Meet the Team
At Palamo, we pride ourselves on bringing together a dynamic group of professionals who are not only experts in their respective fields but also share a passion for driving growth and creating value.
Lufuno Makhari
Chief Executive Officer
(B.Bus.Sci (Finance Hons), CFA)
Lufuno Makhari is an experienced dealmaker and investment manager with experience across multiple sectors.
Lufuno began his investment banking experience with Nedbank Capital . Following his time on Nedbank’s Global Commodity Finance desk, Lufuno joined Phembani Group’s investment team in 2012, led by Phuthuma Nhleko, where he was involved in managing transactions across a wide range of sectors. Since Phembani, Lufuno has founded and managed a number of investment vehicles with broad exposure to the South African market.
Lufuno is an experienced investment manager and entrepreneur who is passionate about value creation and unlocking opportunities and has served on several investee company boards.
Stephan van der Walt
Director & Investment Committee Member
(CA (SA),B.Com Acc (Hons) (cum laude)
Stephan is a co-founder and the Managing Director of the Pallidus Group (a corporate finance advisory, investment banking and investment management firm based in South Africa).
He is a chartered accountant who began his career in corporate finance in 2005 after spending four years in the banking and capital markets division of PricewaterhouseCoopers (now PWC). He is also a JSE approved executive.
Stephan has advised on numerous mergers and acquisitions, BEE transactions, corporate restructurings, equity and debt raisings, venture capital raisings and rights issues, and has an in-depth knowledge of the accounting, legal, tax and regulatory environment that impacts on transactions.
Zodwa Mlangeni
Independent Investment Committee Member
Zodwa is the founder and CEO of Alkemy Investments (a non-traditional investment company currently focused on the marketing, advertising and communications sector investments). She is a chartered accountant who finished her articles at PWC in 2010 and moved on to become an investment banker at RMB until December of 2012.
After leaving RMB, Zodwa became a Senior Dealmaker and Manager in the Office of the CEO at the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa. She left in 2016 to become an Investment Executive at WDB Investment Holdings until May of 2018 when she founded Alkemy Investments.
Albertinah Kekana
Albertinah is currently the CEO of Royal Bafokeng Holdings.
She was previously the Chief Operating Officer of the Public Investment Corporation and has extensive asset management, investment banking and business leadership experience.
Albertinah has extensive asset management, investment banking and business leadership experience.
Albertinah has served on the board of RMB Holdings Ltd., Rand Merchant Bank Holdings, Development Bank of Southern Africa Ltd and Rand Merchant Investment Holdings Ltd.
Albertinah is a qualified Chartered Accountant.