look for detail that is specific, honest and useful.
When a nomination is thin, it usually needs more than praise. The team wants facts, examples and a clear link between the person and the help they gave. If the nomination is about a community effort, the writing should show what the nominee actually did, not only what people felt about it.
- Check eligibility against the programme’s public criteria
- Shape the story into a clear submission
- Collect supporting detail where it is relevant
- Track updates when a nomination needs editing
Community outreach, across provinces and towns
Siphesihle Zanele Dlamini leads community outreach and helps the programme stay visible in places where good work often goes unnoticed. Her role supports nominations from different communities, whether the story comes from a neighbourhood street, a school corridor or a local clinic setting.
She also helps people understand what makes a nomination worthwhile. A useful submission does not need grand language. It needs the real sequence of events, the part the nominee played, and any context that shows how the action helped others in a practical way.
- Explaining the nomination process in plain terms
- Supporting public questions around eligibility
- Encouraging careful, respectful storytelling
- Keeping the outreach language consistent across regions
Judging process and fair review
Pieter Jacobus van Wyk coordinates the judging process, which means he keeps the review method organised and consistent. The judging looks at the substance of a nomination rather than noise around it. A strong submission gives enough detail for the work to be understood, checked and weighed fairly.
The criteria stay practical: relevance to the programme, clarity of the story, evidence where available, and whether the nomination shows meaningful community benefit. The process does not need drama or big claims. It needs steady assessment and a clear record of why a nomination belongs in the running.
Privacy, consent and careful handling
Lerato Michelle Maseko handles privacy and consent. Her role matters because the programme works with personal stories, some of them sensitive. Before a nomination moves further, the team checks whether the nominee knows about the submission and whether any private information should stay out of public view.
We keep privacy explanations plain. People should know what they are sharing, who may see it, and when consent is needed. If a story includes health details, family matters or difficult circumstances, the team looks at those parts with extra care and keeps only what is necessary for the awards process.
- Consent from the nominee where the situation requires it
- Limits on sensitive personal information
- Careful handling of supporting evidence
- Respect for public and private boundaries
How the team works with your enquiry
Anyone with questions about nominations can reach us through the contact form. The team uses the same route for public questions, updates to an existing nomination and general guidance on the process. That keeps the record tidy and makes it easier to follow each submission from first note to final review.
Every role on the team supports a different piece of the programme, but the shared standard is the same: listen properly, record accurately and treat each nomination with care. That is how the work stays useful to the communities it serves.