Minhaj is the Executive Director at My Vote Counts. He has a keen interest in movement building, popular education, and deepening democracy.

He is a former student activist and a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Fellowship on Racial Equity. He has worked in the social justice sector for 8 years, in education, community and youth organising, and budget justice. Prior to his work at MVC, he was the National Coordinator of the Fight Inequality Alliance – a growing alliance of social movements and NGOs organising in 30 countries. And the head of the political education unit at the learner-led social movement, Equal Education. He also has an interest in story-telling as a form of resistance, and is currently the Host and Producer of Voices of Da City, a documentary-style podcast series exploring the intersection between race, resistance, and Hip Hop in Cape Town, South Africa.

Sheilan is the Head of Communications and Stakeholder Management. Her job entails many things including developing a communications strategy, developing and maintaining stakeholder relationships and ensuring our campaigns reach far and wide.

She joined MVC in 2018 and brings along her journalism, media and networking experience to the organisation that she’s gained over the last 10 years. She has previously been involved with several civil-society organisations where she’s lead many campaigns, reported from Parliament and more. She has also worked at various media houses.

Lelethu has experience in communications and public relations within the public and non-profit sectors. With a deep-seated passion for public education, she strives to drive positive societal change.

She is committed to advancing gender, social, and environmental justice, and hopes to contribute towards equality and an inclusive South Africa.

Joel joined MVC in 2019 and is the organisation’s Senior Researcher. His focus area is intra-party democracy – working to understand the extent to which political parties institute democratic practices internally and why this is important for South Africa’s democracy and governance. His most recent research looked at internal democracy in the ANC through the lens of its 55th elective conference. He worked at the Social Justice Coalition from 2010 until 2016 and worked briefly for #UniteBehind.

Joel received a Masters degree in Historical Studies from the University of Cape Town and studied history, politics, and film in his undergrad.

Robyn is the Political Party Funding Researcher for My Vote Counts. Her job entails research on political party funding, engaging with stakeholders, creating awareness on the need for party funding frameworks and public education.

She holds a BA in International Relations, BAdmin Hons (Cum Laude) and a Masters candidate in political science at the University of the Western Cape. She joined MVC in 2020 and brings her experience as a field researcher in areas as diverse as Khayelitsha and Genadendal and academic expertise.

Nosiphelo Mahola is self-driven and passionate about working with finances. She has been working in the financial administration environment since 2011 and her years of working have made her a team player and a game changer. She has several qualifications in finance and business and is currently completing her Bachelor in Business Administration.

When not working she enjoys reading books on African literature, long-distance running, and hiking mountain trails to discover hidden gems.

Lilitha is currently finishing her Master of Arts in political studies at the University of the Western Cape looking at how Covid-19 impacted the 2021 local government elections. She enjoys reading in her free time.