Malusi Ninela — Senior Software Test Engineer

About Me

I'm a seasoned Software Test Engineer with over 15 years of hands-on experience in Quality Assurance, Test Automation, and Systems Integration. Based in the beautiful City of Cape Town, I currently serve as a Senior Software Test Engineer at CSG, where I lead testing strategy, mentor engineers, and drive quality across complex software platforms.

My career has taken me across some of the most demanding environments in telecom and fintech — from upgrading billing systems for Vodacom across Africa, to building automated test frameworks for enterprise-grade payment solutions at ACI Worldwide. I thrive at the intersection of technical depth and team leadership.

Beyond the code, I'm a multilingual South African who speaks Xhosa, Zulu, Sotho, and English. I believe in continuous learning, mentoring the next generation of engineers, and building software that truly serves its users.

Quality First

Building robust test frameworks and driving CI/CD quality gates

Team Builder

Mentoring engineers and growing collective team knowledge

Global Reach

Delivered projects across South Africa, Mozambique, and Tanzania

Professional Journey

Jan 2021 — Present

Senior Software Test Engineer

CSG International • Cape Town

Led QA activities for multiple releases, from planning through execution and deployment
Developed automated regression frameworks, reducing test cycles
Mentored junior engineers, reviewed their code and test cases, and facilitated onboarding
Spearheaded the setup and maintenance of CI pipelines and test environments using Jenkins and Docker
Defined acceptance criteria, wrote test scenarios, and executed tests (manual & automated)
Worked closely with developers and product owners to ensure testability and functional completeness

May 2017 — Dec 2020

Software Test Engineer

CSG International

Delivered high-quality QA deliverables including test plans, test cases, and defect logs
Collaborated with business analysts to ensure requirements coverage and traceability
Led regression and performance testing efforts; reported and tracked bugs via JIRA
Contributed to test automation framework enhancements and test environment stability

Apr 2016 — Apr 2017

Systems Integration Engineer

Redknee • Pretoria, South Africa

Led integration and acceptance testing of complex BSS architectures across customer environments
Coordinated with 3rd-party vendors to resolve configuration and interface issues
Delivered migration testing and first-execution validations for new product rollouts
Provided technical leadership during integration projects, often working on-site

Jul 2014 — Mar 2016

Quality Assurance Engineer

ACI Worldwide

Executed functional, regression, and performance testing of payment software solutions
Defined test scope, criteria, and test plans in collaboration with developers and stakeholders
Contributed to test process improvements and best practices for global QA teams

Sep 2013 — Jun 2014

Systems Integration Engineer

Redknee • South Africa

Designed and executed technical solutions for complex BSS integration projects
Managed on-site integration of applications, interfaces, and configurations

Jul 2012 — Sep 2013

BSS System Integration Engineer

Nokia Siemens Networks • Centurion, South Africa

Delivered on-site BSS integrations; validated end-to-end processes, migrations, and acceptance criteria
Coordinated multi-party troubleshooting; ensured compliance and operational readiness for launch
Documented defects and solutions; improved repeatability of deployments through reusable procedures

Mar 2011 — Jun 2012

Integration and Verification Engineer

Nokia Siemens Networks • Centurion, South Africa

Reviewed specifications, designed test scenarios, and executed automated tests
Maintained issue logs, produced test documentation, and supported software release cycles

Feb 2010 — Jul 2010

Computer Skills Tutor

Durban University of Technology • Durban, South Africa

Taught students foundational computer skills — hardware, software, and the Windows operating system
Early demonstration of passion for knowledge sharing and mentorship

Skills & Expertise

Test Automation

Building and maintaining automated test scripts, frameworks, and CI/CD pipelines for continuous quality delivery.

API & Performance Testing

Deep expertise in API validation, load testing, and performance benchmarking across distributed systems.

Cloud & Infrastructure

AWS Certified — designing test environments and infrastructure on cloud platforms (AWS, Azure DevOps) with IaC principles.

Systems Integration

Expert at integrating complex BSS architectures, third-party ecosystems, and enterprise applications.

QA Strategy & Process

Defining test scope, risk analysis, entrance/exit criteria, and driving continuous process improvement in Agile/Scrum environments.

Leadership & Mentorship

Guiding teams, onboarding engineers, contributing to recruitment, and growing collective knowledge.

Tools & Technologies

Automation & Testing

Robot Framework Rest Assured ReadyAPI JMeter Selenium Cucumber Jasmine Protractor

API Testing

Postman Bruno Rest Assured ReadyAPI REST APIs

DevOps & CI/CD

Jenkins Docker Git Bitbucket Azure DevOps AWS

Collaboration

JIRA Confluence HP Quality Center

Languages

Java JavaScript SQL Bash

Platforms & OS

Ubuntu Red Hat Windows WSL VMWare

Education & Certifications

Education

2010

BTech: Information Technology

Durban University of Technology

2007 — 2009

Diploma: Information Technology

Durban University of Technology

2006

Matric with Exemption

Nhlanhlayethu Secondary School

Certifications

AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C01)

Amazon Web Services • Dec 2021

Usability Testing Certificate

iLAB • Jun 2018

ISTQB Certified Tester — Foundation Level

ISTQB • Nov 2013

Notable Projects

Vodacom Mozambique

Led the upgrade of Vodacom Mozambique's online billing system — replacing legacy software with a modern charging platform to enhance customer billing accuracy and performance.

BSSBillingIntegrationTelecom

Vodacom Tanzania

Executed a full billing system overhaul for Vodacom Tanzania — managing end-to-end integration, testing, and migration to ensure a seamless transition to the new charging platform.

BSSMigrationTestingTelecom

Things I Build for Fun

Outside of work, I channel my energy into building tools that make a real difference — for learners, for my kids, for my community, and for fellow adventurers.

📐

Maths Mastery

A free CAPS-aligned Grade 12 self-tutor for Mathematical Literacy and Pure Maths. Dynamic quizzes with fresh numbers every time, three difficulty levels, term-aware content, cloud progress sync — built to give South African learners a real shot.

EdTechFreeCAPSGrade 12

→

🐻

Two Little Cubs' Learning Den

A personalised learning hub built for my daughters — Ominathi (Grade 5) and Esihle (Pre-school). Scratch coding, times tables, long division, number tracing, and alphabet games. Made with love by Dear Daddy.

FamilyEducationCodingKids

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🏔

About Time Adventures

A full event platform for a beginner-friendly hiking group heading to the Drakensberg. Build-up sessions, accommodation booking, cost breakdowns, gear lists, and a gallery — come as you are, no one gets left behind.

OutdoorsCommunityEventsDrakensberg

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🔥

Ebukhosini Barbeque

A website for a township flame-grill spot in Ntuzuma, Durban. Online ordering, a full menu, customer testimonials, and WhatsApp integration — bringing the shisanyama experience online with 39K+ Facebook followers.

Small BusinessFoodE-commerceDurban

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🏫

Society7 SMS

A school management system with role-based access for admins, teachers, and learners. Handles enrolment, grading, and communications — a full-stack platform designed to streamline how schools operate.

Full-StackSaaSEducationManagement

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What People Say

"Malusi is passionate about his work, and never minds to tackle the difficult customer facing issues. He has grown tremendously since he joined our team in 2011, and it is very rare that you see such a young engineer with such a mature attitude towards his work."

HK

Herman Kotze Colleague

"I had the privilege of working with Malusi Ninela and at the time he showed a lot of commitment to finishing his assigned tasks. He is also a hard worker, customer focused individual who takes pride in perfecting his tasks. He works well with other people, has a willingness to learn more from other colleagues, and has good communication skills."

TM

Thandanani Quinton Mbanjwa Colleague

Languages

isiXhosa

Native

isiZulu

Native

Sesotho

Fluent

English

Full Professional Proficiency

Let's Connect

Whether you want to discuss QA strategy, explore collaboration opportunities, or just say hello — I'd love to hear from you. Reach out directly below.

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