Looking for fresh ideas?
Contact Us to find the perfect match for your next event!
Mathew Makoni is a vibrant, experienced and eloquent keynote speaker who has over 10 years’ experience in leading high-performing and impactful teams in various sectors.
A masters graduate in operations management, published author and a SADC speaking champion, he not only brings a fresh perspective on relevant topics (that teams and managers face today in the workplace) but also adds a real pizzazz to his deliveries.
His speeches are engaging, thought prompting and ultimately result in tangible action points. After all, his main goal is not only to entertain but to ensure valuable take-aways for his audience. A well-travelled and open-minded speaker, he is also able to cut across cultural lines and navigate through the landscape of our diversity.
He has been hosting private and public events for corporates and individuals all over South Africa for the last decade.
His main Keynote “Impact-oriented individuals, Impact-focus Organizations and Impacted Societies” is a revolutionary look at how we can re-engineer our contribution to today’s society by re-assessing our focus and goals.
Whilst using great storytelling techniques Mathew Makoni drives the point that – meeting goals is not enough: we are all called to be impact-oriented. He shares 3 amazing stories of individuals, teams and societies that not only impacted their immediate spheres of influence but produced results that have cascaded hope over decades.
Mathew Makoni premise is that our employees should transcend beyond merely meeting individual goals assigned to them by managers, teams should transcend beyond organizational goals, businesses should exist beyond the frameworks set by their boards.
Our future can only be preserved by a deliberate trumping of the traditional goal -oriented success model. Impact orientation is a longer-term measure of real success!
The tools suggested in the speech are practical and can be applied at a family, team, corporate and community level.
Mathew Makoni focuses on how Kaizens – a Japanese model of process improvement – can be successfully integrated into the fabric of how we run our lives, teams and organizations.
Contact us at Speakers Inc and follow us on Facebook
Christo Brand is a South African former prison guard who was one of several that were responsible for guarding Nelson Mandela. He came to Robben Island, where Mandela was being held, in 1978 when he was 19 years old.
In 1982 he was transferred along with Mandela to Pollsmoor Prison. Christo and Mandela developed a close friendship over the course of many years. He is the co-author of his book, Doing Life with Mandela: My Prisoner, My Friend (2014). Christo retired from Robben Island on 31st July 2018 to pursue his storytelling on a full-time basis.
How was it possible for these two men from such seemingly different backgrounds to develop a relationship which was to become so much more – a lasting friendship based on a mutual trust and respect for each other?
Surely, they should have hated each other. One was a white, 18-year-old Afrikaans speaking prison guard representing the oppressive, apartheid regime of the time; the other – a black, 60-year-old Xhosa speaking terrorist serving a life sentence.
Rather than join the army for National Service as was compulsory for every South African white male, Christo Brand decided to join the prison service. After training for a year in Kroonstad, he applied for a post on Robben Island because he wanted to be close to home.
His application was successful and at the age of 19 he was sent to work on Robben Island in 1978. That was when Christo first came across Nelson Mandela who at that time was 60 years old. This was where they formed a relationship which was to become so much more. A close friendship built on trust and mutual respect for each other.
In 1982, Mandela was transferred to Pollsmoor Prison. On 13th March that year, Christo married Estelle. Soon afterwards, Christo was transferred to Pollsmoor and was responsible for guarding Mandela for the next 6 years.
Encouraged and supported by Nelson Mandela, in 2014 Christo wrote his book “Doing Life with Mandela – My Prisoner, My Friend”, with co-author Barbara Jones.
In the Foreword, Ahmed Kathrada writes: “My lasting impression of Christo Brand is that he’s a very good human being. He’s not a politician; he’s just a very caring man who took chances for other people, which could have brought him trouble.
I sincerely hope that Christo’s book will receive the respect and attention it deserves. It is a valuable addition to the writings about imprisonment in the apartheid era, and it is written by a fine man.
It is also unique in that it is the most honest account I have read by a warden relating their interaction with Nelson Mandela, and for that alone it deserves credit. I wish Christo Brand all the success in the world.”
Contact us at Speakers Inc and subscribe to our YouTube channel
Beat-Route is a classic, traditional swing jazz combo, performing regularly across Kwazulu-Natal and beyond.
The band has, over the past 6 years since its inception, developed an extensive repertoire of originals, standards, grooves, Latin, Afro, popular and show tunes executed with professional style in the jazz idiom, and features regularly at corporate functions, parties, weddings, fairs, restaurants and on the local jazz circuit.
The versatile instrumental four-piece provides a classy background show which still allows for conversation and networking without strain.
The band can and do often perform without a PA system, and for bigger events only subtle amplification is required.
They also perform regularly with vocalist Thobeka Langa, to make the band a vocal Quintet.
Contact us at Speakers Inc and subscribe to our YouTube channel
Astrid Ascar has worked in the media industry for more than twenty years. Astrid Ascar – Financial Journalist career spans over the television, radio, print and more recently, the mobile and digital mediums.
She began her career as a journalist on radio, working as a reporter and as a presenter in the current affairs, news, business and entertainment genres. She was a news reader on Highveld and SAFM for more than 10 years and she made the transition to television in 1994, as one of the 6 Chief Anchors who guided viewers through the SABC’s week-long live TV coverage of the country’s historic 1994 elections. She spent the following few years as a current affairs TV anchor and producer and she has executively produced dozens of television series for a range of various audiences.
In 1999, Astrid made the transition into management and financial journalism where she joined the BDFM Group and she has two television channel start-ups: DSTV’s Summit and The Home Channel), as well as the launch of a radio business under her belt.
Apart from BDFM and AVUSA, Astrid Ascar has worked with numerous media brands including Carte Blanche, the SABC, Naspers, Multichoice, MNET, CNBC Africa and DSTV Mobile.
She has an MBA from Henley in the UK and in 2009, she went solo as a consultant with a client base that includes listed and non-listed corporates, SME’s, agencies and tertiary education institutions.
She presents talks, facilitates workshops, and she trains consultants in a range of areas including:
Astrid’s media training clients include FNB (a range of business units), Huawei, Momentum Investments, Stanlib, Premier Foods, Pro Sano, Wits Business School, GIBB, Lonmin and Lafarge.
Contact us at Speakers Inc and follow us on Facebook
Tracy Going who co-anchored “Morning Live” on SABC2, previously the anchor on GMSA began her radio career in 1992 as the Morning News Anchor for Radio Metro, a position she held for 10 years.
Tracy has been seen on our television screens hosting the following programmes ‘Lebone’, ‘One Step Beyond’, ‘Private and Confidential’ and ‘The Market Report’ on DSTV. She has also anchored evening news on SABC2 and SABC3 in the past.
Whether presenting her motivational presentation or adding a professional touch to any corporate function as an MC, Tracy will ensure a sophisticated and enjoyable flow to your event.
Previous clients include Microsoft, Hullett Packard, Sasol, SAP Computers, Nissan Supplier of the Year Awards, Schneider Technology, Dobermann Media Systems, South Afirican Institute of Chartered Accountants and Plascon.
In 2001 Tracy received the Mother of the Nation Award and was a finalist in the Duku Duku Awards, nominated for the Favourite TV Programme Presenter category. In 1999 she was awarded the Weighless Woman of Substance Award and was named by The Star newspaper as one of the Top 100 people in SA in 1996.
Tracy Going runs her own company offering a courses on personal development with workshops on various topics like, self-image, grooming, television presentation and dealing effectively with the media.
She has written two children’s story-cookbooks. “African Animals – Rhymes & Recipes” was a bestseller. Tracy Going second story-cookbook “Awesome Animals – Rhymes & Recipes” received the prestigious Best in South Africa Gourmand Cookbook Award and second position at the world Gourmand Cookbook Awards at the Paris Cookbook Fair in 2013.
Over the last few years Tracy Going has lectured at AFDA film school in Cape Town but left there to focus on writing her memoir ‘Brutal Legacy.’
Contact us at Speakers Inc and subscribe to our YouTube channel
The Kicks – Conference Entertainers are an authentic 8 Piece Jazz Band taking Top 40 hits and approaching them in a swing and Jazz style.
Fronted by the phenomenal vocals of Hannah Foster and Cameron Bruce, The Kicks takes the every day pop songs we hear on the radio and approaches them with a jazz/swing feel. Simply put we take pop music back in time.
Be it Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass” in a swing style, George Ezra’s “Budapest” in a blues/Jazz style or Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” in a slow Bossa style we aim to recreate the atmosphere of the great swing and big band era.
It’s quite a sight to have a full 8-piece swing band on stage playing recognizable pop tunes with a Gatsby feel.
The full horn section really transports the arrangements of each song back to the 1940’s. They ads an elegant, classy and sophisticated flair to any event!
With an impressive repertoire of original arrangements of pop songs and a full party set in their arsenal, The Kicks is sure to impress any crowd!
They consists of some of the most formidable South African musicians including Benjamin Jephta, Dave Cousins, Justin Badenhorst, Neil Engel, Justin Sasmen and Thomas Dancer.
Contact us at Speakers Inc and subscribe to our YouTube channel
Nomonde White-Ndlovu is a seasoned Technology executive who currently heads up Risk, Governance & Compliance for Absa’s Groups Information Technology Office.
She has also been the joint-CIO for the organisation’s Infrastructure Services and Head of Technology for Absa Regional Operations (previously known as Barclays Africa Regional Management).
She began her career in Technology at UCS Solutions and later moved on to other multinational organisations such as British American Tobacco.
As the Chairperson of Wired4Women and in partnership with ITWeb and BCX, Nomonde is able to advocate for the upliftment and recognition of women at an industry level. In this role she is able to actively pursue gender parity and equality in the workplace.
Her MBA from GIBS (Gordon Institute of Business Science), a BA Law degree from Wits University and expedient courses from institutions such as MIT, Harvard and the London School of Economics and Political Science as a foundation, Nomonde is continuously growing her skill in the Technology industry, with a strong focus on business strategy, leadership, organizational design and efficiencies.
Contact us at Speakers Inc and follow us on Facebook
Puseletso Modimogale, a seasoned Executive Coach and Leadership Development Specialist with over 25 years of experience. As the founder and managing director of the Mind Retirement Institute, she specializes in personal and leadership development, coaching, speaking, and holistic well-being interventions.
Puseletso Modimogale, known as Mindset Advocate and Transformation Coach. since I released my book called Mind Retirement that was birthed after many yrs. of being a coach, a leader, a business strategist.
She considers herself an effective Transformation Coach due to the impact and results she has produced in various executive coaching programmes where she has participated in such Transnet, SAICA, Allan Gray, SEDA and in her own company called Mind Retirement Institute. Puseletso has been involved in some of the TV and Radio shows and contributed as a Transformation coach.
Puseletso’s unique approach blends mind-body techniques such as cognitive therapy, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, and mindfulness, creating a comprehensive journey toward personal transformation.
Her passion for helping others is deeply rooted in her own experiences overcoming significant challenges, including the mother wound and sexual abuse. This journey inspired her to earn degrees in Somatology and Executive Coaching, along with certifications in Transformation Coaching, Life Coaching, and more.
Recognized for her contributions with awards like the Community Builder Awards and the Africa Startup Ecosystem Awards, Puseletso has dedicated her life to empowering individuals and organizations on their paths to holistic well-being and personal growth.
With a mission to uplift others and foster a ripple effect of positivity, Puseletso uses her expertise in human psychology and holistic healing to create transformative experiences. Committed to good vibes, reciprocal energy, and continuous growth, she strives to make a lasting impact on everyone she works with.
Contact us at Speakers Inc and view our International site
Chris Mapane is one of the most energetic comedians on stage. His energy is contagious and invigorating.
His corporate clients include among others:
Chris is resident comedian at Y-fm and his performance include among others:. Blacks Only Comedy Show (Port Elizabeth, Cape Town, JHB, DBN and BFN). Book Chris Mapane through Speakers Inc to MC conference functions and events
Wits Hee Hee Hee Comedy Festival. Tshwane Comedy Festival. University of Pretoria Comedy Festival. Soweto Comedy Festival.
Laff a lil laugh a lot comedy show in Botswana. King Size Comedy Bash to mention but a few that he has performed at– Chris successfully completed Blacks Only SA tour and Kit-Kat Comedy tour with standing ovation in all shows.
Television appearances Local and abroad: Fanta So you think are funny mentor.,Late Night with Kgomotso, Motswako, Morning Live, SABC 1 Wild Room, Shift, SABC 2 Flash, VUZU TV, Se’skhona, Flava Dome Botswana TV, Africa Awakes broadcasting, Soweto TV, Friends Like These, Channel O Oboma and has won the prestigious Y-Fm comedy battle.
Contact us at Speakers Inc and subscribe to our YouTube channel
