Mayibongwe Mncube

Nominee name: Mayibongwe Mncube

Nominee job title: Programme Officer Capacity Strengthening

Nominee company: CLEAR-AA

Nominee Sector: Consulting/Academia;

Practitioners Past involvement in SAMEA activities:

• Attended the 2021 SAMEA virtual conference

• Recipient of SAMEA scholarship to attend the Knowledge brokering and the Transformational Evaluation workshops 2021

• Took part In the SAMEA hackathon 2021

What is the biggest challenge facing M&E in SA and further abroad?

The biggest challenge facing M&E locally and abroad is the lack of professionalization of the field. This affects career pathing within the field and its fluidity makes it difficult define pathways for new entrants in the field there by resulting in gate keeping and situations where only a select few members of the profession dominate the field and define the future of M&E. Another consequence of this lack of structure is that new entrants in the field, commonly referred to as emerging evaluators, have to contend with the possibility of emerging in perpetuity and the lack of a clear path beyond the few emerging evaluator programmes.

What should SAMEA aim to achieve in the next three years?

SAMEA should aim to ensure that emerging evaluators are not limited to the emerging evaluator programmes that are available. Clear pathways are defined, real job opportunities are created for emerging evaluators not internships with no deliberate plan to absorb or train EEs to be self-sufficient in the field of M&E.

What major contribution will you bring to SAMEA and its membership?

I bring experience and perspective from the emerging evaluator programme. I am a student of M&E as well as a practitioner, as an emerging evaluator I believe that it is crucial for the SAMEA board to have a member who not only understands the experiences of emerging evaluators but one who has also lived these experiences and continues to identify with emerging evaluators.

Why should members vote for you?

The challenges that are faced by emerging evaluators need to be addressed by those who have experienced them in practice. It is important for emerging evaluators to have a voice in the leadership of SAMEA as they are the future of the field. As a product of the emerging evaluator programme of WFP and CLEAR-AA I have the necessary experience and foresight to hear and anticipate the challenges of emerging evaluators. My experience in these organization has given me the confidence necessary to pursue my dreams within M&E. It is my intention to contribute to the establishment of an enabling environment for others to find the pathways to their desired impact in the field of M&E.