About Us
Established in 2011 as a non-profit voluntary association, Participatory Guarantee Systems South Africa (PGS SA) is the body representing PGS in South Africa. It is dedicated to supporting the establishment of PGS’s in the region to help facilitate local market access for organic and agroecological farmers.
PGS SA helps smallholder farmer groups to harness the economic, environmental and social potential of organic farming. The end result of this process is the development of a sustainable market access system, based on transparent, producer-focused systems where consumers are assured of the integrity of organic products.
PGS drives food sovereignty through localised, farmer-driven food systems based around a community of practice.
PGS SA achieves this in the following ways:

Training of smallholder farmers using organic and agroecology principles



PGS Guiding Elements

Shared Vision

Trust

Horizontality

Transparency

Participatory

Learning Process
Learn More
Our Steering Committee

Matthew Purkis
Chairperson
Matthew is an entrepreneur, ecological designer, practitioner, and organic food systems advocate.

Butshabelo Mabunda
Vice-Chairperson
Butshabelo is passionate about agroecological practices that feed the nation with nutritious and healthy food.

Raymond Auerbach
Treasurer
Raymond has been farming organically in KwaZulu-Natal for 40 years .

Sasha Mentz
Secretary
Sasha is a small-scale organic farmer and advocacy researcher, she is project manager for PGS SA and a PGS practitioner herself.
Tanya Spangenberg | Gauteng | brypgs@gmail.com |
Butshabelo Agnes Mabunda | Limpopo | mabundabutshabelo@gmail.com |
Sylvester Nzimande | Mpumalanga | sylvesternzimande4@gmail.com |
Busisiwe Mgangxela | Eastern Cape | busisiwemgangxela@gmail.com |
Mveli Cyril CC Sicelo |
Kwazulu- Natal |
m.c.mkhungoh@gmail.com CC: scelo@snns.co.za |
Sophia Grodes CC: Sheryl Ozinsky CC: Audrey Wainright |
Western Cape |
grodessophia32@gmail.com sheryl@ozinsky.co.za CC: audwok@gmail.com audwok@gmail.com |
Freddy Piroe
|
North West Province | piroemy1@gmail.com |
Michelle Rorich | Northern Cape |
michellerorich1@gmail.com |
NA | Free State |
What better way for organics to function than for it to be driven by its members.

Charmaine Koppehel
Communication & Marketing
The development and execution of communication and marketing strategies across all available platforms with the aim of growing consumer awareness and support of organic farmers and their produce.

Sheryl Ozinsky
Market Development for PGS
Create opportunities for PGS producers to link directly to local customers and earn fair prices for the fruits of their labour by selling direct.

Brett Sander
Organic Value Chain Development
Developing the organic value chain with vertical integration, scope for regional hubs and enhance public-private collaboration. Raise awareness of PGS among governments, local authorities, development partners, SME’s and local NGO’s to encourage them to invest in PGS. The establishment of the organic trade desk is the outcome of this working group.
Fola Yusuf
EOA Farmer Support & Advisory

Audrey Wainwright
Certification
Supporting PGS groups and their farmer members by creating PGS friendly policies and enabling frameworks ensuring alignment to the SAOSO Standard for Organic Production and Processing and context specific for PGS groups.

Matthew Purkis
EOA Technology
The group focuses on the roll-out of the technology suite that is in development for the mapping and data collection process to inform the farmer support and market development working groups. The aggregated data will assist in future fundraising and program development to connect provincial supply chains. The technology is a central component to the role out of Organic 3.0 and digital value chains.

Edmore Parichi
Seed
Create a PGS seed bank for accredited PGS farmers to draw from. Special focus on indigenous seed; document seed catching mechanisms; treatments to improve seed and seedling health. This group is focused on developing the provincial networks with the main goal to establish seed banks within PGS groups and wider agricultural networks. Seed sovereignty is the main objective of this working group.

Busisiwe Mgangxela
EOA Farmer Support & Advisory
Providing technical support to farmers from best practice organic methodology, organic growing innovations and traditional knowledge to land design, production, market access, training and monitoring the impact in the field of PGS and standards. Strengthen capacities of stakeholder farmers to ensure the flow of information and use of new technologies, and organic best practice.

Daniel Moody
EOA Technology
The group focuses on the roll-out of the technology suite that is in development for the mapping and data collection process to inform the farmer support and market development working groups. The aggregated data will assist in future fundraising and program development to connect provincial supply chains. The technology is a central component to the role out of Organic 3.0 and digital value chains.
Rosah Ramaipadi
Seed


Jama Mashele
Research & Education
This group will be focused on furthering the research agenda for the organic sector. Working closely with universities and other institutions such as ARC to bring organic into the mainstream.

Justice Lubobo
Fundraising
This group will focus on fundraising activities for the future of PGS SA and SAOSO. It will be working closely with steering committee members and all the WGs (and their specific fundraising requirements) to develop funding proposals and screening potential funders and linking the proposal to potential funding mechanisms.

Matt Purkis
Governance
Matters of governance for both PGSSA and SAOSO to ensure that their constitutions correctly serve the organisations.
Alan Rosenberg
Governance