Hlumelo Marepula is a budding Environmental Engineer who has made her mark in the sustainability space both nationally and globally.

For her undergraduate research in Civil Engineering, she explored using human urine to produce urea by developing a process which could potentially replace harmful fossil-fuel based methods. She went on to present her research on a prestigious stage at the Global Falling Walls Lab in Berlin, Germany, amongst 99 other young innovators.

This opportunity heightened her passion for addressing issues around sustainability and climate change and led her to pursue her master’s in Water Quality Engineering. She continued her research, fully funded by the Mandela Rhodes Foundation, whilst collaborating with other young African leaders to realize her leadership potential.

After completing her master’s degree in record time (15 months) she was later offered a position, perfectly aligned with her passion and values in the Environmental Engineering Department at Jones & Wagener. Hlumelo considers herself extremely privileged to be working for a company who shares the same passion.

She is also a proud alumnus of the renowned Cape Town Youth Choir which she parted with after 9 years of singing and touring the world.

Hlumelo believes in contributing to a sustainable future for Africa by embarking on research which not only tackles climate change, but has the potential to make Africa a global competitor in innovation. She hopes to one day be instrumental in changing the aviation industry in the continent.