CIB W110 Affordable Housing and Informal Settlements in collaboration with Nelson Mandela University, through the Department of Building and Human Settlement Development, Chair for Human Settlements and the Mandela Institute for Sustainable Futures, will be hosting a Webinar on 30 October 2026 from 09:00 to 13:00 (GMT+2) in observance of the 2026 UN World Cities Day.
The theme of the webinar will be Adequate Housing for All through the Mainstreaming of Innovative Building Systems.
The Webinar will kick off with a Panel of three Speakers, with each panelist delivering a 15 to 20 minute talk.
Five one and a half hour moderated virtual Breakaway Sessions are planned for this webinar, as follows:
- Parallel Session 1: Policies and Regulatory Environment for Innovative Building Systems.
- Parallel Session 2: Construction Materials, Manufacturing and Markets.
- Parallel Session 3: Financing Innovative Building Systems in Housing and Affordability..
- Parallel Session 4: Skills and Curriculum Enhancement for Mainstreaming IBTs.
- Parallel Session 5: Social Acceptance and End-user Requirements in IBT programmes.
Speaker biographies
Dr Nana Mhlongo
DDG for Research, Policy, Strategy and Planning, National Department of Human Settlements
Dr Nana Zenkosi Dumile Mhlongo was born in KwaZulu-Natal Province. Her academic achievements include Master’s Degree in Housing and Urban and Regional Planning from University of Natal (now UKZN), a Master’s in Urban Housing Management from Lund University (Sweden) and PhD in Engineering Management from University of Johannesburg. Her work experience includes the CSIR (Built Environment Unit) as a Researcher, Council for the Built Environment as Chief Operations Officer and Department of Public Works and Infrastructure as DDG. Dr Mhlongo is currently the DDG responsible for Research, Policy, Strategy and Planning with the National Department of Human Settlements.
Dr Tshepang Mosiea
Chief Director: Innovation for Inclusive Development, DSTI
Dr Tshepang Mosiea is Chief Director: Innovation for Inclusive Development at the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), where he leads programmes advancing inclusive innovation, entrepreneurship, research and innovation management, ICT-enabled development, and sustainable socio-economic transformation. With extensive experience across government, academia, municipalities, and public entities, he has held senior roles at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), focusing on EuroAfrica ICT cooperation. His work has advanced public sector innovation, smart sustainable human settlements, technology commercialisation, and innovation policy in South Africa. He contributes to national and international platforms, including the Transformative Innovation Policy Consortium (TIPC), and is a registered Project Management Professional (PMP).
Mr Craig Makapela
Executive Manager: Engineering and Technical Services | NHBRC
Mr Craig Makapela is a civil engineer and senior built-environment executive with more than two decades’ experience across construction, engineering management, infrastructure delivery and housing quality assurance. He currently serves as Executive Manager: Engineering and Technical Services at the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC), where he helps advance the quality, safety and sustainability of South Africa’s human settlements.
In his role at the NHBRC, Mr Makapela provides strategic and technical leadership across engineering services, regulatory quality assurance, construction risk management, and research and innovation. His work supports the NHBRC’s mandate to protect housing consumers, strengthen technical compliance in residential construction, improve industry capability, and promote more resilient and sustainable homes. He has a particular interest in applying emerging construction technologies and evidence-based regulation to improve housing delivery and long-term building performance.
Mr Makapela holds a BSc in Civil Engineering from the University of Cape Town, a BEng Honours in Geotechnical Engineering, and an MEng in Systems and Engineering Management from the University of Pretoria. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Civil Engineering at the University of Johannesburg, with research focused on additive manufacturing, commonly known as 3D concrete printing.
A registered engineering professional, he is affiliated with the South African Institution of Civil Engineering, the Engineering Council of South Africa and the South African Council for the Project and Construction Management Professions. His professional focus is on integrating engineering excellence, innovation and effective regulation to support inclusive, safe and sustainable human settlements.
Ms Nolwandle Gqiba
Executive Director of Human Settlements
Now in her second term as Executive Director of Human Settlements, Nolwandle leads with a clarity of purpose shaped by years of service, a commitment to ethical governance, and an unshakable belief that cities should reflect the promise of a better tomorrow for every resident they serve.
A qualified Town and Regional Planner with a master’s from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Nolwandle has spent over two decades weaving vision into the fabric of Cape Town’s communities, ensuring that housing is not merely a structure but a foundation for dignity, opportunity, and belonging. Her leadership has seen the Human Settlements Directorate transform challenges into pathways for delivery, consistently protecting public resources while expanding access to homes that anchor families and strengthen communities. Nolwandle’s commitment to integrity in action is not theoretical; it is lived. Under her guidance, the Directorate has achieved clean audits, even in the face of urbanisation pressures and industry complexities, proving that ethical leadership is effective leadership.
Her academic journey is marked by a continuous pursuit of excellence, including completing the Emerging Leaders Program at Harvard Business School and advanced studies in housing finance, municipal finance management, and local economic development through institutions such as UCT, Wits, and Harvard. She also holds a Bachelor of Information Science from the University of Transkei, bringing a rare intersection of analytical rigour and community-centred thinking to her role. Beyond her qualifications, it is Nolwandle’s unwavering belief that leadership begins long before a title is given, and that the values we hold at home shape the way we lead in the world, that defines her legacy.
A mentor, strategist, and advocate, Nolwandle champions the empowerment of women in leadership and the creation of systems that deliver not just services but hope. Her journey is a testament to the transformative power of integrity, courage, and empathy, reminding us that when women lead, cities rise, systems strengthen, and nations grow. In all she does, Nolwandle Gqiba stands as proof that hope is not a strategy; it is a commitment—and it is built, one home, one community, and one courageous decision at a time.
Mr Huub Keizers
Director – Circular Construction & International Collaboration at TNO
Huub Keizers is Business Director Circular Construction & International Collaboration at TNO. TNO is an independent, not-for-profit, Research & Technology Organization in The Netherlands, working for the government and industry. In 2019-2023 Huub, together with industry, government and academic partners, established the Dutch Top Consortium for the Built Environment, the organization that develops and manages the Dutch construction sector’s innovation agenda. In 2023, he joined the Board of CIB, ECTP, Built4People and in 2026 the European Affordable Housing Alliance. Huub chairs several Task Groups focusing on innovation in the construction sector, advanced materials, industrialization, digitalization and skills. He gives guest lectures and presentations at events and universities to stimulate open knowledge sharing for a more sustainable built environment.
Dr Samad Sepasgozar
Associate Editor for the Journal of Architectural Engineering (ASCE) and Academic Editor for Scientific Reports (Nature)
Dr Samad Sepasgozar is a leading expert in smart cities, digital twins, and sustainable urban development. His research focuses on how emerging technologies such as digital twins, artificial intelligence, and sensing systems can support more resilient, efficient, and sustainable cities and human settlements.
He is ranked among the top 5 researchers worldwide in Digital Twin studies (GPSscholar), within the top 30 globally in Building Construction (Stanford University), and is recognised as the top Field Leader in Architecture in Australia by The Australian. He has published extensively on digital technologies for cities and the built environment and is the author of Quantum Cities and AI-Powered Metaverses.
Dr Sepasgozar serves as Associate Editor for the Journal of Architectural Engineering (ASCE) and Academic Editor for Scientific Reports (Nature). His work is highly relevant to discussions on the future of cities, particularly in the context of digital transformation and sustainable urban development.
Dr Coralie van Reenen
Research Group Leader: CSIR Infrastructure Innovation Research Group
Dr Coralie van Reenen is a Professional Architect, holding a doctoral degree from the University of Pretoria, and is the Research Group Leader of the Infrastructure Innovation Research Group at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
Her research considers health, well-being and sustainability in the built environment, with a focus on driving the digital transformation and performance monitoring.
She is active in promoting innovation and transformation in the human settlements and public infrastructure sector. As a Green Star Accredited Professional, Coralie has a thorough understanding of the principles of sustainable design, in terms of social, economic and environmental sustainability. She has experience in the development of norms and standards, design guidelines, and policies, and in the implementation of innovative building technologies.
Qaqambile Mangqalaza
Engineering, project management, and project finance professional, NMU
Qaqambile is an engineering, project management, and project finance professional with more than 30 years’ experience in infrastructure development, programme management, and business leadership. He has held senior roles, including General Manager of the Programme Management Unit at the National Housing Finance Corporation, and is a part-time lecturer in Building and Human Settlement Development. He also leads a private project management and finance consultancy.
He holds an MBA from Nelson Mandela Business School, a Postgraduate Diploma in Development Finance from Stellenbosch Business School, a Postgraduate Certificate in the Mechanics of Project Finance from Middlesex University, and a BTech in Civil Engineering. He completed the General Management and Global Executive Development programmes at GIBS Business School. His professional credentials include PMP, Pr. CPM, and Pr. Tech. Eng.
He has led major housing, transport, water, sanitation, and construction projects across South Africa. His experience includes managing engineering and project management firms, implementing ISO 9001 quality management systems, and mentoring emerging construction businesses. Recognized for advancing infrastructure development and promoting timber as innovative building material, he combines leadership, technical expertise, and a commitment to sustainable development to strengthen South Africa’s built environment and infrastructure landscape.
Dr David Eduardo Morocho Jaramillo
Dr David Eduardo Morocho Jaramillo is an Ecuadorian architect specialisized in Architectural Heritage Conservation. He holds a PhD in Architecture, Building, Urban Planning and Landscape from the Universitat Politècnica de València. His research explores Indigenous architecture as a dynamic system of knowledge, examining the relationships between traditional building practices, cultural identity, and collective belonging to the land. Drawing on the Epistemologies of the South, his work challenges conventional Western architectural frameworks, on a multiple-evidence-based approach that integrates theoretical disciplines, local and Indigenous knowledge within the same ecosystem. The Ecuadorian Amazon provides a particularly revealing context for this inquiry: a territory inhabited by diverse Indigenous peoples and nations, and shaped by different forms of spatial production, extractive economies, and competing territorial imaginaries. In this context, coexistence becomes an urgent and disruptive question. His current postdoctoral research expands this perspective through a comparative investigation of Indigenous building knowledge and its intergenerational transmission in Ecuador and South Africa at the Indigenous Knowledge Systems of the Built Environment Unit, School of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Technology, Nelson Mandela University
