Phumelele Nhlapo

Chief Executive Officer, Funda Wande

Phumelele Nhlapo is Chief Executive Officer of Funda Wande, in the role since February 2024.

Funda Wande is a South African not-for-profit that equips Foundation Phase teachers to teach reading for meaning and numeracy. Nhlapo, known as Phumi, moved into the non-profit sector in 2019 after a 20-year corporate career.

In the job

  1. A report said Funda Wande's Eastern Cape programme, run with the Department of Basic Education, reached 57 no-fee schools and more than 10 000 learners between 2019 and 2023. Source

Career before

  1. Chief Operating Officer, Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation
  2. Chief Operations Officer, Amy Foundation
  3. Human resources and corporate affairs leadership roles, telecoms and energy industries

Education

Bachelor of Social Sciences and Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resources Management, University of KwaZulu-Natal

Sources

  1. fundawande.org
  2. nascee.org.za
  3. daara.academy
  4. allafrica.com

Facts last checked 3 November 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

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