Board Members

Blackie Marole a co-director in Makunwu is an economist with 35 years of experience mining investment and regulation and is now an investor in his own right. Shortly after obtaining a Ma degree in economics in 1982 he joined the minestry responsible for mining in Botswana wherein he progressed the ranks to the position of Permanent Secretary for the minetry taking charge of the government investment in the sector and administration of concessions. After 7 years in the role he joined the De Beers DTC in London as one of its executives looking after the sale and marketing of diamonds and in September 2002 he was transferred to Johannesburg to serve in the Producer Relations Department in the Johannesburg Office. In that capacity, he liaised with various producers in Africa to manage their contracts with De Beers and DTC.

In 2004 he was appointed Managing Director of Debswana Diamond Company then the largest producer of diamonds. He served in the position for 6 years and retired in 2010. Despite his retirement, Mr. Marole has not completely left the board room. He continues to serve various boards notably in listed companies in the mining and retail trade.

Previously the chairman of BPC, WUC, Barclays Bank Botswana, and BDC he commands a wealth of experience gained from extensive involvement in the Government and private sector both locally and internationally.

Ms Andries joined AFA from Botswana Institute of Banking and Finance where she was the Executive Director and was tasked with transforming the institute into a commercially viable training institute. Ms Andries has strong commercial acumen and business experience both locally and pan African having worked for Letshego Holding limited where she was instrumental to its pan African expansion. She has over 24 years of business and leadership experience and is highly skilled in finance and investment, enterprise risk management, business development, organizational strategic alignment, business analytics and relationship management. She holds Master of Management in Finance and Investment from Wits Business School (SA), Master of Science in Strategic Management from the University of Derby (UK), Management Development Program from the University of South Africa, Master of Science in Actuarial Science and a Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science both from the University of Kent in Canterbury (UK).

Mr. Tema has acquired extensive expertise in banking and other financial services over a period of 24 years, in which he worked in different capacities within the FirstRand Group. He started his career as an Executive Trainee at First National Bank of Botswana Limited (FNBB) in 1994. Following his completion of the Executive Trainee programme, Mr. Tema held different roles at FNBB including Credit Analyst, Corporate Analyst, and Corporate Manager. From 2004, he held various senior management positions within FNBB, which entailed developing, directing, and implementing growth strategies of the various departments he was in charge of at different points. Among the positions he held between 2004 and 2013 (at which point he left FNBB) are Senior Manager and Head of the Property Finance Division, Senior Manager - New Business Development, Head – Wholesale Segment, Director of Commercial Banking, and later Director, Property Finance Division.

Mr. Tema joined Rand Merchant Bank Botswana (RMBB) in 2014, where he was appointed to the position of Coverage Director. In that position, he was responsible for developing and directing the client growth strategy at RMBB and leading a team of relationship managers who formed part of the coverage team.

Mr. Tema holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Economics from the University of Botswana, and a Master of Science (MSc) in Strategic Management from the University of Derby in the United Kingdom. He has further completed Part 1 of a Diploma in Banking (Botswana Institute of Bankers) and a Diploma in Financial Management with Allenby College in South Africa.

He has served on the Boards of various executive management committees of FNBB, and in the Boards of subsidiary and associate entities such as FNBB Insurance Agency, FNBB Pension Fund. He was also a board member of Botswana Post.

Petronella is the managing director of Private collection (Pty) Limited, a diamond retail company, a sister company to, Fine Jewellery Manufacturing that manufactures the jewellery. A Hotelier by profession, having graduated from the Shannon College of Hotel Management in Ireland she also holds Executive Management Development Training programs from the University of Witswatersrand, and Cornell University in the USA.

She began her working career as a Food and Beverage Manager at Cresta Thapama Hotel, and rose through the ranks of the Cresta Hospitality to become The Group Marketing Manager, with responsibility for 16 hotels in Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

The entrepreneurial calling beckoned and she incorporated a diamond jewellery design company called Kika – A Gift from Africa. The company experienced lack of capital challenges in its day and competing interest from her investment interests in Mascom Wireless, and she put the former into abeyance. Her life came full circle when she was invited to invest and be executive partner in Private Collection.

She currently holds Board Membership and Current Directorships in Private Collection (Pty) Ltd, Fine Jewellery Manufacturers (Pty)Ltd, Chairlady - Prime Time Property Holdings Limited, Synopsis (Pty)Ltd (investment vehicle in Glenrand Botswana (Pty)Ltd, (later amalgamated with AON Botswana (Pty)Ltd.)

And has held Directorships Director and Barclays Bank of Botswana Limited as Interim Chairlady, Mascom Wireless Botswana (Pty)Ltd, Motswedi Securities (Pty)Ltd, Glenrand MIB Botswana (Pty)Ltd, Debt Participation Capital Fund Limited, Exxaro Botswana (Pty)Ltd, Kika – A Gift from Africa (Pty)Ltd, BABM (Pty) Ltd trading as Fishmonger Botswana, and is a Permanent invitee on AON Botswana (Pty)Ltd Board. And variour other Membership Government / NGO.

An MBA graduate from the University of Stellenbosch and recipient of the highest achievement Merit Award for Strategy, with more than 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry Mr. Aklaaq Ahmed  Mahmood Formerly the Deputy CEO of LA Health Medical Scheme and Principal Officer of ProSano Medical Scheme. He began his healthcare career serving as a trustee on the Board, Audit Committee, and Pension Fund of the Global Health Medical Scheme.

Mr. Aklaaq Ahmed  Mahmood holds various other committees and forums, including the Chairperson of the Audit Committee, Risk Committee, and Mayoral Performance Evaluation Panel for the City of Cape Town. Currently the director for AfroCentric Group’s Diversified Investments, Business Development, and Group Communications, Chairperson and Director of various Afrocentric Subsidiaries. Further responsibilities include the integration of new acquisitions into the Group.

His current sitting includes Executive Director Diversified Investments AfroCentric Health Holdings, Executive Director Business Development AfroCentric Health Holdings, Executive Director Group Marketing, and Corporate Affairs, and Executive Director Diversified Investments AfroCentric Health Holdings. And hold Directorships and Executive Committees in AfroCentric Health Member of Exco Medscheme Holdings (Pty) Ltd Director and Member of Exco, Aid for Aids (Pty) Ltd Director and Chairperson, AAR Zambia, and Uganda, Medscheme Namibia Holdings.

Director and Chairperson of AFA Botswana Director, AfroCentric Integrated Solutions Director, MMed Distribution, Tendahealth (Pty) Ltd, AfroCentric Distribution Services, Scriptpharm Risk Management, (Pty) Ltd, Klinikka (Pty) Ltd, Dental Information System Holdings (Pty) Ltd (DENIS), Medscheme Mauritius Ltd, Medscheme International, to name but a few.

After qualifying as a CA, Hannes joined a corporate finance team , where he gained valuable experience in due diligences, valuations and commercial structuring of companies. He joined Medscheme 15 years ago as a financial manager upon which he progressed to manage various client business units involved in scheme finance, broker commission and claims processing. Shortly after the listing of the Group in 2009, he headed up the Group Finance unit which has since expanded due to the group diversification and changes in shareholding structures. As a result of his extensive knowledge of the business, he was appointed AfroCentric Group CFO in August 2015.