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IngweNet© NPC was formerly known as IngweNet© People Empowerment and Sustainable Community Development Trust which was founded in 1996 by Wayne “Ingwe” Lourens, who was the Founder and Executive Director of the Trust.

 

In 2008, he was bestowed an Honorary Doctorate in People Empowerment and Sustainable Community Development by the Holy Nation Bible College (HNBC) and Christian Coalition South Africa, recognised by the former Arlington University of Australia.

 

Honorary Dr Lourens has been a farmer his whole life (although not always a practicing one), with multi-faceted skills, with "job descriptions" that include positions as a Strategic Planner, Agriculturalist, Environmentalist, and People Empowerment Developer.

 

Amongst his other relevant appointments, he has the following credentials:

  • Former Town Clerk (now known as Town Manager) and Chief Disaster Manager of a smaller, rural Local Authority;

  • Consultant to Changing Lifestyles (Gauteng);

  • Consultant to Organic Farms Group;

  • Former Sole Preferred Service Provider (Consultant) to the National African Farmers Union (NAFU), establishing the Emergent Farmers Development Program, the Sustainable Muthi Plant Program for Sangomas and Inyangas, and Youth Service Training Centres;

  • Consultant to the eThekwini Traditional Healers Council;

  • Consultant to Umgibe Farming Organics and Training Institute; and

  • Currently a registered partner alongside Agricultural Unions, AGRI SA, and Rural Community Policing structures in the newly-formed South African Agri-Crime Prevention Institute (SAACPI).

 

He was given the isiZulu name “Ingwe” by the rural communities he supported over the years.

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"Ingwe" was contracted to a development program in the KZN Midlands in late November 2010, and one of the terms of the contract called for exclusivity of his personal services, and the decision was taken to shut down the IngweNet© People Empowerment and Sustainable Community Development Trust.

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The aforementioned contract ended on 27th July 2020, and Hon Dr Lourens was able to start planning the reintroduction of the Trust with a new name that is registered as a Non Profit Company with CIPC (the Companies and Intellectual Properties Commission), with additional experience to back up what was previously offered, and to encompass changing environmental needs as we prepare to enter the 2nd quarter of the 3rd decade of the millennium.

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The Management Team:

As expected, there have been some changes to the original IngweNet© People Empowerment and Sustainable Community Development Trust Management Team in the recent re-establishment of IngweNet© as an NPC .

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Five members of the former IngweNet© People Empowerment and Sustainable Community Development Trust Management Team have either passed on or retired, however, over the past 10 years, other people have shown that their paradigms and life-philosophies reflect and parallel those of IngweNet© NPC, and thus they have been invited to join the IngweNet© NPC Management Team, to replace those who have left.

 

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Any lack in skills or experience:

The immense depth of experience found in the individuals of the management team, as well as combined as a whole, cover all eventualities, and have no lack in the skills required for a project of this magnitude. In addition to the Management Team mentioned above, IngweNet© NPC has a depth of experienced people who have affiliated to the organisation as being available to assume duties under certain circumstances. This depth of expertise (across all cultural groups) provides the Management Team with possible dual-redundancy alternatives in the case of any particular member not being able to continue in their duties.

 

The Management Team’s motivations:

Each individual in the new Management Team has as their primary motivation, the non-prescriptive empowerment of people. The secondary motivation of each member of the Team is to provide perpetual mentorship to others into the positions held by each of them, thereby effectively replicating themselves in cycles of approximately 3 to 5 years.

They all have the interest of communities at heart, and will check back individually, and as a Team, along with community entrepreneurs and the Community Development Support Teams.

The Management Team has been carefully selected as having performed exceptionally, and are the cream of the best available personnel for this particular program. They have been selected purely on the merit of their past performance, and their willingness to pass on their knowledge and skills base through the perpetual mentorship program.

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More information regarding the areas that the former IngweNet© People Empowerment and Sustainable Community Development Trust had impact on the lives of an estimated 4 million mostly-rural people over a period of almost 15 years, and which the new IngweNet© NPC has resumed and added value to in new initiatives, can be found in the IngweNet© NPC Executive Summary, downloadable from the button below.

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Directors: Hon Dr W. Lourens; M. Rondi; A. Smith.

 

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