The South African Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (Savca) has announced the appointment of Janice Johnston and Paula Mokwena to its board of directors. Their appointments, which took effect at the beginning of the month, were confirmed during Savca’s annual general meeting held on 2 September 2025.
Johnston, the chief executive of Edge Growth Ventures, brings over 25 years of investment and leadership experience across various sectors, including debt, venture capital, and private equity. Her career highlights include a decade at Prudential Capital in London and leadership roles at Edge Growth and Identity Partners Group. Notably, she also contributed to the Presidential Climate Finance Task Team, which was pivotal in negotiating South Africa’s Just Energy Transition Investment Plan. She returned to Edge Growth Ventures as chief executive in 2023.
Paula Mokwena, chief executive of Fireball Capital, has an extensive background in investment banking, development finance, private equity, and venture capital. During her time at the Industrial Development Corporation, she played a key role in establishing the Technology Venture Capital Fund, aimed at supporting the commercialisation of local innovations. Mokwena co-founded Fireball Capital, which has successfully raised nearly R1 billion from institutional investors.
Savca also expressed gratitude to outgoing board members Fulufhelo Makwetla and Natalie Kolbe. Makwetla, the founding partner and managing director of Third Way Investment Partners, served on the board since October 2019, while Kolbe, managing partner of Norrsken22, joined in October 2020. The association looks forward to the valuable contributions that Johnston and Mokwena will bring to its mission of promoting private capital as a catalyst for growth in Southern Africa.