Colm Allan, Director, Centre for Social Accountability
Colm completed his undergraduate studies at Rhodes University in the mid 1980s. He was active in community politics and helped establish a trade union at the University in 1986. He was detained without trial during the second state of emergency in June 1986. After studying in England and Ireland between 1988 and 1991 (where he obtained an MA from Warwick and an MPhil from Ulster), and working at the University of the Western Cape (1992/93), he returned to Rhodes and lectured for six years in the department of sociology. He helped found the Forum for the Democratic Transformation of Rhodes University in 1997. He established the PSAM after an extensive period of consultation with Eastern Cape political parties, NGOs, labour representatives, public protection agencies, politicians and public officials in 1999.
Hannah de Wet, Trainer, Training Programme
Hannah grew up in Grahamstown. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in 2005 and completed a BA Honours in Anthropology the following year. Hannah joined the PSAM in 2007 as a researcher in the Monitoring and Research programme, monitoring the Provincial Treasury. She moved into the CSA as a trainer in June 2007. Her broader research interests include social change and the ethics of development.
Debbie Dalton, Head: Training Programme
Debbie grew up in Kwa-Zulu Natal. She obtained a Bachelors degree in English and Philosophy, and went on to complete an honours degree in Philosophy at Rhodes University. She is currently registered to read for the MA in Participation, Power and Social Change at the Institute of Development Studies at Sussex University. She joined the PSAM’s Monitoring and Research Programme in January 2005, where she was responsible for conducting research and advocacy on issues within the Eastern Cape Department of Education. In January 2006, she was appointed to the Centre for Social Accountability’s training programme.
Bukelwa Makasi, Office Administrator, Monitoring and Research Programme
Bukelwa grew up in Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape and has a Diploma in Commercial Administration from PE Technikon (DipComAdmin). As the PSAM office administrator she interfaces daily with the public,
answering or redirecting queries and ensuring the smooth running of the organisation. Bukelwa deals with
day-to-day financial and administrative tasks.
Christelle Hutchinson grew up in France where she studied marketing and business practices. She is currently studying towards a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Psychology through Unisa. She joined the CSA in January 2007 and is responsible for the internal financial reporting of the CSA / PSAM, as well as handling all logistical arrangements for the CSA training programme.
Derek Luyt, Head: Media and Advocacy
Derek is a sociologist by training. He completed a B.Soc.Sc. (Hons) at the University of Cape Town and taught sociology at Khanya College (Johannesburg), Wits and UCT. In 1992 he moved to the Camdeboo where he established the Camdeboo Victim Empowerment Centre and served as a director of the Nieu Bethesda Development Foundation. In 2003 he moved to Grahamstown as editor at East Cape News. He ran the Investigative Journalism programme in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at Rhodes University from August 2005 until July 2007 when he joined the PSAM.
Daygan Eagar, Researcher, Monitoring and Research Programme
Daygan grew up in Johannesburg. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Anthropology from the Rand Afrikaans University in Johannesburg in 2003. In 2004 he obtained an honours degree in
Anthropology from Rhodes University. He is currently completing an MA in Anthropology at the same
institution. Daygan joined the PSAM in 2008 and is responsible for monitoring the Eastern Cape Department
of Health. His broader research interests include safety and security, the transformation of the public
service and gender.
Tando Ntunja, Researcher, Monitoring and Research Programme
Tando Ntunja is the Social Development researcher at the PSAM and holds a Bachelor of Journalism
(specialising in Radio Studies) from Rhodes University’s School of Journalism and Media Studies. She has
had a five-year stint with the campus-based community radio station, Rhodes Music Radio, as a
producer, presenter and as part of the management. She comes from Butterworth and has an interest in all
things relating to media, advocacy and street culture. She also loves jazz (thanks Tata!), hip-hop and
prefers soy milk with her cereal.
Jay Kruuse, Head: Monitoring and Research Programme
Jay was born in the Eastern Cape and studied law at Rhodes University, graduating with a LLB degree in 2000. He completed his articles at a law firm in East London and was admitted as an attorney in January 2003. Jay joined the PSAM in January 2005 as a specialist researcher undertaking research on behalf of the NPA. In 2006 he was appointed Project Manager of the Pillay Commission Project, which included the production of a legal submission which was presented before the Commission of Inquiry while maintaining a watching brief at all Commission hearings. Jay was appointed to his current position in January 2007.
Gillian Rennie, Editor
Gillian moved to the Eastern Cape in 1994 and to Grahamstown ten years later. She has been deputy editor of Grocott’s Mail, Grahamstown’s community newspaper and the oldest independent newspaper in the country. She has worked on Cue, the daily newspaper of the National Arts Festival, for the past nine years, six of them as editor. She was a member of the editorial team that founded a stable of periodicals for the University of Natal, and worked for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission where she co-wrote the popular edition of the TRC findings and co-edited the victims’ volume. She is working towards her MPhil in journalism at Stellenbosch University and writing a biography of Neville Beling who survived the Highgate Massacre, a political shooting by unknown perpetrators. She also teaches Writing and Editing in the Rhodes University Journalism School.