Thembisile Nkadimeng is the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs after having served as Deputy Minister Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs from 2021 to 2023.
She is also the former President of the South African Local Government Association (2019-2021: SALGA). She served as Deputy President of SALGA before ascending to the position of President, being the only the 2nd female President of the organization since its formation. She also serves as Co-President of United Cities of Local Government (UCLG).
Ms Nkadimeng was the Executive Mayor of Polokwane Municipality in Limpopo Province (2014 – 2021). She served in managerial positions in both public administration and in the private sector. Ms Nkadimeng holds a Higher Education Diploma, a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree as well as a BPhil (Political Studies) which she obtained from the University of Stellenbosch. In preparation for her numerous leadership roles, she also completed the Advanced Program in Management at Wits Business School and recently obtained a Masters Degree in Public Administration. Ms Nkadimeng held various leadership positions and is held in high regard for her innovative thinking and commitment to her work.
Prince Zolile Burns-Ncamashe was born on the 13th of September 1965 in Alice. He is the son of Chief Burns-Ncamashe , a South African politician and a member of National Assembly for the African National Congress.
His education started at Gwali Primary School and then proceeded to Tyume in Lovedale College. He joined the University of Fort Hare where he graduated for a Bachelor of Arts Degree, Honours Degree and Master’s Degree in Social Science.
He joined Cogta under Minister Zweli Mkhize as an advisor on matters of traditional affairs for a short period. The then Minister of Human Settlements Water and Sanitation appointed him to lead as the Chairperson of the National Rapid Response Task Team for the Department of Water and Sanitation.
He has been an active member in the traditional sector dated back in 1995 where he participated in Constitutional Assembly also became the first Deputy Chairperson of the Eastern Cape House of Traditional and Khoisan Leaders. He served in the House of Traditional Leaders in the Eastern Cape from 1996-2017, and from 2002-2017 as the Deputy Chairperson. He was a right-hand person of the late Ngangomhlaba Matanzima. He was an advisor and spokesperson of the late sister of King Goodwill Zwelithini, Queen Noloyiso Sandile of the AmaRharhabe.
He joined in the National Assembly on the 19th of February in 2021 and served in the Portfolio Committee of Trade and Industry. He was deployed as an MP based in the Mnquma Constituency Office. On the 7th of March 2023 he was appointed as the Deputy Minister of Traditional Affairs.
Mr Tshangana is an accomplished executive manager who started his career as a Deputy Director: Municipal Finance Policy at the erstwhile Department of Provincial and Local Government in 1999. It was not long before his expertise was recognised by the Development Bank of Southern Africa where he joined them as a Local Government Specialist, Project Manager: Work Out Unit in the Group Risk Division and ultimately as Regional Manager for the Development Fund between 2003 to 2007.
From DBSA he joined the Department of Local Government and Housing in the Western Cape as Deputy Director-General: Operations, responsible for managing performance. It was not long before he was appointed as the Head of Department in 2010 responsible for managing and driving the implementation of the provincial human settlements strategy and departmental five-year plan, facilitation of the development of economically viable, socially and environmentally sustainable and integrated human settlements, amongst others.
Mr Mashwahle Diphofa is the Director-General of the Department of Traditional Affairs. Before that he was the Director General of the Office of the Public Service Commission (OPSC) between 2010 and 2011, and the Director General of the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) from November 2011 to January 2018.
He previously also held various positions within the Joint Education Trust, an agency established as a partnership between business, labour, community and political organisations to provide support to development initiatives in the field of Education and Training. Mr Diphofa has also worked as a teacher-educator at Colleges of Education, and as a Researcher for the Community Agency for Social Enquiry (CASE).
During his tenure at the Public Service Commission, he also served as the Secretary of the African Association of Public Service Commissions, a professional body for Public and Civil Service Commissions in the African Continent. He has also served in the boards of the Gauteng Youth College, the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) and the Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS). He also served two terms as the Vice President (Southern Africa) of the African Association of Public Administration and Management (AAPAM).
He holds BAPaed, and BEd degrees from the University of the North and Master of Education and Master of Management (Public and Development Management) degrees from the University of the Witwatersrand.
Ms. Mapatane ‘Pati’ Kgomo is the newly appointed Chief Executive Officer for the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA). She joined MISA in January 2020 as the Deputy Director General responsible for the Infrastructure Delivery Management Support branch. She has sixteen years experience in the local government sector. She has worked as a senior and executive manager in the North West Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs as Chief Director responsible for municipal governance and administration support.
She also served in the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) for almost 5 years and was exposed to infrastructure planning, financing, and implementation in various sectors. She is a seasoned administrator with vast experince in governance, strategic planning and implementation, project and programme management. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from the North West University and a Masters in Commerce (Development Finance from the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business).
Kgosi Moshe Ezekiel Mabe is a BSc graduate and a former Mathematics and Science teacher.
Kgosi is a Senior Traditional Leader of Batlhako Ba Matutu in Mabeskraal, North West Province since 2001. Kgosi is a former Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson of the North West House of Traditional and Khoisan Leaders from 2002 until 2022. Whilst being the Chairperson of the NWPHTL, Kgosi Mabe led a delegation of the NHTKL to Uganda to study land matters and Kgosi was a part of the delegation that was tasked by the National House to engage the Remuneration Commission.
Kgosi Mabe is currently a Member of the National House of Traditional and Khoisan Leaders since 2022. Kgosi is the Chairperson of the Land, Agriculture and Rural Development Committee, a member of the Economic Development, Tourism and Minerals Resources Committees and also a member of the Committee of Chairpersons within the National House of Traditional and Khoisan leaders. Kgosi is passionate about community development, specifically focusing on rural traditional communities. Kgosi continues to be part of the delegation that was tasked by the National House to engage the Remuneration Commission..
Born in Kwa-Thema Alderman Jongizizwe Dlabathi holds a National Diploma and BTech Degree in Internal Auditing from the Tshwane University of Technology, and recently graduated with a postgraduate diploma in project management from Regent Business School.
Ald Dlabathi has worked at the office of the Auditor General of South Africa (AGSA) and the City of Johannesburg as an Information Systems Auditor. As part of his career path, he also worked for Intersite (now known as PRASA CRES) in internal audit and procurement.
From 2011 to 2016, he was the Strategic Advisor to the Member of the Mayoral Committee responsible for Finance, ICT and Real Estate. Post 2016 local government elections, he was sworn in as the Chief Whip of Council in the City of Ekurhuleni.
The alderman chaired the following committees: Political Management Team in the City which comprises the aforementioned Chief Whip of Council, Executive Mayor and the Speaker of Council, Multi-Party Whippery Forum as well as the Capacity Building and Institutional Resilience Working Group for South African Local Government Association (SALGA) as its provincial chairperson.
His work in the strategic management of the municipality caught the eye of all those around him as a beacon of hope that there are young people who can lead with objectivity, strong acumen, humility and heart.
The Head of the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), Adv. Lekgoa Mothibi was appointed by the President of South Africa with effect from May 2016. He is tasked with leading the SIU to execute its mandate to investigate Maladministration, Malpractice and Corruption within the State Institutions and the Private Sector as authorised by Proclamations issued by the President of South Africa. The ultimate goal is to recover money and assets lost by State Institutions and to refer perpetrators for prosecution and responsible officials for disciplinary action. To realise this mandate, he introduced and implemented an organisational turnaround strategy that internally puts premium on improved performance, effective processes, effective systems and people management. The new strategy also focusses on ethical leadership, clean governance and building strategic partnerships.
His professional journey prior to 2016 has culminated into the outstanding qualities and values that he is portraying.
In October 2013, Adv. Mothibi was appointed as an Executive Director at Medscheme Holding a subsidiary of AfroCentric Health. The role included leading Group Legal Services, Group Governance, Group Risk and Compliance. Internal Audit also reported to him. He was also accountable for the Medscheme Road Accident Fund Business Unit.
At AfroCentric Group, he championed a successful implementation of the AfroCentric Enterprise Risk Management Framework. One of the key initiatives was the reorganisation of the Group Forensic Investigations Business Unit, which improved forensic investigations capability and recoveries.
In 2005, he was appointed the Head of Compliance at South African Airways (SAA). After completing the implementation of SAA Enterprise and Compliance Risk Management Framework, he was appointed at Nedbank as Senior Manager Enterprise Risk Management in 2007. Within six months at Nedbank, he was appointed as General Manager Group Operational Risk Management. At Nedbank he successfully led and completed the implementation of Basel II Operational Risk Management Framework (Basel II ORMF) which led to significant Operational Risk Capital saving for the Group.
In 2012 he was appointed at Standard Bank as Head of Operational Risk for Standard Bank of South Africa. After successful implementation of Basel II ORMF, he was appointed to Head Standard Bank Group Operational Risk Management. Basel II ORMF implementation entailed assessing operational risks which included development of Anti- Fraud and Anti-Money Laundering Scenarios. This led to significant Operational Risk Capital saving for the Group. Adv. Mothibi started his career as a Public Prosecutor in the Magistrates and Regional Courts in the Johannesburg and Soweto Magistrates Courts. He also served on the bench as a Magistrate in the Johannesburg and Soweto Magistrates Courts. He was appointed to Head Employee Relations at the then Department of Finance in 1995. He was part of a Project that worked on the establishment of the South African Revenue Service (SARS). At SARS, he also served in the roles of the Head of Corporate Legal Services and the Head of Governance / Chief Governance Officer.
He strives for a corruption free South Africa, making a meaningful impact in the public sector, private sector and society by ensuring accountability and consequence management for wrongdoers in all tiers of government inclusive of those private sector parties involved in the wrongdoing.
Adv Mothibi is a member of the Executive Committee of the Institute of Risk Management of South Africa.
Adv Mothibi is the Chairperson of the SADC Anti-Corruption Sub-Committee.
Prof Deon Rossouw is the CEO of The Ethics Institute (based in Pretoria), an Extraordinary Professor in Philosophy at the University of Stellenbosch, and Chairperson of the International Banknote Ethics Initiative.
Deon studied at Stellenbosch University where he also was chairman of the student representative council. His academic career started at Rand Afrikaans University in Johannesburg where he became Professor and Head of the Philosophy Department and served on the Executive Committee of the University. In 2004, he moved to the University of Pretoria where he was Head of the Philosophy Department and Director of the Centre for Business and Professional Ethics. During 2008 to 2009, he spent a year as Program Executive for Business Ethics at the Globethics.net Foundation in Geneva, Switzerland.
Deon is an internationally recognized expert in Business Ethics and the Ethics of Corporate Governance, and published several books as well as academic articles in leading international journals.
He was the Founding President of the Business Ethics Network of Africa (BEN-Africa) and served as President of the International Society of Business, Economics and Ethics (ISBEE).
Deon is a member of the King Committee for Corporate Governance in South Africa. He also chairs the Social and Ethics Committee Forum of the IoDSA.
He has been recognized as a Chartered Director by the Institute of Directors of South Africa, and serve in executive and non-executive positions on a number of governing bodies.
My work journey started in 1989 as an educator then moved on to be a part of a team that established the erstwhile Department of Education Sports Arts and Culture Butterworth region, focusing on youth affairs. A hard working public servant with more than twenty years of experience in the local government sector. in these two decades or so I have served as a Municipal Speaker for two terms and as the member of the Mayoral Committee responsible for local economic development.
In 2016 I was elected as Executive Mayor of Mbhashe local municipality where I am currently serving my second term. In my term of being the Executive Mayor of Mbhashe local municipality I was elected to serve in the Provincial Executive Committee of SALGA as chairperson of councillor welfare, intergovernmental relations and international relations working group and currently serving in the National Executive Committee of SALGA as the chairperson of the Governance and international relations working group.
Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa was born in 1939 in Baberton, Mpumalanga. He attended his primary education at Moodies and St John’s schools in Barberton, secondary education was at Maria Trost, a catholic in Lydenburg (now Mashishing) and matriculated at Pax College in Polokwane (then Pietersburg). In 1960 he entered St Peter’s Seminary in Kwa-Zulu Natal and was ordained a Roman Catholic Priest in 1965. He was assigned as a Pastor in Witbank coal mining areas - Where he worked util 1970 before that he was the Secretariat of the Southern African Catholic Bishop’s Conference in Pretoria. In 1973 he enrolled for an MA degree in philosophy and theology at the University of Leuven in Belgium.
On graduating he returned to his post in Pretoria, resided in Soshanguve township and became involved black consciousness movement. In 1976, he was served with a five-year banning order which was extended for a further five years. During the period he was appointed Secretary General of the institute of the SACBC and Contextual Theology that in 1985 published the Kairos document, a theological statement that gave expression to contextual theology and liberation theology.
Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa also helped to establish the New Nation, an independent newspaper critical of apartheid and was a founder member of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in 1993. In 1994 he became a member of parliament and served as Deputy Minister of Education. He was the first Catholic Priest in South Africa to assume public office with the blessing of his church. In 2000, he became Mayor of Tshwane, a post held for six years. In 2004, he served as president of the United Cities of Local Government (UCLG) in Africa. He is 81 years old, resided in Pretoria and serves as Chairman of the Moral Regeneration Movement National Office.
Koketso Moeti has a long background in civic activism and has over the years worked at the intersection of governance, communication and citizen action. She currently serves as the Founding Executive Director of amandla.mobi. In 2024 Moeti was announced as an Aspen Global Innovators Group New Voices Advanced Advocacy Program Fellow. She is also an inaugural Keseb Democracy Fellow; a Mulago Foundation Rainer Arnhold fellow; an inaugural Collective Action in Tech fellow; an Atlantic fellow for racial equity and an inaugural Obama Foundation fellow.
Moeti is an expert advisor to the World Economic Forum’s ‘Partnering with Civil Society in the Fourth Industrial Revolution‘ initiative and a WITNESS Board member. She also serves as a founding reference group member of the Civic Tech Innovation Network.
She is an alumnus of the Inclusive Global Leadership Initiative (IGLI) summer institute, hosted by the Sié Chéou- Kang Center at the University of Denver. When not working, she can be found writing and has been published by The Guardian; Project Syndicate, City Press, NPR, Salon, Al Jazeera and the Mail & Guardian, among others.
Mirjam van Donk is a seasoned expert in urban development and governance, with a distinguished career that bridges academic rigour with practical, on-theground project management and consultancy. She is the Director of Isandla Institute, an urban ‘think tank’ focused on deliberative democracy, spatial justice and neighbourhood development. An urban planner by training, Mirjam has provided leadership to various influential projects, including the Western Cape Informal Settlements Support Programme and the InTAcT Project for the Cities Support Programme.
More recently, she was the Gender & Social Inclusion Advisor for the Future Cities South Africa Programme (2019-2022) funded by the UK government. Her extensive publication record and participation in high-level advisory bodies demonstrate her expertise and dedication to fostering equitable and sustainable urban environments. She is currently the Deputy Chair of the Advisory Committee of the Local Government Ethical Leadership Initiative (a project of The Ethics Institute, CoGTA, SALGA and the Moral Regeneration Movement).
Somadoda Fikeni is a public figure who has held various leadership roles in the public sector organizations and as a scholar or public intellectual who has influenced public discourse, institution building and public policies. He is currently the chairperson of the Public Service Commission of South Africa as well as the chairperson of the Indlulamithi South Africa Scenarios Board of Trustees.
Educationally, he holds BA & BA Honours (Unitra), MA (Queens University in Canada) and a PHD (Michigan State University) as well as numerous short programmes in specialized areas. His areas of specialization and interest are political science, public policy analysis and development, history, political economy and heritage. He has lectured in different universities in South Africa and abroad. He has also held management positions at universities and policy institutions as well as think tanks. He is a researcher and an author in the aforementioned fields. His main professional work has been and continues to be in public policy development, higher education and heritage sector. He has chaired a number of boards and councils. He has also participated in establishment and repositioning organizations. He is a visiting professor at the Nelson Mandela University in South Africa.
One of the leading public commentators on politics, policy, economic, social and heritage issues in South African and international media and forums having been recognized with several awards for this work. He is a public speaker as well as a motivational speaker.
He has received several honours and awards in South Africa and abroad and one of these is the honorary chieftaincy that was bestowed on him in Ghana. He is a community development activist and has initiated a number of community development and charity organizations to mobilize resources for assistance of the poor and the disadvantaged. As a student leader and a youth he was involved in anti-apartheid struggle and got detained on numerous occasions for his activism.
Busisiwe Mavuso is a Certified Chartered Accountant, qualified with the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA –UK) and holds a Master’s Degree of Philosophy in Applied Business Leadership and Management (UCAM – Spanish University), a Master’s Degree in Business Leadership (UNISA), a Postgraduate Qualification in Management (GIBS) and a B. Compt in Accounting (UNISA). Busi is currently completing her PhD.
Busi is the Chief Executive Officer at Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) and NonExecutive Director of Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) and Resultant Finance (a PIC investee company). She serves on the Human Resources Development Council (HRDC), the Advisory Committee of the Local Government Ethical Leadership Initiative (LGELI), The Alcohol Industry Advisory Council (TAIAC), the Drinks Federation of South Africa (DF-SA) Council of Members and the Social Justice Council. Furthermore, Busi is a Visiting Adjunct Professor at the Wits Business School (WBS).
Busi is a member of the IoDSA and ACCA. She was awarded the ‘2020 Influencer of Influencers Award’ by the Africa Brand Summit in October 2020 and was named second runner up for ‘Businessperson of the Year’ by Daily Maverick in 2021. In 2022, the Women in Economic Development Leadership Forum awarded Busi a Certificate of Acknowledgement to recognise the years of dedication to the field of business leadership and economic development in South Africa.
Fikile Devilliers Xasa is a South African politician currently serving as the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs since 2021. He has been a Member of the National Assembly for the African National Congress since 2019.
Mr Xasa had served as an ANC Member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature. In May 2014, he was appointed by premier Phumulo Masualle as the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) responsible for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
Mr Xasa was elected to the National Assembly in the 2019 general election from the ANC’s National List. He was elected to chair the Portfolio Committee on Environment, Forestry and Fisheries.
On 26 August 2021, the ANC announced that Mr Xasa and the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
Chairperson of Select Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Water and Sanitation and Human Settlements
“I subscribed to the values and principles of justice, fairness and transparency. I want to make an immense contribution to realising equality, job creation and poverty alleviation.”
Educational Background
Masters of Science Degree (MSc) in Urban Housing Management (University of Lund, Sweden, 1999 – 2000)
Master in Public Administration (University of Stellenbosch, 1997 - 1999)
Bachelor degree Honours in Public Administration (University of Stellenbosch)
National Higher Diploma in Public Administration University of South Africa 1993
National Diploma Public Administration Technikon Northern Transvaal (TNT) 1988-1991.
Advocate Shamila Batohi serves in the position of National Director of Public Prosecutions South Africa, since 1 February 2019, the first woman to be appointed in this position.
Batohi completed her bachelor’s degree at the University of Durban Westville (1980) and post-graduate LLB degree, at the University of Natal, Durban Campus (1982) – now together University of KwaZulu Natal. She started her prosecution career at the Chatsworth Magistrates Court in 1986, after completing her Articles of Clerkship and a short stint in private practice. In 1992, Batohi was appointed as a junior State Advocate at the Office of the Attorney-General (as it was then known, now Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP)).
In 1995, Batohi was seconded to the Investigation Task Unit, a multi-disciplinary Unit established by the former President Nelson Mandela, to investigate apartheid era atrocities in the province of KwaZulu Natal (KZN).
In 2000 Batohi was appointed the first Regional Head of the erstwhile Directorate of Special Operations (DSO aka the Scorpions) in KZN. This was a multi-disciplinary Unit set up, in the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), to investigate serious economic offences and serious organised crime.
Batohi is also known for her position as the Leader of the Evidence in the high-profile King Commission of Enquiry into cricket match-fixing, which implicated the former South African captain, Hansie Cronje.
In 2002 Batohi was appointed the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in the province of KZN, a position she held until 2009, the first woman provincial DPP.
For much of the last decade, 2009-2109, Batohi served as a Senior Legal Advisor to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court at The Hague, The Netherlands.
Batohi’s appointment was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa. In announcing Batohi’s appointment, on 4 December 2018, as the National Director of Public Prosecutions President Ramaphosa said: “The National Director of Public Prosecutions occupies a vital position in our democracy and makes an essential contribution to upholding the rule of law and ensuring the efficiency and integrity of law enforcement. At this moment in our history, as we address matters that South Africans are most concerned about – such as state capture, corruption and widespread crime – our country needs a National Prosecuting Authority that is above reproach in the performance of its mandate and that enjoys the confidence of the public. The NDPP must ensure that the National Prosecuting Authority exercises its functions without fear, favour or prejudice and should not be beholden to any vested interests, whether in politics, in business or elsewhere.”
The NDPP needs to be able to take decisions independently and impartially.’
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