groundWork's director is Bobby Peek, who has received international recognition for his campaigning work in the South Durban basin around toxic industry and waste issues.

He has also been active in campaigning locally and internationally around the Thor Chemicals debacle. He is a recipient of the prestigious Goldman Foundation award and has been invited to present papers in local, government and international fora.

Gill Addison is our deputy director: finance and administration.  She has previously worked for the Group for Environmental Monitoring, the IDRC and EJNF, amongst others.

Siziwe Khanyile is the Air Quality Campaigns Manager for groundwork. She has worked for the KZN Christian Council and Lawyers for Human Rights coordinating training around HIV-AIDs and the law. Siziwe has a Bachelor of Social Science and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Marketing and Supply Chain Management and is currently studying for a Bachelor of Law degree (LLB) part-time.

Rico Euripidou is a qualified environmental epidemiologist and health scientist who has been doing contractual work for groundWork before joining groundWork full-time in January 2006 as our Research Manager.

Rico obtained a BTech Honours Degree in Waste Management and Epidemiology before moving to the UK where he read for an MSc at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and an MSc in Contaminated Land Management at Nottingham University. He has worked for the Chemical Incident Response Service, Medical Toxicology Unit in London, where he was responsible for giving real time appropriate toxicological information, sampling advice, interpretation of results and detailed local investigations during or following chemical incidents.

Rico hopes to assist groundWork’s community campaigns by providing an evidence base for environmental health inequalities which can be used by community campaigns to push for environmental improvements.

Ben Mazibuko is the Waste Campaign Manager. He comes to groundWork from BESG (the Built Environment Support Group) where he was Project Manager of the Community Based Maintenance project.

Ben was awarded a scholarship from the UN to study at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with a Higher Diploma in Education in 1994. He has taught at several underprivileged schools in South Africa, during which time he also completed a Masters Degree in African Literature and Languages at the University of Durban Westville. He has also taught in California and South Korea.

At groundWork, Ben will be responsible for coordinating the Waste Campaign, which aims to increase awareness and improve governance of waste related issues- specifically landfill sites, hazardous waste, health care waste, chemicals management and the promotion of non-burn treatment and disposal options for the various waste streams.

Jane Harley had consulted to groundWork for more than two years before March 2006 when she became a full-time member of the groundWork team, providing research, IT and planning support to the Director and the other project managers.

Jane was MD of her own company before changing tack completely and taking up organic farming in the Natal Midlands. Jane has also been a dedicated Lifeline counsellor for several years. Besides her many talents, Jane brings to groundWork her creative energy and her passion for justice and protecting those more vulnerable than herself.

Bathoko Sibisi is the assistant administrator.  She has over five years' experience working with local and international NGOs  in the environmental justice field. In addition to keeping the office running from day to day, Bathoko is also responsible for conference coordination.

Contact Details for groundwork:
Tel: +27 (0)33 342 5662
Fax: +27 (0)33 342 5665
Email: team@groundwork.org.za

Map to get to groundWork Office in Pietermaritzburg