Baobab Executive Team
Meet the leadership team driving Baobab Concession’s infrastructure strategy and project delivery.
Our Board of Directors
Baobab Concession has assembled an outstanding multi-disciplinary team. Our vision is to provide quality border management services that exceed the expectations of our esteemed customers and stakeholders.
Gilbert Phalafala
Chairman
Gilbert Phalafala is an accomplished entrepreneur and business leader with over three decades of experience, rooted in the financial sector. Throughout his career, he has successfully delivered projects for leading blue-chip organisations, including SAB, ABI, Sasol, Afrox, and BPB Gypsum.
He is the founder of Yakani Group, which led the landmark Akanani Platinum transaction in 2007 and has since developed strategic holdings in mineral resources. His business interests span mining, manufacturing, and agricultural production within South Africa’s food industry.
Mr Phalafala is deeply committed to socio-economic development, with his ventures contributing to job creation in underdeveloped communities. He serves on several boards in leadership capacities and is a Fellow of the Chartered Governance Institute of Southern Africa (FCG). He currently serves as Chairman of Yakani Group, an investment management company with a focus on property development and infrastructure.
Mathane Makgatho
Mathane Makgatho is an experienced finance executive and former Group Treasurer of Transnet, where she was responsible for leading the organisation’s funding strategy and managing relationships with rating agencies, investors, and lenders. In this role, she played a key part in raising a significant portion of funding for Transnet’s R330 billion capital investment programme.
She began her career as an economic researcher at the National Institute of Economic Policy (NIEP) before joining the National Treasury’s Asset and Liability Management Division. There, she served as Deputy Director: International Finance and later as Director: Market Risk, contributing to South Africa’s international financing strategy and establishing the risk management division.
Ms Makgatho is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Matla Capital and serves as Executive Director of Matla Integration. She leads the organisation in delivering advisory services across strategic guidance, structured funding, balance sheet optimisation, project structuring, risk mitigation, and capital raising.
Sizwe Tati
Sizwe Tati is a seasoned business leader with over 35 years of commercial experience across diverse sectors, including oil and gas, beverages, banking, development finance, and non-profit enterprise support. His academic background includes executive studies at Harvard, Henley Management College, and the Wharton School of Business, reflecting a strong commitment to continuous professional development.
Mr Tati has held a broad range of leadership roles, from junior management to senior executive positions, demonstrating both adaptability and strategic leadership. He is also an entrepreneur, having founded and led several companies, including Yakani Group and Mnambithi Group, where he drove strategic acquisitions across infrastructure, housing, mining, and petroleum sectors.
His core expertise lies in the financial services sector, particularly in retail and investment banking, with a focus on housing finance, asset finance, and small business banking. His career highlights include leading ABSA’s Vehicle and Asset Finance division, founding Khula Enterprise Finance Ltd, and advancing the Akanani Platinum project to bankability. He continues to manage a diverse investment portfolio and remains actively engaged in the business landscape.
Warren Newfield
Warren Newfield is an experienced entrepreneur and corporate leader in the mining and real estate sectors. He is the founder and Chairman of Talon Metals Corp., a company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), and the founder of Tau Capital, a mining and real estate advisory and finance business.
Mr Newfield has also played a pivotal role in the establishment and growth of several TSX-listed companies, including Platexco Inc., AfriOre Limited, and CIC Energy. He served as co-founder and director of these entities until their successful acquisitions, with a combined transaction value exceeding $800 million.
His career is characterised by strong expertise in corporate finance, resource development, and strategic transactions across international markets.
Ian Hallé
Ian Hallé is a highly experienced executive with extensive expertise in property finance and investment. He joined the Group over 23 years ago, following 16 years of prior experience in the financial sector.
He was appointed Group Financial Director in 2004 and subsequently Chief Executive Officer in 2010. A Bachelor of Commerce graduate from the University of Cape Town, Mr Hallé brings deep expertise in property financial structuring, asset management, portfolio optimisation, organisational restructuring, debt strategy, and taxation.
He continues to lead the Group alongside a team of experienced directors, driving sustainable growth and long-term value creation for shareholders.
Jason De Wilde
Jason De Wilde is the Financial Director of Navigator Holdings Group, with over 19 years of experience in the property and real estate sector. He has developed extensive expertise across key areas of property asset management, including debt raising, financial structuring, and taxation.
He holds a BCom (Law) and a BCom Honours (Accounting) from the University of Port Elizabeth. He completed his articles at Moores Rowland in Cape Town (now Mazars) and is a qualified Chartered Accountant. Mr De Wilde is recognised for his strong financial acumen, strategic insight, and disciplined approach to financial management within complex property portfolios.