Who Are We
meet the Common Good team
At Common Good, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We’re deeply committed to seeing lasting change in South Africa, and we bring both passion and purpose to our work each day. But while we take our mission seriously, we don’t take ourselves too seriously – you’ll often find us sharing a laugh, brewing a strong cup of tea, and occasionally indulging in a harmless prank. We value open conversations, collaborative thinking, and a culture where joy and impact go hand in hand. Our values aren’t just words on a wall – they’re lived out daily in how we show up for our work, and for each other.
leadership team

Polly Murphy
CEO
Polly
CEO
Kristin Myburgh
Operations Manager & Employment Lead
Kristin
Operations Manager & Employment Lead
Charnay Kleinsmith
People & Culture Lead
Charnay
People & Culture Lead
David De Korte
Education Programme Director
David
Education Programme Director
Richard Lundie
Early Life Programme Director
Richard
Early Life Programme Directorcentral team

Cherilyn Singh
Relationship Resource Developer
Cherilyn
Relationship Resource Developer
Linda Mentoor
Receptionist
Linda
Receptionist
Pakama Mofu
Operations Co-Ordinator
Pakama
Operations Co-Ordinator
Marisa Batt
Finance Consultant
Marisa
Finance Consultant
Zameka Qholani
Office Assistant
Zameka
Office Assistant
Caren Mason
Bookkeeping Consultant
Caren
Bookkeeping Consultant
Justine Sterling
Marketing & Communications
Justine
Marketing & Communications
Chandre Elliott
Graphic Designer
Chandre
Graphic Designerearly life team

Busiswa Mbabala
Trainer
Busiswa
Trainer
Ruth Lundie
Head of Programmes and Partnerships
Ruth
Head of Programmes and Partnerships
Daisy Pearce
Operational Support Administrator
Daisy
Operational Support Administrator
Mawande Gcilitshana
Trainer
Mawande
Trainer
Grace De Jager
Content Developer
Grace
Content Developereducation team

Lakin Arendse
Operations Specialist
Lakin
Operations Specialist
Liezl Brooks
Foundation Phase Instructional Coach
Liezl
Foundation Phase Instructional Coach
Carmen Coraizin
Intermediate Phase Instructional Coach
Carmen
Intermediate Phase Instructional Coach
Lynn Davids
Head of Operations
Lynn
Head of Operations
Matthew Draper
Head of Instruction
Matthew
Head of Instruction
Bronwyn Hiles
Coaching and Training Specialist
Bronwyn
Coaching and Training Specialist
Mark Jina
Northern Cape Liaison
Mark
Northern Cape Liaison
Vuyo Manzi
Administrator
Vuyo
Administrator
Sindiswa Mpaliso
Finance Specialist
Sindiswa
Finance Specialist
Zenobia Williams
Curriculum and Assessment Specialist
Zenobia
Curriculum and Assessment Specialist
Nolu Yawa
High School Instructional Coach
Nolu
High School Instructional Coach
Jessica Van Nelson
Human Resource Officer
Jessica
Human Resource Officer
Murray Gibbon
Deputy Programme Director
Murray
Deputy Programme Director
Babalwa Malibeni
Education Finance Administrator
Babalwa
Education Finance Administrator
Lizaan Williams
Collaboration Schools Assessment Implementer
Lizaan
Collaboration Schools Assessment Implementer
Ntombizanele Hene
Northern Cape Instructional Coach
Ntombizanele
Northern Cape Instructional Coach
Lebo Phosa
Northern Cape Instructional Coach
Lebo
Northern Cape Instructional Coachemployment team
employment team

Blu Bomela
Replication & Community Relations Officer
Blu
Replication & Community Relations Officer
Rene O’Ryan
Employment Implementer
Rene
Operations Manager & Employment Leadmeet the Common Good board
Common Good is led by a skilled, experienced, engaged, and diverse Board who have experience in both the corporate and NGO sectors. With our track record of impact, robust governance practices and solid financial management structures, Common Good is a trusted NGO and development partner working across South Africa.
Expertise: Leadership, Financial Governance, Social Impact
Greg is currently the CEO of Neumind, a business coaching company. He brings experience as an executive in the corporate environment, specifically as an Organisational Development Consultant in change management and as a qualified executive coach. He holds a BCom (Hons) in Information Systems.
Expertise: Leadership, people and organisational development.
Mokgaetsi is a highly experienced business leader, with a legal career spanning more than 20 years. She sits on the Executive Management Team at PetroSA, where she is Head of Legal Counsel.
Expertise: Corporate law and sustainability
Bruce has a deep love for God and is dedicated to honoring Him in all aspects of his life. He is a devoted husband to Leonora, father to four daughters, grandfather, brother, friend, and pastor in his community. With 44 years in FMCG as a Packaging Development & Design Manager, Bruce brings extensive expertise in leadership, people management, and project management. His passion for investing in people and the next generation aligns with Common Good’s vision to support grassroots transformation.
Expertise: Leadership, People Management, Project Management, Pastoring
Don is part of the congregational eldership team at Common Ground Church Constantiaberg. He has been part of the Common Ground story for 17 years, of which 13 have been in a full-time staff capacity. He has an honours degree in Practical Theology. He previously managed two start-up businesses.
Expertise: Theology, Community Engagement and Business Managment.
Llewellyn has degrees in engineering and computer science, and 40 years of experience in business management. He has served on many boards, from listed companies to small start-ups. Since his retirement he has become involved as a board member or chairman of several NGOs.
Expertise: Strategic planning, business operations, assessing and developing human potential.
Sally started off her professional career as a medical doctor and worked in a district hospital in the rural . Eastern Cape for 16yrs. During her time there she began a journey into education, which started with homeschooling her own 3 children and ultimately grew into a small, community primary school. Sally is passionate about children reaching their potential and understanding their true identity in Christ. She currently spends her time between raising 3 teenagers, supporting her school remotely and training primary school maths teachers.
Joseph is a transformational leader with over 17 years of experience across retail, financial services, FMCG, consulting, manufacturing, and mining. He specializes in leading complex transformation initiatives, optimizing operations, and delivering large-scale projects leveraging his engineering degree and Masters of Business Administration from the Gordon Institute of Business Science. Joseph is also a passionate advocate for diversity, inclusion, and social impact, using his influence to drive meaningful change in both business and community settings.
Expertise: Transformational Leadership, Technology & Project Management & Social Impact
Polly serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Common Good, bringing a strong background in project leadership, people development, and strategic execution. With experience in both HR and project management, she is known for her people-centred approach, clear communication, and ability to bring order to complexity. Polly is passionate about building high-performing teams and leading with purpose. She thrives in spaces that require both structure and innovation, and is deeply committed to seeing individuals and communities flourish. As CEO, she leads Common Good in its mission to bring lasting change to under-resourced communities through scalable, faith-rooted solutions in early life, education, employment, and justice.