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CURRICULUM VITAE
-Lunga Memela
LUNGA MEMELA
COMMUNICATION, MEDIA AND PUBLIC RELATIONS SPECIALIST
CAREER PROFILE:
EDUCATION:
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Young, dynamic corporate communicator
with over 10 years’ experience writing,
editing and managing news and
promotional copy for organisations in the
Higher Education, Creative Arts and Mining
Sectors of SA, the Netherlands and USA to
unpack strategy, inform, educate and
entertain diverse audiences for maximal
business efficiencies.
Port Shepstone High School
2001 - 2005
Senior Certificate (Grade 12)
University of KwaZulu-Natal
2006 - 2008 Majors
Bachelor of Arts
A wordsmith and art aficionado; creative
executor of corporate and social events
including campaigns, employee
activations and student recruitment.
South African Translators’ Institute Proficiency in Translation Certificate
2007
Translation
My corporate communication expertise
informs effective reputation management
through print, website and social media
management for the client with flair and
meticulous attention to detail.
University of KwaZulu-Natal
2009
Bachelor of Arts (Honours)
University of South Africa
2010
Certificate in Public Relations
Maastricht University (Netherlands)
2013 - 2014
Thesis title:
Master of Arts
I am passionate about people, culture and
travelling, which I express through writing,
photography and innovative project
execution. I am self-driven, professional, a
team player and I take on every challenge
using initiative to “get the job done”.
SKILLS:
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Matriculation Exemption with Merit
Media and Cultural Studies
Drama and Performance Studies
2008 recipient of the Golden Key
International Honor Society Award
Intercultural Communication
Media and Cultural Studies
Basic Public Relations Principals
Public Relations Practice
Art, Literature and Society
Organising Autonomy: An Evaluation
of ART2Connect as a mediator between
artists and audiences
HOBBIES:
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Copywriting and editing
News and photojournalism
Events Management
Music
Swimming
Travelling
Reading
Writing
Research
Stakeholder Engagement
Social Media Management
Web Administration
Career motto: Execute every task with flair and panache!
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EXPERIENCE
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REFERENCES
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Mr Colin Smith
Human Resources Executive
Northam Platinum Mine--Professor Debra Meyer
Executive Dean of Science
University of Johannesburg--Ms MaryAnn Francis
Public Relations Manager
UKZN College of Health Sciences--
Northam Platinum Zondereinde Mine ǀ Communication Specialist ǀ Current employment
I joined the organisation to spearhead its first Communication Department, and, to date,
what an experience is been! From a white canvass initially, this journey has challenged me
to reimage corporate communication, fashioning my thinking to design, implement and
oversee a communication strategy that effectively bridges the internal communication gap
between management and employees at different levels of literacy, and impact external
stakeholders for the greater good of the JSE-listed Northam Platinum Mine. I am privileged
to have been chosen to champion the creation, editing, distribution and monitoring and
evaluation of all advertising, communication, marketing and public relations material and
events as an enabler to ‘smart platinum mining’ - as goes the Northam group’s slogan for
the deepest platinum mine in the world.
University of Johannesburg ǀ Faculty of Science Marketer ǀ June 2016 – April 2017
“Could you be the next Albert Einstein?” was one of the first teasers that I placed in the
popular science magazine Quest to attract maths and science fundis to the University of
Johannesburg’s Faculty of Science when I joined the institution as Faculty Marketer. The
position entailed managing the budget and driving all internal and external communication,
marketing and PR activities within the Faculty in line with the University’s overall Marketing
and Communication Strategies, reporting to the Executive Dean of Science and former SABC
2 television personality, Professor Debra Meyer.
UKZN College of Health Sciences ǀ Public Relations Officer ǀ January 2012 – May 2016
Your health is your wealth, and what an honour to be employed to profile local and
international experts as you develop and implement an annual public relations strategy for
the institution's School of Health Sciences and the School of Laboratory Medicine and
Medical Sciences. In this role I was tasked to produce high-end print and digital publications,
to do website and social media content administration, events management, student
recruitment and oversee interns in line with the University’s overall objectives and values.
The opportunity shaped me to become an all-rounder in the PR space.
Professor Keyan Tomaselli
Professor Emeritus
Centre for Communication Media & Society--
ART2Connect ǀ Masters expat student and Research Intern ǀ April – June 2014
I was privileged to receive a once-in-a-lifetime scholarship to study and conduct qualitative
in-depth interviews with the local municipality and visual artists from Belgium, Germany and
the Netherlands on how to bridge the gap between artists and audiences, at the end
analysing and presenting my research data to ART2Connect ahead of the organisation’s
annual KunstTour (ArtTour) event. I was also tasked to manage and update their social
media pages and submitted a Masters Internship Report to Maastricht University and
ART2Connect, for which I was bestowed my Masters Degree.
Professor Sabiha Essack
South African Research Chair
Antimicrobial Research Unit--
UKZN Corporate Relations Division ǀ Journalist ǀ March 2010 – December 2011
I wrote extensively, sub-edited, proofread and did translations and photojournalism for
UKZN publications: UKZNDABA, UKZN Online, UKZNTouch (Alumni Magazine), UKZN
Research Report, and newsletters for the Colleges of Law and Management, Humanities,
Health Sciences, UKZN Development Brief and UKZN website.
Mrs Smita Maharaj
Communications Manager
CAPRISA--
UKZN Media Department ǀ Honours Student, Research Assistant, Tutor and Writer ǀ 2009
I assisted with all research functions and administration at UKZN’s Centre for
Communication, Media and Society. Did photography, proofread and submitted regular
pieces to the centre’s postgraduate students’ publication SUBtext. I tutored the module
Introduction to Cultural Studies to second-year students and one of my Honours research
projects was published in Investigating Communication, Health and Development (2012)
edited by Emma Durden and Eliza Govender.
Independent Newspapers ǀ Intern Journalist ǀ June 2009 - July 2009
Here, I gained newsroom experience at the Isolezwe and Sunday Tribune newspapers,
shadowed journalists, published my first newspaper article and ignited my passion for the
media industry as a whole.
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