1. DD de Beer (69) Chairman
(Audit and Risk Committee; Credit Committee; Nomination Committee; Independent director)
- Qualification: CA(SA)
- Director of companies
- 3 years on Board
Mr De Beer qualified as a Chartered Accountant (SA) after studying at the University of the Witwatersrand. On completion of his articles he joined> the Industrial Development Corporation as an investigating accountant. Following the IDC, Mr De Beer spent several years with the Malbak Group in various capacities. Thereafter he moved into merchant banking, primarily in corporate finance, in the employ of Volkskas Merchant Bank and Rand Merchant Bank. Mr De Beer then moved into the mining industry where he eventually retired at the end of 2001 as chief financial officer of Anglovaal Mining.
Mr De Beer was chairman of Idion Technology Holdings until it was bought by a USA Private Equity Partnership and is currently chairman of Kingfisher Insurance Company, the captive insurer in the ARM Group.
2. JPR Mbau (58) Joint deputy chairman(Audit and Risk Committee; Credit Committee; Independent director)
- Qualification: Banking Diploma – Citi Corp College; Business Management Diploma – Pretoria University; Executive Management Programme – Stellenbosch University
- Director of companies; Director of Regent Insurance former Chairman of the Land Bank – 2002 to 2005
- 3 years on Board
Mr Mbau has 21 years (1974 to 1995) of banking experience as vicepresident in the corporate banking and investment-banking arena with major financial institutions such as Citibank (UK and USA), First National Bank, Nedbank and Investec. In the late 1990s Mr Mbau served as senior general manager at the Southern African Enterprise Development Fund, with direct responsibility for Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland. There he was responsible for providing financial advice, deal negotiating and financial structuring. Mr Mbau is a co-founding member of a black consortium which established Real Africa Investments, and serves on the Boards of Dominican Convent School, RSA Market Agents, Regent Insurance and Babcock Engineering.
3. JJ Claassen (59) Joint deputy chairman(Audit and Risk Committee; Credit Committee)
- Farmer and director of companies.
Former director of ABSA Bank, Mpumalanga - 21 years on Board
Mr JJ (“Koot”) Claassen has been a long-standing member of the AFGRI Limited Board for 20 years and is currently the vice-chairman of the management Committee on the Maize Board. Mr Claassen has been a successful farmer since 1969 in the Delmas region and has been actively involved in the industry Committees and forums over the years. He has received industry recognition on various occasions and in 1997 was named the Farmer of the Year in the Northern Region, Potato Farmer of the Year in 1999 and has been recognised four times as the I&J Potato Producer of the Year. Mr Claassen is currently joint deputy chairman of AFGRI Limited.
4. CA Apsey (62) Non-executive director(Independent director)
- Qualification: BSc (Cum Laude), MBA
- Director of companies
- 5 years on Board
Mr CA (“Clive”) Apsey obtained a BSc (Cum Laude) from the University of Cape Town in 1968 and MBA from the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business in 1971. Over the years, Mr Apsey has taken part in various Executive Development Programmes through the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business.
In 1971, Mr Apsey joined Central African Pharmaceuticals in Harare, Zimbabwe, where he held the position of product and brand manager and in 1972 moved to African Distillers Limited in Harare, Zimbabwe as their marketing manager. In 1973 Mr Apsey moved to H Jones & Co in Paarl, RSA as marketing manager.
In 1975 Mr Apsey joined the Tiger Oats Limited group as group marketing manager and in 1979 assumed the position of MD of the Jungle Oats Company in Cape Town. Mr Apsey held various Board positions during his time with the group, including a Board appointment to Van de Kamp LLC, in the USA.
Mr Apsey retired as an executive director of Tiger Oats Limited in 1998 and as a non-executive director of Tiger Brands Limited in 2001. Mr Apsey served as a non-executive director on the Board of Premier Foods Limited from 2002 until October 2004 and was appointed to the AFGRI Limited Board in April 2005 as an independent non-executive director.
5. JJ Ferreira (56) Non-executive director(Remuneration and Nomination Committees)
- Qualification: BSc (Hons) Civ Eng
- Farmer
- 11 years on Board
Mr JJ (“Kiewiet”) Ferreira qualified with a BSc (Eng) (Hons) (Civil) in 1978 from the University of Pretoria. After working as a civil engineer for six years in Pretoria, Mr Ferreira decided to farm full-time and settled on his farm Grootdraai in Harrismith in 1984. Mr Ferreira has been an active member of the farming community in the Eastern Free State over the years and has held positions in Vrystaat Landbou, Agri-SA and the Free State Premier’s Economic Advisory Board until 2005. Mr Ferreira has served as non-executive director on the AFGRI Limited Board for 10 years, since AFGRI acquired the Sentraal Oos Koöperasie Limited in Bethlehem, on which Mr Ferreira had served as vice-chairman.
6. MM Moloele (53) Non-executive director(Remuneration and Nomination Committees)
- Qualification: Dipl Business Management (USA & Damelin)
- Businessman, entrepreneur and director of companies
- 5 years on Board
Mr Moloele is a director of companies who holds Diplomas in Business Management (USA and Damelin). He led the first BEE Charter in the Petroleum industry and co-founded the first black-owned Petroleum Company, Exel. He was also involved in the establishment and co-ordination of a strong National Black Fuel Retailers Association. Some of his past directorships include Dudula Shipping, Dudula Freight Bulk, Exel Petroleum and Naledi Oil Holdings. Mr Moloele was appointed as a director of AFGRI in 2005 and is a member of the Remuneration Committee.
7. KL Thoka (46) Non-executive director(Remuneration and Nomination Committees)
- Qualification: B & Admin; Hons (B&A), MBA, SEP from Harvard Business School
- Businesswoman, entrepreneur and director of companies and a councillor on the University of Johannesburg Council
- 5 years on Board
Ms Thoka is a businesswoman, entrepreneur, director of companies and a councillor of the University of Johannesburg Council. She holds a BAdmin degree from the University of the North and a Hons (B&A) from the University of Stellenbosch Business School as well as an MBA from the University of Hull in the UK. She also has a SEP from Harvard Business School. Some of Ms Thoka’s past positions include being the MD of the Courier Freight Group, group executive (HR) for the SA Post Office, GM for Transformation at the Post Office, senior HR manager for Metrorail and Marketing and Communications Manager for Metrorail. Ms Thoka was appointed to the AFGRI Limited Board in 2005 and is currently a member of the Remuneration Committee.
8. FJ van der Merwe (52) Non-executive director(Audit and Risk Committee, Remuneration and Nomination Committees)
- Qualification: LLB MA
- Attorney, director of companies
- 9 years on Board
Mr Van der Merwe obtained a BA and LLB from the University of Stellenbosch and then attended the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar where he gained an MA (Jurisprudence). Following a period as practising attorney specialising in commercial law, he joined Allan Gray Investment Counsel (now Allan Gray Limited), first as legal adviser and later served as managing director. He left Allan Gray’s full-time employment in 1995 and has remained a non-executive director and serves as chairman of the group audit Committee.
Mr Van der Merwe has over the years served on a number of listed company boards including Real Africa Holdings Limited (as chairman), Business Connexion Group Limited and Johnnic Communications Limited (now ElementOne Limited as chairman). Other current Board appointments, apart from ElementOne and AFGRI, include Allan Gray Group Limited, Allan Gray Life Limited, Historical Homes of South Africa Limited and KLK Landbou Beperk.
Mr van der Merwe first joined the AFGRI Limited (then OTK Holdings Limited) Board in 2000 and has served as member of the Audit Committee since first joining the Board and more recently, as member and chairman of the Remuneration Committee.