Meet the team

Meet the SARAO management team

Ms Pontsho Maruping – Managing Director

SARAO Managing Director Ms Pontsho Maruping was appointed SARAO Managing Director effective from 01 October 2022. She directs and manages...

Dr Adrian Tiplady – Deputy Managing Director: Strategy and Partnerships

Deputy Managing Director: Strategy and Partnerships Dr Adrian Tiplady is responsible for developing, driving and directing SARAO strategy and partnership programmes...

Mr Shawn Basson – Head: Finance and Business Support

Head: Finance and Business Support Mr Shawn Basson joined SKA SA in August 2012. He holds a B.com and Honours...

Ms Keitumetse Molamu – Head: Engineering & Technology Development

Head: Engineering & Technology Development Ms Keitumetse Molamu joined SARAO in September 2022. Ms Molamu holds a BEng, BSc IT...

Dr Fernando Camilo – Chief Scientist

Dr Fernando Camilo is the Chief Scientist at the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory. He is a former Senior Research Scientist...

Mr Barney Msiza – Head: Human Resources

Head: Human Resources Barney Msiza completed a National Diploma in HR; a Bachelor's degree from the University of South Africa...

Milisa Kentane – Manager: Communication and Stakeholder Relations

Sibusiso Clifford Gumede – Head: Operations, SARAO

Sibusiso Clifford Gumede serves as the Head of Operations at the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO). In this capacity,...

View High Level Organogram

Meet the team

Meet the SARAO management team

Sibusiso Clifford Gumede – Head: Operations, SARAO

Executive Management Expert

Sibusiso Clifford Gumede serves as the Head of Operations at the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO). In this capacity,...

Milisa Kentane – Manager: Communication and Stakeholder Relations

Communications Executive Management Expert

Mr Barney Msiza – Head: Human Resources

Executive Management

Head: Human Resources Barney Msiza completed a National Diploma in HR; a Bachelor's degree from the University of South Africa...

Human Resources

Dr Fernando Camilo – Chief Scientist

Executive Management Expert Scientists

Dr Fernando Camilo is the Chief Scientist at the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory. He is a former Senior Research Scientist...

Ms Keitumetse Molamu – Head: Engineering & Technology Development

Executive Management Expert

Head: Engineering & Technology Development Ms Keitumetse Molamu joined SARAO in September 2022. Ms Molamu holds a BEng, BSc IT...

Engineering & Technology Development

Mr Shawn Basson – Head: Finance and Business Support

Executive Management Expert

Head: Finance and Business Support Mr Shawn Basson joined SKA SA in August 2012. He holds a B.com and Honours...

Finance and Business Support

Dr Adrian Tiplady – Deputy Managing Director: Strategy and Partnerships

Executive Management Expert Scientists

Deputy Managing Director: Strategy and Partnerships Dr Adrian Tiplady is responsible for developing, driving and directing SARAO strategy and partnership programmes...

Ms Pontsho Maruping – Managing Director

Executive Management Expert

SARAO Managing Director Ms Pontsho Maruping was appointed SARAO Managing Director effective from 01 October 2022. She directs and manages...

Meet the team

Meet the SARAO management team

Ms Pontsho Maruping

SARAO Managing Director

Ms Pontsho Maruping was appointed SARAO Managing Director effective from 01 October 2022. She directs and manages SARAO in all its dimensions, including MeerKAT and Hartebeesthoek operations, and leads fulfilment of South Africa’s obligations as a host country for the SKA, and upholds SARAO integration as a business unit of the NRF.

Dr Rob Adam

Special Advisor to the Managing Director

Dr Rob Adam was appointed the SARAO Managing Director from 1 January 2016 until September 2022. Prior to this, he was the Group Executive: Nuclear at the Aveng Group. Before that, he served as the CEO of the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) from 2006 to 2012, and as Director-General of Science and Technology from 1999 to 2006.

Dr Adrian Tiplady

Deputy Managing Director: Strategy and Partnerships

Dr Adrian Tiplady is responsible for developing, driving and directing SARAO strategy and partnership programmes through key outwardly focused Divisions. These include Strategy, Communications, Construction Planning, Human Capital Development and the Africa Programme.

Technology

Professor Justin Jonas

Chief Technologist

Professor Justin Jonas provides technical direction and oversight for all activities undertaken by SKA South Africa through constant interaction with scientists, engineers, technicians and programme managers within the SKA SA project office and at partner organizations. His broad areas of influence are radio telescopes and associated instruments built and/or supported by SKA SA, sites and infrastructure to support these telescopes and instruments, and the training of engineers and technicians to build and operate the telescopes and instruments. His current key direction and oversight responsibilities include the construction, testing, commissioning and operation of the MeerKAT radio telescope, the development of the Karoo radio observatory site to meet the requirements of the MeerKAT, SKA1-mid and various Guest Instruments, and the technical aspects of the African VLBI Network (AVN) programme. Professor Jonas will play a key role in the successful integration of the MeerKAT Precursor into SKA1-mid, and he is a member of the Science and Engineering Advisory Committee (SEAC) of the SKAO. He determines the priorities for technician training programmes and academic engineering research projects that are supported by the Human Capital Development Programme (HCDP), and evaluates the quality and impact of these programmes and projects. He also participates in initiatives to identify innovative technologies that enable new opportunities in radio astronomy and the commercial market.

Dr Fernando Camilo

Chief Scientist

As Chief Scientist, Dr Fernando Camilo directs the SKA SA science program and the scientific program of MeerKAT as a world-leading facility in the pre-SKA era, and work with the user community to ensure the maximum scientific productivity of the MeerKAT large survey projects and open time.

Mr Shawn Basson

Head: Finance and Support

Mr Shawn Basson joined SKA SA in August 2012. He holds a B.com and Honours degree as well as an MBA and Masters degree in Capital Development Finance. Shawn’s role is to ensure that all policies of the National Research Foundation (NRF) as well as that of the Department of Treasury are adhered to and implemented by all within the Finance and Supply Chain Management teams. Shawn was previously employed at Transnet. Currently he is also acting in the position of Deputy Managing Director of Operations and Business Processes.

Ms Keitumetse Molamu

Head: Engineering & Technology Development

Ms Keitumetse Molamu joined SARAO in September 2022. Ms Molamu holds a BEng, BSc IT and an MBA in Information Technology. She was employed as a Senior Manager at the Royal Bank of Canada. She has held different engineering positions in different technology and research industries such as the Airports Company SA, Ericsson and Clydebergemann Africa. She brings experience in her technical expertise base of electrical engineering, electronics and computer science to the position.

Mr Barney Msiza

Head: Human Resources

Mr Sudeshen Chetty

Deputy Telescope Director: SKA-Mid

Dr Anton Binneman

(Acting) Head: Communications & Stakeholder Relations

Dr Anton Binneman is a Research Associate for the UJ Department of Strategic Communication. By profession, Anton is the Stakeholder Manager for the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRF|SARAO) and the Square Kilometer Array. Currently, Anton specialises in strategic stakeholder engagement in science and science infrastructure projects, however, he has in excess of 10 years’ experience in strategic stakeholder communication and engagement, communication research, and public relations management. Some of his other strengths and interests are rooted in creating business awareness, design-thinking, media management, and communications, which enables him to effectively promote a positive organisational brand, whilst remaining sensitive to both stakeholders and the broader society.