PDG is a public sector consulting firm that supports decision-making in the public interest
PDG Archived News
NEW ADDITION TO PDG TEAM
We are pleased to announce the new member to the PDG team. Lukhanyiso Ndevu joins PDG as a senior consultant. Lukhanyiso has a MPhil in Engineering for Sustainable Development from Cambridge, and his Masters project focuses on the Just Energy Transition (specifically off-grid solar) in Africa. He has experience working with resilient infrastructure projects, especially water infrastructure, as well as with a range of South African public sector institutions. Building on his water engineering experience, he has undertaken a fellowship as part of the African Union’s Continental Arica Water Investment Programme (AIP) which aims mobilise finance towards Africa’s water security.
WEBINAR ALERT
PDG Development Consultants together with WRC South Africa hosted another stakeholder webinar on DDM and Water Services. The webinar took place virtually on 11 November 2024 via the Teams platform. It was a successful turnout of attendees.
REFLECTIONS ON THE SAMEA CONFERENCE 2024
Cara Hartley, Jerusha Govender, Njabulo Ndaba, Lelethu Bodlani and Daniel Moody, all with a keen passion for monitoring and evaluation, represented PDG Development Consultants at the 9th Biennial SAMEA conference held in Gauteng from 7-11 October 2024. The team briefly shares their experiences in the article below.
Read article here
CALLING ALL DATA ANALYSTS – ANOTHER EXCITING JOB OPPORTUNITY
Join our team and make an impact. We are looking to fill the position of Senior Data Analyst: Public Policy. If you meet our requirements and are looking to join our fabulous team, apply via our recruitment portal. Applications will remain open until further notice.
WE ARE HIRING
Join our team and contribute to meaningful work. Criteria outlined in each of the advertised posts.
Adverts:
Public Finance Consultant
Climate & Environment Consultant
Applications close 14 October 2024
CASE STUDY: CO-CREATION IN MONITORING AND EVALUATION
At PDG, participatory and co-creation approaches are crucial for stakeholder engagement and effective decision-making. A key example is the Performance Management Plan for a South African City’s Energy Strategy, developed through collaborative efforts. The Case Study highlights how co-creation’s requires a shared understanding and problem-solving, as well as key success factors like trust and transparency. PDG aims to integrate co-creation across evaluation services, encouraging the inclusion of marginalized voices for greater impact. Read case study here
WE ARE HIRING
Join our team and contribute to meaningful work. Criteria outlined in each of the advertised posts.
Adverts:
Public Finance Consultant
Climate & Environment Consultant
Applications close 14 October 2024
INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME 2025
PDG has a 1-year paid internship programme for postgraduates under the age of 30. We are currently accepting applications for January 2025.
Advert here
Applications close 14 October 2024
Can resident-led technologies enhance public services? My experiences from PRASA
Daniel Moody shares his experiences using Metrorail train services in Cape Town and how community-led technology could be leveraged to support and strengthen public services. What are your thoughts? Read the full article here
NEW RECRUIT
PDG is pleased to announce that Kelly Mehl has joined our Operational staff team. Kelly is our General Administrative Assistant, holding a Bachelor of Commerce degree which focussed on HR, information systems, finance, and general business concepts, coupled with over five years of experience in teaching and account management. Her experience in teaching and account management has honed her multitasking abilities, attention to detail, and problem-solving skills in admin-intensive environments. Welcome Kelly!
NEW RECRUIT
PDG is pleased to welcome our newest recruit, Jerusha Govender. Jerusha is a catalyst in data-driven creative solutions for sustainable change. She has worked extensively as a social entrepreneur and advisor in promoting responsible data practices and systems, data communication and the use of information for decision-making in development sector in Africa and globally. She has held leadership positions at Data Innovators as a Co-Founder, served on the board of the South African Monitoring and Evaluation Association, and is currently on the board of Field Band Foundation. Jerusha has led data and M&E projects with government departments, NGOs, and foundations across the continent. She is also is a thought leader on topics in responsible data, tech-enabled MERL, innovation in MERL, and entrepreneurship. WELCOME TO OUR TEAM!!!
WE ARE RECRUITING
Join our team and contribute to meaningful work.
We are looking to fill the positions of M&E Consultant and General Administrative Assistant. If you meet our requirements outlined in each of the adverts, apply via our recruitment portal. Applications close 30 April 2024.
GESTALT
Last week four Directors participated in two IGOLD facilitated sessions applying a Gestalt Organisational Development approach. These sessions were intended to help them think through how they approached PDG’s strategic planning processes this year. The facilitation took them to a point of deep reflection about their individual hopes and conceptions of a what a thriving PDG looks like. PDG will take these insights into a new approach to strategizing for 2024.
NEW CONSULTANT
We are excited to welcome our newest Consultant, Simon van Blerk, to the PDG staff compliment. Simon is a professionally registered civil engineer with over six years of experience working in Land Development and Water with experience designing, planning and managing infrastructure projects in both South Africa and the UK. Welcome on board Simon!
NEW INTERN
PDG is pleased to introduce our new Intern, Zuhayr Mahomed. Zuhayr is passionate about working to drive meaningful change, optimise performance, and achieve sustainable growth. With a strong understanding of systems, processes and communications, he has joined PDG to further expand his knowledge and contribution to achieving these goals. Welcome on board Zuhayr!
IMESA CONFERENCE
PDG’s Municipal Services Practice Area Leader, Nick Graham, recently presented a paper at the 86th Institute of Municipal Engineers of South Africa (IMESA) conference in Gqeberha on 25 October. The paper, titled “Legal impediments to the providing water services to informal settlements on private land” covered research undertaken by PDG, Victoria Johnson and Isandla Institute for the Water Research Commission. The paper provides a comprehensive legal review of the perceived impediments to providing water services to informal settlements on private land, without the owner’s consent, and concludes that not only are municipalities allowed to provide these services (in most instances), but they are also obligated to do so to fulfil their constitutional mandate. The research hopes to provide municipal engineers with sufficient background and justification to be able to provide these much-needed services.
EXCITING JOB OPPORTUNITY AVAILABLE AT PDG!!!
Join our team and make an impact. We are looking to fill the position of Municipal Services Research Consultant. If you meet our requirements and are looking to join our fabulous team, apply via our recruitment portal. Applications close 31 October 2023.
Position requirements can be found here
INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME 2024
PDG has a 1-year paid internship programme for South African postgraduates under the age of 30. We are currently accepting applications for January 2024.
Full details about the internship programme can be found here
SALGA NATIONAL MEMBERS ASSEMBLY 2023
STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSIONS
NEW PDG CONSULTANT: DANIEL MOODY
REALS COLLOQUIUM
PDG attended the REALS SA Colloquium hosted by the EU, UNICEF, the DBE and NECT. The colloquium was held at UKZN Edgewood Campus on the 27th of June 2023, and was attended by stakeholders ranging from the implementing partners to the programme recipients on the ground (teachers, parents and SGB members). The colloquium was a space for all involved in REALS SA to reflect on the programme, from the design of the programme to how implementation unfolded and the subsequent outputs and short-term outcomes arising from that. As the evaluating team for the programme, PDG (represented by Anele Msomi, Cara Hartley and Mark Abrahams) presented on the programme-level lessons learnt through the evaluation process, reflecting mainly on what can be done to improve the design and implementation of such programmes in future. The team gathered inputs from colloquium participants, which will contribute towards the finalisation of the evaluation report due to be completed in July 2023.
M&E GUEST LECTURES AT THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC LEADERSHIP
Cara Hartley recently presented guest lectures to students pursuing a Masters Degree in Public Administration at the School of Public Leadership (SPL). The Masters course M&E as one of its electives modules.
She participated over two days (16-17 May 2023), focusing on Theories of Change and M&E Systems respectively. She contributed a practitioner’s perspective to complement the theoretical content of the course.
To enrich the session, Cara conducted a short survey of M&E practitioners’ experience and shared the results as part of her guest lectures. Members of the South African Monitoring and Evaluation Association (SAMEA) mailing list were surveyed on pitfalls and keys to success in their personal experience of working with Theories of Change and M&E Systems. The results of the survey are available here.
Cara Hartley co-leads PDG’s Monitoring and Evaluation Practice Area, focusing on evaluations and M&E frameworks.
PDG welcomes the 3 new recruits!
Consultant: Mildred Nakkungu
Mildred comes with a range of expertise across the fields of the built environment, sustainable development and governmental structures. She has a developed skill set in sustainable building design; thermal, solar, and daylight analysis; and qualitative research. Her academic research focuses on cities, with particular interest in the institutional, legislative and politic logics used to govern municipalities. She hopes to utilise her diverse skillset by contributing to a holistically sustainable future in our cities. She is currently based in our Johannesburg office.
Consultant: Njabulo Ndaba
Njabulo recently joined PDG as a consultant in our Cape Town offices. He holds a Master’s Degree in Economics from the University of the Western Cape and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the area of financial inclusion and financial health. His focus is on improving the financial lives of low-income households and women throughout Africa. He possesses a diverse skill set, including proficiency in qualitative primary research, quantitative research and analysis, and reporting. He is deeply passionate about inclusive financial integrity, Anti-Money Laundering and compliance, and digital identity, and is dedicated to utilizing his skills and knowledge to make a positive impact in these areas.
Intern: Sophiya Gabier
Sophiya’s academic background is in Environment and Development studies, where she pursed her honours in BCom-Public and Development Management, at Stellenbosch University. She is passionate about developing a more sustainable economy, and this passion serves as her motivation to effectively apply her knowledge of the environment, policies and legislation with a sustainable approach to contribute towards the greater benefit of society. She is committed to utilizing her education and enhancing her skills to make a positive impact in the field of sustainability and development. She is currently based in our Cape Town offices.
EXCITING JOB OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE AT PDG!!!
Join our team and make an impact. We are looking to fill two positions within our organisation – Municipal Services Research Consultant with a civil engineering background and a Monitoring & Evaluation Research Consultant with a passion for M&E.
Applications accepted via our website’s Recruitment Portal and closes at 5pm on 12 May 2023.
PDG speaks to Newsroom Afrika
According to an article in the Business Day on 6 March, government is considering withholding the local government equitable share from municipalities who have built up significant debt with water boards. Our MD, Kim Walsh, was interviewed by Stephen Grootes on Newzroom Afrika about how likely this might be and what impact it would have on municipalities.
The interview can be viewed here
Conclusion of three-year Future Cities South Africa Programme
From 2019 to 2022, PDG participated in a consortium led by PwC UK to implement the South African component of the Global Future Cities Programme. This was a 3-year, UK-funded programme of technical assistance. In South Africa the programme supported Johannesburg, Cape Town, and eThekwini. Given our multidisciplinary skill offering, nearly all PDGers were drawn into the various projects – focusing on data and evidence use; transport; spatial development; and resilience – to a greater or lesser extent.
For more reflections, information, and links to resources produced by the programme, see Cara Hartley’s article on LinkedIn.
