Afriforesight
Creating your optimal future
Meet the Team
Afriforesight has a multi-disciplinary research team whose expertise represents all the links in the commodity value chain, from extraction to market.
Our professional competence ranges from engineering, geology, chemistry, processing, to financial accounting and international economics.
Jacques Botha
Chairman
A dedicated researcher & forecaster, Jacques is esteemed for his wide knowledge of global trends and the world of commodities.
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His innovative approach to forecasting and business makes Jacques a much wanted strategic adviser and he has consequently facilitated and delivered on numerous ad hoc projects for top organisations in South Africa.
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Jacques founded Afriforesight in 1996 with the vision of establishing a world class commodity and input costs forecasting institute in Africa.
His ultimate goal is to leverage Afriforesight's intellectual capital in working towards a better SA economy and make a difference in the development of Africa’s people.
Nathan Musson
Chief Economist
Nathan holds a BSc in Mathematics and a BCom Hons degree in Economics from UCT, specialising in General Macroeconomic theory.
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At Afriforesight, Nathan forecasts the outlook for hydrocarbons and particularly the development of gas infrastructure in Africa. He also researches manganese and the following input costs: ammonia, explosives, rubber, tyres, fuel and bitumen. He is an expert in survey data analysis and incorporating the findings into complex mathematical models. Nathan played an active role in building and fine tuning the Mining Phakisa forecasting model.
Vinesh Chetty
Chief Energy Economist
Head: Bulk Commodities & Logistics
Vinesh holds a BCom (Honours) in Economics from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, specialising in applied microeconomics and financial markets.
At Afriforesight, his research is primarily on the energy sector, where he collates and analyzes data on energy usage, policies and standards at various points throughout the supply chain. This includes in-depth study on the supply and demand dynamics of the markets for coal, oil, natural gas, uranium and renewables. Vinesh also focuses on the analysis of bulk commodities as well as the global transport and shipping markets.
Deborah Chikukwa
Head: PGMs & Base Metals
Deborah graduated with honours from UCT and holds a Masters of Science degree in Chemical Engineering as well as a BSc (Hons) in the same field. She is experienced in Data collection, Data Analysis, and Data Interpretation & reporting, with a broader focus on research and development.
At Afriforesight, Deborah conducts research on the markets for Platinum Group Metals and industrial Base Metals. She also has a strong focus on studying chemical reagents used for mineral processing & beneficiation.
Kirthi Ramdhanee
Chief Sustainability Engineer and Head: Platinum Group Metals
Kirthi holds a BSc (Hons) in Chemical Engineering from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Her work experience includes designing engineering systems for bulk water and wastewater treatment.
At Afriforesight, she applies her knowledge of chemical processes to her research on battery metals such as nickel and lithium, and on chemicals used in the mineral processing and manufacturing industry, as well as new energy vehicles.
Devon Allers
Commodity Analyst
Devon obtained his BSc (Hons) in Chemical Engineering from Stellenbosch University. His research experience includes evaluating the suitability of certain chemical reagents for
leaching Rare Earth Elements from coal ash. He has also undergone training with Volkswagen SA on various waste water treatment strategies.
Devon specialises in Steel sector analysis at Afriforesight, and does comprehensive research into the key commoditiy inputs and chemicals related to steel manufacturing.
Sebastian Naidoo
Business Development Manager
Sebastian holds Bcom and Bcom Honours Economics degrees from the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal. He has several years experience in the import/export and wholesale trade, working primarily with the textiles and semi-durable goods sectors, where he's had the opportunity to travel extensively overseas. Since then, he has joined Afriforesight as a Strategy Economist, specializing in business model analysis and advising clients on economic and market developments. He also heads the Business Development division, where he shows clients how Afriforesight's forecast data & research can help them improve their bottom line.
Mareli Barnard
Client Services Manager
Mareli holds a BCom. in Entrepreneurship and
Business Management from North-West University. Her key focus at Afriforesight is to ensure that clients always receive top quality service and are connected with the best analysts on the team to efficiently provide them with strategic market insight on a daily basis.
While providing support with regards to general research and service enhancements, she is also perfectly positioned to assist with business development as she has a keen interest in marketing communications and social media marketing.
Dina Alleluya
Research Administrator
Dina holds a Bachelor of Science Honours degree in Statistical Sciences from the University of Cape Town. At Afriforesight, she mainly focuses on general commodity research and support as well as data management. She is also responsible for keeping the rest of the team up to date on the latest news on Covid statistics and how it can potentially impact our forecasts.
Keenan Bantom
Technical Research Executive
Keenan holds a BSc degree in Geology and Botany with Honours in Botany from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. After having held research and administrative positions at Afriforesight, his very good grasp of overall operations as well as his passion for technology has made him the designated IT manager. He is responsible for ensuring maintenance of IT systems are implemented, and that all company electronic data are secure. He is currently working on developing a database platform that will make Afriforesight's research even more client friendly & accessible.
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Charles Kieck
Political & International Economist
Charles obtained his Masters degree in Economics at UCT, for which he presented a paper investigating the impact of asteroid mining on long-term platinum supply. He serves as Afriforesight’s political economist, given his special interest in geopolitics - particularly how events happening in the US, China and Europe impact global commodity demand & supply. His unique training as both a Chartered Accountant and an economist allows him to understand commodity industries through the analysis of company financial performance from a macro-economic context.