Nomfundo Walaza is a visionary and compassionate clinical psychologist and human rights activist with 20+ years of experience developing impactful conflict mediation programmes on a global scale. She is currently CEO of the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre in Cape Town, South Africa. Her background includes experience in Trauma Management, Peace Building and Resource Mobilization. She received the Women of Distinction Award from the National Conference for College Women Student Leaders at the University of Maryland (USA 2010), was nominated and short-listed for the Woman of Worth Award in recognition of her work in healing and promoting women from all walks of life (Cape Town 2005), and was appointed as Peacemaker in Residence at Marquette University (USA 2010).

Lionel Louw is the former Head of Department and Associate Professor, Department of Social Development at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.   He left the university in 2004 to accept the invitation to become the Chief of Staff in the office of the Premier of the Western Cape Province, and position he held until 2008.  From 2009 to 2012 he was the National Director of the Harold Wolpe Memorial Trust, an organisation that promotes dialogue.  He is currently the minister of Community of Faith, a congregation in Stellenbosch.

During his career Dr Louw chaired the Western Province Council of Churches, served on the Executive Committee of the South African Council of Churches under then Bishop Desmond Tutu.  He was an active member in the liberation struggle and was detained without trial during 1985.  He served on the boards of several organisations such as the Independent Development Trust and World Vision.  He was President of the South African Council for Social Service Professions and represented South Africa on the board of the International Association of Schools of South Work.

He is married with two adult children, a daughter-in-law and one grandson. He holds degrees from the Universities of the Western Cape, Cape Town and Payne Theological Seminary in Wilberforce, Ohio.

Marthe Muller is currently the Chief Operations Officer of South African Women in Dialogue, a civil society organisation that is piloting a psycho-social, family-based poverty eradication approach in three municipalities in South Africa. She has an Honours degree in Philosophy (Cum Laude) from the University of Stellenbosch and she completed all coursework for a Master’s degree in Women’s History at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York, but she has a third version of her MA thesis outstanding. Marthe lived in Bogotá, Colombia for twelve years, where she worked in publishing, documentary filmmaking and public television.  She completed a two-year Diploma in Spanish and wrote, directed and produced a multi-media course to teach English to Spanish-speakers. In 1999, after a year of working as an Operations Manager for Colombian fashion designer Amelia Toro, she opened the designer’s flagship Matador store in Soho, New York.