About us

Jennifer van den Bussche is the founder and director of Sticky Situations. She brings extensive project management experience that interweaves technical, social, and research facilitation skills.

Her technical expertise covers training, mentoring, construction, infrastructure, and water and waste management, as well as public artwork implementation. Her social skills are rooted in community capacity building and collaborative engagement, while her research skills include quantitative/qualitative data capture, mapping, and surveying.

Jennifer currently leads a team specializing in innovative, participatory, co-production methodologies across developmental projects in Johannesburg. Her work focuses on building capacity and strengthening relationships between local communities and government, driven by the belief that meaningful change happens through collaborative engagement and collective decision-making.

Andries is the Co-Director of Sticky Situations and a retired professional basketball player. In his role, he manages the company’s day-to-day operations and oversees all community development and participatory practices.

His background includes an internship with the City of Johannesburg Development Planning Department, which provided him with a deep understanding of both local community dynamics and official City processes. Andries also possesses substantial expertise in managing complex projects. His proficiency in multiple languages further enhances his ability to be a formidable asset to any team.

I am a researcher, community participation consultant and academic tutor, working both within the university environment and at grassroots level, often in collaboration with local government. My two disciplinary strands, Urban Studies and Socio-Linguistics, allow me to engage theoretically and broadly, whilst my research, participatory engagement and project management experience enable me to design and deliver programmes that bridge theory and practice and facilitate considered and critical engagements. Educated to NFQ Level 9, I hold over 10 years of experience working with communities, NGOs and governmental departments as part of a dynamic, interdisciplinary, participatory team.

Nomcebo is a Registered Urban Planner in South Africa, holding qualifications in Urban and Regional Planning. She brings extensive experience in community development projects, with a focus on local economic development and human settlements (particularly in informal settlements).

Her qualifications and experience provide her with strong proficiency across a diverse range of skills, including Development Planning, Spatial Planning, Community-based Planning, Social Facilitation, Stakeholder Engagement, Land Use Management, and Urban Design Development, as well as Feasibility Studies, Research Report Writing, and Training of Trainers.

Anna is a senior advisor on the Advisory Board of Sticky Situations. Anna is a researcher at the Center for Sustainable Urban Development at Columbia University’s Earth Institute. Prior to this she was Associate Professor in the Faculty of Architecture, Design and Planning at the University of Sydney. A member of the UN Millennium Project Task Force on Improving the Lives of Slum Dwellers (2002-04) she went on to lead the Global Studio, an action research project to assist urban professionals to work effectively with the urban poor. Working with academic partners, local government and NGOs, since 2005 the program has attracted over 600 students, academics and professionals from 66 universities, over 30 countries and 10 disciplines to its conferences and programs in Istanbul (2005), Vancouver (2006), Johannesburg (2007-09), and Bhopal (2012).

Genevieve is a co-founder of Sticky Situations, and currently sits on the Sticky Advisory Board. She is a multidisciplinary spatial designer working across the fields of architecture, urban design, public art and performance. She holds a Masters of Urban Design and Development; a Bachelor of Design in Architecture; and a Bachelor of Design in Theatre. Genevieve has a specialist interest in how the creative industries can interact with communities to enrich life at neighbourhood, regional, and strategic levels.

WASSUP are a community based cooperative that repairs and maintains communal ablutions in the township’s Extension 1. Driven by 5 members (Luckie Manyisi, Jack Molokomme, Junitha Kgatla, Obed Kekae and Lerato Monama) this team has been key collaborators with Sticky Situations since The Global Studio program in 2007. This team have helped to form the direction and approach of Sticky Situations, that is participatory and community driven design and implementation. Find them on Facebook.