Meet Our Team
Robin Vela
Chairman and Founder
Robin is the Founder and Chairman of Firstmile Properties (Pty) Ltd which is a subsidiary of Lonsa Group Limited (“Lonsa”), a Mauritius-incorporated principal impact investment holding entity in industrials (building solutions), energy, logistics, and affordable housing sectors in the SADC region. Robin is also the Chairman of the Catapult Group, an industrial manufacturing and distribution of construction material group with an 80-year+ history.
He is also the former Chairman of the National Social Security Authority of Zimbabwe (“NSSA”) and former Chairman of First Mutual Wealth (Private) Limited, institutions with over US$2.75 billion and US$375 million of assets under management respectively under his watch. He is a professionally qualified and experienced Investment Banker; and Fellow of both the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (“ICAEW”) and the UK Chartered Securities Institute. In 2016, He was appointed to the ICAEW Member’s Advisory Board for Africa. In 2017, Robin was named the Megafeast Business Leader of the Year in Zimbabwe.
Robin is also a member of the Institute of Directors in Southern Africa and the past Patron of the African Institute of Petroleum. He is also a former appointed consultant to the World Bank and IFC.
He has held numerous public listed and private company directorships including Create Ventures Limited, Create Partners Limited, NSSA, SacOil Holdings Limited, First Mutual Holdings Limited, First Mutual Wealth Limited, First Banking Corporation Holdings Limited, FBC Reinsurance Limited, Firstmile Properties Private Limited, and Lonsa Group Limited. Robin graduated with an honours degree in Economics and Accounting from Bristol University.
Gaudencia Matongo
Operations and Administration Executive
Gaudencia became the Operations and Administration Executive of Firstmile Properties (Pty) Ltd at the inception of the company in 2004. She is in charge of the day-to-day operations, HR, and administration of the Group of Companies. Prior to joining Firstmile Properties in 2004, she worked for 4 years for the African Management Services Company (AMSCO), a special purpose vehicle of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), IMF & and World Bank.
Gaudencia worked as a Projects Associate to help improve the quality of Corporate Governance and Management in sub-Saharan African countries, particularly in the context of Private Sector Development. She also sat on the local internal UN Projects Approval Committee. Gaudencia brings over 20 years of dedicated experience in office admin, operations, and project management.
Linda Dotwana
Managing Director
Linda oversees the development and execution of the business’s strategy, as well as financial performance. Prior to joining Firstmile Properties (Pty) Ltd, Linda spent 12 years at TUHF Limited as a portfolio manager, and oversaw the origination, structuring, and execution of affordable housing project finance in respect of both green and brownfield developments, thus providing significant experience in the structuring and financing of inner city residential and affordable housing sectors.
Linda also spent 2 years at ABSA Limited as a consultant in ABSA Commercial Property finance division, focusing on affordable housing, and spent 4 years at the National Housing Finance Corporation, as a turnaround specialist (social housing sector) and project manager.
Simon Mutasa
Group Financial Manager
Simon Mutasa is the Group Finance Manager of Firstmile Properties (Pty) Ltd. He is a qualified Accountant, with a successful career spanning over 20 years, 10 of those years spent in various senior roles in the real estate sector.
He is a former Finance Manager on various property portfolios with AFHCO, Broll, and CBRE Excellerate that included Residential, Industrial, and Retail properties including the financial management of a property portfolio consisting of more than 40 properties across Southern Africa, Middle East, and North Africa regions.
Simon’s experience brings a wealth of financial management experience with considerable experience specifically in the property sector.
Adam Randles
Construction Manager
Adam is the construction manager for Firstmile Properties and brings over 23 years of experience in project management, quality control, and civil engineering. He was the CEO of Empire Construction and Project Management and oversaw the project and construction management for two construction companies. Adam was also the project manager for Blue Moon Construction and JFC Construction and focused on affordable housing projects. He was previously construction manager, quality controller, and project manager for Murray & Roberts, overseeing all facets of construction management over a vast array of buildings and structures, with a value of projects overseen of R8 billion.
Adam was also the regional rollout manager for Alcatel Lucent, managing, implementing, and supervising the roll-out of fibre projects and sub-projects, including sub-contractors during the installation and commissioning phase. Projects included Airport City Airport Industrial, Parow Industrial, 30 complexes, numerous business parks, and numerous retail shopping malls in the Cape Town and Gauteng area.
Riaan Botha
Group Senior Accountant
Riaan is the Group Senior Accountant for Firstmile Properties (Pty) Ltd. His successful career in accounting spans more than 15 years.
Riaan is the results-oriented Group Senior accountant responsible for overseeing the reporting and financial accounting activities of multi-sector subsidiary companies within the corporate structure.
His years of experience and knowledge contribute to the success of Firstmile Properties.
