Leadership

An overview of the leaders of Bulembu.

Neal Rijkenberg Neal is a Co-Founder and one of the Directors on the Board of Bulembu Ministries. He has a degree in Agriculture Science. His entrepreneurial spirit led him at the age of 19 to begin a honey production and distribution business and later on get involved in the timber industry. Today, he owns and operates the largest independent timber companies in Swaziland, with over 2,000 employees and contractors. Neal, who is intimately familiar with the Bulembu community, has taken the responsibility in optimizing the potential of income of the Bulembu saw mill for the benefit of the social develop and job creation within the community. Neal is a Swazi citizen, married to Barbara and has two daughters, Mia and Julia.
	Volker Wagner Volker Wagner is a Co-founder and one of the Directors on the board of Bulembu Ministries. He has spent his last 25 years working in the corporate world as a businessman. Over the years he has gained solid experience, expertise and competencies in the area of strategic planning, mergers, acquisitions, business restructuring management, organizational leadership and community development. Volker’s entrepreneurial nature and passion for the marginalized and destitute has drawn him to Bulembu. He is excited about reflecting the love of Jesus in practical ways in the lives of the poor, vulnerable and unemployed. Volker lives in Vancouver, Canada with his wife and is a parent to 3 teenage daughters.
Curtis Cluff Curtis Cluff is a Co-founder and Director on the Board of Bulembu Ministries. He has over forty years experience in the real estate industry. Over the years, Curtis has started multiple companies, as well as worked for several large public companies. Curtis graduated from the University of LaVerne in California with B.A. in business administration. He is a real estate broker, member of the Board of Realtors, an international certified appraiser and a senior member of the International Organization of Real Estate Appraisers. He has been instrumental with the development of thousands of social housing units throughout United States and various parts of the world. Curtis is founder and president of Partners In Action (PIA), which is extremely involved in serving the poor, destitute and displaced people of this world by helping them meet their physical, mental and spiritual needs. He believes that Bulembu will serve its mission to help and restore the poor, needy and destitute in Swaziland. Curtis is married to Sue and has 6 children and 15 grandchildren and lives in Scottsdale Arizona with his family.
	Kevin Ward Kevin is a Co-Founder and one of the Directors on the Board of Bulembu Ministries. He grew up working in the hotel industry, which he left in order to become an ordained minister. Over the last decade he founded Teen Challenge Swaziland which has established projects in residential rehabilitation centers for youth with life-controlling habits, children’s homes for abandoned and orphaned children, interim foster homes for street children, a life-skills centre and micro enterprises which help sustain the projects. Kevin and his wife Helen diligently work at networking churches and organizations to reach greater unity among Christians within Swaziland. Kevin believes that Bulembu is an incredible opportunity to serve the nation by combining economic and social development programs. He is passionate about establishing excellent primary, secondary, tertiary education programs, as well as life-skill development programs for the youth. Kevin is a Swazi citizen, married to Helen, a dental surgeon with her own private practice, and has two children, Ashar and Joshua.
Andrew le Roux Andrew is the General Manager of Bulembu Ministries and one of the directors on the board. He has been instrumental in the establishment and development of the organization since the beginning. He is responsible for overseeing all ministry and enterprise development in Bulembu. He has a BA and a LLB degree from the University of Pretoria in South Africa. Upon graduating, Andrew served his Legal Articles in Swaziland and then ventured into business for the past 6 years. Along with his work at Bulembu, he currently is involved in manufacturing, retail and distribution businesses in Swaziland. Andrew is a Swazi citizen and happily married to Tracey and they are expecting their first child. Andrew’s love for God and his heart for Swaziland drew him to lead the vision of Bulembu.
	Jonathan Pons Jonathan is one of the directors on the board of Bulembu Ministries. Jonathan came to know Jesus at the age of 12 and has continued to live a life of faith ever since. In 1998, Jonathan, his wife, Helen, and 4 children moved to Swaziland from their home in South Africa. Currently he is the only eye surgeon in all of Swaziland and serves at Good Shepherd Eye Hospital and acts as a project coordinator in 3 other hospitals operated through the Christian Blind Mission. Jonathan is also involved in other ministries in Swaziland mainly the Christian Medical Fellowship and Gideon’s, both of which are ministries that serve the marginalized of Swaziland. Jonathan and his family live in Swaziland and manage their family farm and a bed and breakfast.
Billy Mavimbela Billy is one of the directors on the board of Bulembu Ministries Swaziland. He has spent the last 20 years working for companies in the mining and sugar industries within Swaziland as a Human Resources Practitioner. He started his working career in the late 1980ís as Management Trainee, working for Havelock Mine (Bulembu). Billy has a B.A. in Social Science with majors in Sociology and Public Administration. His value to Bulembu is his knowledge of the area, Swazi culture and human resources legislation and practices in Swaziland. Billy is married to Khutsele and they have 4 daughters, the eldest being 16 years old.
	Phindile Weatherson Phindile is the most recent member on the board of Bulembu Ministries. She has served in the banking and financial institution industry for the last 16 years. In 2005 she founded her own company, Health Concepts, which offers consulting in the area of HIV/AIDS and Office Administration Training. Phindile’s passion is to give back to those in need in Swaziland, specifically Bulembu, by offering assistance in health maintenance (HIV Awareness) and business development. Phindile brings much needed expertise in the area of banking, as Bulembu seeks to expand its ministry to Swazi’s through small and medium loans for business start-ups. She has 4 children and lives in Mbabane, the capital city.
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Article Date: 18th May 2007

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