Meet the Friends of the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS)

Philip Botha

Philip completed his legal studies in South Africa at the Universities of Stellenbosch and the Witwatersrand. After finishing his articles of clerkship to be admitted as an attorney, he studied in Paris in International Public Law (Université Paris 2 Pantheon-Assas). Prior to establishing his own firm in 2005, Philip J Botha Attorneys, he was a long-time director of Fluxmans Inc. His professional involvement in the organized legal profession and associations is vast, including Councillor of the Law Society of the Northern Provinces, Vice-Chairman and later Chairman of the Johannesburg Attorneys Association, director on the Board of Directors of the French South African Chamber of Commerce and Industries and later Vice-president of the FSACCI. Apart from general commercial law his firm focuses on the mining industry with a wide variety of work in Africa, and in particular Francophone Africa since 1989.

Michelle Constant

Michelle currently heads up the American Chamber of Commerce, after completing an MPhil in Corporate Strategy during Covid. Michelle stepped down as CEO from Business and Arts South Africa (NPC) after 11 years, in 2019. She hosted the weekend breakfast shows on national radio station SAFM 104-107 until the end of 2025, leaving after close on three decades. Michelle is renowned as a facilitator and speaker at diverse conferences, and events both nationally and internationally. In January 2016 she was awarded the Order of the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres from the Government of France for her work in culture and the arts. In August 2021 she was awarded the Order of the Chevalier National du Merite by the Government of France, for her work in growing cultural relationships between France and South Africa. Michelle served as a non-executive director on the Board of SA Tourism for three terms, and currently serves on the Board of the National Arts Festival and the Board of Business Unity South Africa (BUSA). She is a Trustee of the Indlulamithi Scenario’s Trust and chairs the Friends of IFAS Committee in support of the French Government.

Elroy Fillis-Bell

Elroy Fillis-Bell has a background in theatre and dance production, arts programme development, teaching, copyright licensing and arts management. Elroy currently serves as CEO of Joburg Ballet. Elroy has been a United World Colleges scholar, a South African-Washington International Programme Fellow, and a former board director for Lawyers for the Arts South Africa (LASA). In 2024, he was acknowledged as one of the Mail & Guardian’s Top 200 Young South Africans for his work in Arts and Entertainment. He is a 2025 & 2026 Global Fellow for the International Society of Performing Arts (ISPA). Elroy has worked for notable organisations including the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C, Siwela Sonke Dance Theatre, based in Durban, and has led the Copyright Licensing division for artistic works for the Dramatic, Artistic and Literary Rights Organisation (DALRO). Before joining Joburg Ballet, Elroy ran the operations of the Javett Art Centre of the University of Pretoria (Javett-UP). Throughout his career, he has focused on building processes and policies that speak to an arts organisation’s need to function as a financially sustainable enterprise while balancing the needs for access and community-centred educational practices. In his role as Joburg Ballet CEO, he is driving substantial growth and professional development, and is focused on access to professional ballet for both youth interested in arts careers and new audiences.

Sewela Langeni

Sewela Langeni is the owner of Book Circle Capital, an independent bookshop focusing on African literature based at 27 Boxes in Melville, Johannesburg. She is passionate about literacy, especially for children. Her academic background spans from Journalism and Communication Sciences to Marketing.

Makgati Molebatsi

Makgati Molebatsi is the founder and Director of Mak’Dct Art Advisory & Agency, which provides guidance to private individuals and companies as well as early career artists in navigating the contemporary art world. From 2008 – 2019, she served on the board of The Bag Factory Artist Studios and continues her involvement in the organisation’s selection committee for visiting residency artists as well as its awards initiatives. She has participated in the BASA mentorship program as well as the selection committee for the South African Art Bank. She was a juror in the selection of artists participating in ‘Emergence: Contemporary Artists to Watch’ 2014, an exhibition of emerging artists from across the globe presented at Galerie Myrtis based in Baltimore, Maryland, US. She was part of the jury in the selection of galleries participating in The Turbine Artfair 2017, 2018, 2019 editions and curated The Turbine Artfair Talks Program for 2017. She participated in the jury selection for 2019 Sasol Signatures Art Award, Gauteng Region. In 2018 she organised ‘Iconic, Historic, Moments’, an exhibition by photographer Oscar Gutierrez, in celebration of the centenary of late former President Nelson Mandela and in 2019 co-founded LATITUDES Art Fair.

She graduated BA Social Sciences from the then University of the North and holds a Certificate in Art & Business from Sotheby’s Institute of Art, London Campus. She has extensive marketing and communications experience.

Mokgadi Maunatlala

Mokgadi is Partner of sustainability and impact at Adenia Partners, where she advocates for investments that align with sustainable development across Africa. With extensive experience in private equity, real estate, and investment banking, she brings expertise in fostering responsible, impactful investments. Her global perspective is strengthened by work across the US, UK, France, Italy, and South Africa, and she collaborates effectively in English, French, and Italian. Mokgadi holds advanced degrees in international relations, finance, and art history, supporting her strategic approach to investment and sustainability.

Theresho Selesho

Theresho Selesho is a seasoned cultural entrepreneur with over two decades of experience operating at the intersection of creativity, commerce, and civil society. Driven by a people-centred philosophy, his work focuses on creating shared-value cultural experiences that generate both social impact and sustainable commercial outcomes across local and international contexts. He is widely sought after for his depth of insight and leadership within live music, entertainment, experiential events, and strategic brand partnerships. Through long-term collaborations across these fields, Theresho has cultivated a specialised skill set that enables culture to function as a credible bridge between artists, audiences, institutions, and brands. His body of work includes the production and facilitation of major national events, stage productions, artist management, brand management and international cultural exchange programmes. In parallel, he advises and executes cultural strategies for global and local brands, leveraging various cultural platforms and creative expression to build authentic audience connections and equitable value for all stakeholders. Theresho has holds several senior leadership roles within the creative industries. He is the CEO of Matchbox Live, the South African entertainment company behind iconic music properties including OppiKoppi Festival, DRUMBeat Festival, Alchemy Festival, Sonic Cities, and Black Coffee’s Music Is King festivals, among others. His tenure contributed to shaping the contemporary South African live music and festival landscape.
Beyond large-scale events, Theresho is a partner in the annual Hello Ambassador creative conference, a platform dedicated to dialogue, innovation, and collaboration across the creative economy. He also serves on the Culture Committee of the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), working alongside leading cultural practitioners to strengthen international cultural relations. Currently, Theresho is the founder and director of SHO-SHO Communications, a culture advisory business, where he leads the commercial division with a focus on brand stewardship, cultural strategy, and partnerships between artists, labels, collectives and brands. His work prioritises ethical collaboration, long-term value creation, and the integrity of African cultural expression within global markets. A committed mentor, Theresho is deeply invested in nurturing the next generation of African creative entrepreneurs. He remains focused on bridging the gap between creative industries and business platforms, believing culture to be a powerful engine for economic opportunity, identity, and future-building.

René Smith

Professor René Alicia Smith is a creative, catalyst and changemaker. She has extensive governance and leadership experience, having served on the governing boards of (amongst others) Agenda Feminist Media, Art for Humanity, African Art Centre, and the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS). She is the immediate past – and first woman – President of the South African Humanities Deans’ Association (Sahuda) and Steering Committee Chairperson for the South African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR), both of which she was elected to serve two terms and is serving her final term as Chair of the Department of Higher Education and Training’s (DHET) creative outputs and innovations advisory panel. René’s higher education experience includes serving on numerous university structures, from academic programme level to Senior and Executive Management, and University Council. As Arts and Design Executive Dean, she led her faculty’s internationalisation strategy, forging partnerships with (amongst others) Alliance Française Durban, and helped facilitate several French visual and performing arts engagements, including with École Supérieure d’Art de La Réunion. She co-created and was founding director of the Arts and Design Digital Festival, which was selected as a legacy project of the International Symposium on Electronic Art (ISEA). She has taught at several institutions of higher education in South Africa and is Associate Professor and Head of the Wits School of Arts (WSOA). She has a PhD (UKZN) and Masters cum laude (UND) in Cultural and Media Studies; and a BA Hons (Falmouth, UK).

Carolyn Steyn

Carolyn Steyn is the founder of 67 Blankets for Nelson Mandela Day, a global movement that has delivered more than 167,000 handmade blankets to vulnerable communities in South Africa alone. She is a board member of both the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra and Hot Cares, as well as a friend of the French Institute of South Africa contributing to the cultural landscape of our country. As a presenter on Hot 1027FM, Carolyn continues to engage with audiences on her nightly radio show. Her extensive career in the arts and philanthropy has also earned her numerous accolades, including the Chevalier de l’Ordre national du Mérite in 2022 for her work in strengthening cultural ties between South Africa and France.

Ramadan Suleman

Ramadan, director, writer and producer, studied at the School for Research in African Theatre. He was one of the founding members of the Dhlomo Theatre, a first black theatre in Johannesburg. After studying in Paris, followed by the London International Film School, he worked as assistant director with two of Africa’s legendary filmmakers – Med Hondo on Lumière Noire, and Souleymane Cisse on Yeelen. His short film The Devils Children (89) won a certificate of merit at the Chicago film festival. In 1997, he directed his first feature Fools, which won the Leopard d’Argent at the Lorcarno International Film Festival and the European prize at FESPACO in Ouagadougou. His second feature Zulu Love Letter (2004) won several awards internationally. In 2009 Suleman released Zwelidumile, a feature length documentary at the Durban International Film Festival and also launched Zulu Love Letter, the screenplay, published by Wits Press, which he co-authored. His latest project as producer is Noire Ici, Blanche La-Bas, a documentary by Claude Haffner, and Beyond the Picket Line, a first feature by Lentswe Serote. Between 2014 to 2017, Suleman has produced 32 short films by first time directors. In 2019, he directed and produced By All Means Necessary, a documentary co-production with the Algerian Ministry of Culture. He was awarded the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by France in 2013.

Nicholas John Tee

Nicholas studied Classics and Law at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. An ardent supporter of the National Union of South African Students he joined the Johannesburg Democratic Action Committee (one of the affiliates of the United Democratic Front) in March 1985 and, in 1989, the National Association of Democratic Lawyers. Nicholas began learning French at the Alliance Française of Johannesburg in 1990 and has twice served as its president. Currently he is its Secretary-General. In 2005 he received the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques and in 2013 the Médaille de la Fondation Alliance Française. Since 1989, Nicholas has practised as an advocate at the Johannesburg Society of Advocates. He focuses on non-profit organisations law, the protection of personal information, consumer protection, company law, land claims and Franco/South African aspects of the law of succession, notably certificates of succession. Nicholas is an ad hoc service provider to the Legal Practice Council, the School of Law at Wits University and the Law Society of South Africa. Nicholas assisted in the establishment of the Innovation Foundation for Democracy (Fondation de l’innovation pour la démocratie) and served pro bono as its Secretary-General from July 2022 until April 2023. Nicholas received the Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite in 2025. Nicholas is dedicated to the values of diversity, equity and inclusion. He adheres to the values of “liberté, égalité, fraternité” and to the ideal of an empathetic secular society: one that advances the position of people from disadvantaged backgrounds and that does not impede on people’s rights to believe in and worship the deity or deities of their choosing, nor their freedom to practice their culture and speak their language.

Mandie van der Spuy

Mandie’s career in the arts spans a period of 45 years. Prior to joining the Standard Bank Group as Head of its Arts and Culture Portfolio, a position she held for 20 years, she worked in theatre management at several of South Africa’s cultural institutions, starting her career at the Market Theatre in 1979 followed by the Natal Playhouse and the State Theatre, Pretoria. She had the privilege of pursuing a master’s degree in literature in Paris, France upon completion of her studies at home. In 2007 the French government bestowed the Chevalier de l’Ordre national du mérite on her for her contribution to the cultural exchange between France and South Africa, in particular the three major exhibitions of Chagall (2000), Miro (2002) and Picasso (2006) hosted at the Standard Bank Gallery and the Iziko National Gallery, Cape Town. In 2019 she received France’s highest honour, the Legion d’Honneur in recognition of her continued efforts in advancing French culture in South Africa. Locally her contribution to the arts was recognised in 2014 with an ACT Lifetime Achievement award for Arts Advocacy. She works as an arts consultant and serves on the boards and committees of several cultural organisations. She was Chair of the Friends of IFAS Committee since its inception in 2014 for a ten year period.

Lesley Donna Williams

Lesley aims to advance African leadership for inclusive and sustainable change. She is an international process facilitator specialising in dialogue moderation, developing innovation and leadership capacity, design and facilitation of large group processes, participatory policy development, as well as cultural diplomacy. Lesley has worked on solving complex problems for over two decades by orchestrating multi-stakeholder dialogues and networks, launching innovation hubs and startups, as well as designing experiential learning experiences. Having travelled to over 40 countries both professionally and leisurely, Lesley brings a rich global perspective to her work, making her a sought-after international speaker. She is a candidate for an MPhil in Inclusive Innovation, and the title of her master’s dissertation is ‘The Influence of Cultural Diplomacy on South Africa’s Animation Industry’. She is a member of the International Cultural Relations Research Alliance. Beyond her professional pursuits, Lesley contributed to the published poetry anthology ‘A Better World, Hope from Africa’.