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WHO WE ARE
DR SECHAB MAAPE
SANDRA MAAPE
is a Director at Afreetekture and a Senior Lecturer in Architecture at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), where he also convenes the Master’s in Urban Studies specialising in Sustainable and Energy Efficient Cities. Originally from South Africa’s Northern Cape, his work weaves together indigenous knowledge systems, climate adaptation, ritual, and spatial practice. With a PhD in Architecture from Wits, Sechaba founded Afreetekture to develop new spatial paradigms rooted in indigenous cosmologies, planetary consciousness, and cultural memory. His projects span architectural design, digital technology, and community engagement, including work with sacred landscapes, off-grid buildings, and capacity-building programmes in rural and urban contexts. A co-curator of the South African Pavilion at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale, Sechaba brings a rare synthesis of design, scholarship, and lived practice to the transformation of the built environment. His value lies in creating place-based interventions that hold cultural, ecological, and social depth, offering new pathways for development grounded in meaning and sustainability.
is Head of Psycho-Social Support in the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits). With a Master’s in Sociology and Development Studies from Wits, she has spent just under a decade developing transformative programmes that respond to the complex social realities faced by students, particularly those from under-resourced communities. In a field where social development is often overlooked, Sandra has pioneered a model of care, leadership, and industry alignment within the engineering and built environment space. She leads the Faculty’s Industry Readiness Programme, where she partners with leading firms and professionals to deliver workshops, facilitation sessions, and capacity-building interventions that prepare students for life beyond the university, not just as employees, but as thoughtful, community-minded leaders. Her ability to craft high-impact social programmes within a traditionally technical discipline has positioned her as a vital force in reshaping the future of engineering education. At Afreetekture, she brings this same approach, strategic, humane, and future-focused, into the heart of practice.