Cobus Gouws

Cobus Gouws
Senior Manager: DHET Projects, Properties & Services, University of Fort Hare

Cobus Gouws is a registered Professional Architect and Project Manager with over 15 years’ experience in the built environment, spanning architectural practice, project and programme management, professional governance, and the delivery of complex public and private-sector infrastructure.

He holds an M.Arch (Prof) from the University of the Free State and an MSc in Built Environment, specialising in Property Economics and Valuations, from Nelson Mandela University. He is registered as a Professional Architect with SACAP and is a member of Project Management South Africa (PMSA).

At the University of Fort Hare, Cobus manages a DHET-funded Project Management Office (PMO) responsible for delivering a portfolio of infrastructure projects valued at approximately R1 billion. His role includes project and programme management, procurement, multidisciplinary professional team coordination, stakeholder engagement, governance, and strategic oversight of major capital projects.

Cobus has also held several leadership and governance positions within the architectural profession. He has served on the Board of the South African Institute of Architects (SAIA), including as Deputy Treasurer and Treasurer, and previously served as President of the SAIA Border-Kei Region.

He currently serves on the Border-Kei Chamber of Business Infrastructure Committee, where his portfolio focuses on Institutional and Social Infrastructure within the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, contributing to engagements around infrastructure development, investment and the built environment within the region.

His combined experience in professional practice, institutional infrastructure delivery, procurement and industry governance provides a practical perspective on the challenges of taking complex infrastructure projects from strategic planning and procurement through to implementation and delivery.