Strategic
Pillars

Masasani Eve Chavalala

Managing Director | Owner
PhD Candidate — The University of the Free State (Doctoral Scholarship)

Eve is a seasoned urban planner and project management specialist with over 18 years of experience leading complex, multiyear donor-funded programmes across Southern Africa. In 2019, Eve took the helm of CMRA, transitioning the company from its origins as a joint initiative of VNG International and SALGA into a 100% South African-owned firm and, has since led its growth into one of the country's most respected local government advisory practices.

Eve is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of the Free State, with research focused on the intersection of governance, planning, and sustainability, with a particular emphasis on post-mining town transitions and economic diversification in the South African context. Her doctoral work directly informs CMRA's growing body of expertise in municipal sustainability, climate resilience, and long-term spatial and economic planning.

Eve's portfolio spans municipal planning, local economic development, institutional reform, climate change planning, research and digitalisation, reflecting both the breadth of her expertise and CMRA's evolving response to the priorities of modern local government. Her track record as a project team lead on complex, high-value, multi-stakeholder programmes funded by a range of international and domestic institutions speaks to her ability to deliver with rigour, credibility, and lasting impact.