Finance Ministry appoints three women to key positions

Source: Mondi. Minister of finance, Enoch Godongwana

Ministry spokesperson, Mfuneko Toyana said the appointments were in recognition of their particular professional and academic talents, as well as the urgent and continuing need to achieve gender equality in the workplace.

The Minister said there was a compelling uneven playing field between women and men in terms of employment, income and education, saying this came at a huge cost to the economy and broader society.

“This is why, in addition to the moral imperative, we must not flinch away from the goal of achieving gender equity, especially when we have an abundance of young, highly qualified, and skilled women eager to contribute to the betterment of the country through public service,” Godongwana said.

Thabi Nkosi

The first appointment is that of Thabi Nkosi as non-executive chairperson of the Land and Agricultural Development Bank. Cabinet has endorsed the appointment.

After the term of Land Bank’s previous Board of Directors came to an end on November 30, the Minister made recommendations to the Cabinet to appoint and reappoint 10 non-executive board members.

“Nkosi, 35, is a respected agricultural economist, with diverse and extensive experience in agribusiness, agricultural policy-making, and agribusiness operations.

“She has worked in numerous positions in the field, in both the private and public sector, and currently serves as an independent non-executive trustee for the National Empowerment Fund; Chairperson of Mintirho Foundation (Coca-Cola Bottlers SA Agriculture Investment Fund); and as an advisory director for agritech company KHULA!,” said the Ministry.

As non-executive chairperson of the Board of the Land Bank, Nkosi will lead the revival of the country's largest agricultural-focused lender.

Her qualifications include a Master of Business Administration (MBA), a post-graduate Diploma in Business Administration and Management and an MSc and BSc (Agric) in Agricultural Economics.

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Meanwhile in his office, the Minister has appointed Pamela Mondliwa as special advisor on economic policy and Nokwanda Mahori as parliamentary liaison officer.

Pamela Mondliwa

Mondliwa, 35, is an experienced economist and academic who has worked across consulting, academia, and policy. She was previously the senior economist at the University of Johannesburg’s Centre for Competition, Regulation and Economic Development. Before that she worked for the Berkeley Research Group and the national Competition Commission. She was a contributor and editor of a recently released volume of essays published by Oxford University Press, titled: “Structural Transformation in South Africa – The Challenges of Inclusive Industrial Development in a Middle-Income Country”.

As the minister’s special advisor, the Ministry said Mondliwa would provide expert guidance and analysis on the macro economy, industrial policy and competition law, among other areas.

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She obtained a Bachelor and Honours degree in Commerce from Rhodes University before earning her Masters in Commerce from the University of Johannesburg.

Nokwanda Mahori

Mahori, 34, will serve as a liaison between the Ministry, Parliament, and members of the public on parliamentary related matters.

“She brings a wealth of experience having worked at the intersection of politics, economics and public policy.

“Her multi-disciplinary skills are based on her work experience in various non-profit and research organisations and she has negotiated on a range of policy issues, such as financial inclusion, microfinance and labour issues. She has also led market research for local and international companies and innovation hubs. This was before working as a coordinator for the African National Congress’s (ANC) Economic Transformation Sub-Committee, with a focus on policy implementation, monitoring and evaluation,” the Ministry said.

It said these skills put her in a position to enhance the work of the team in the Ministry. She holds a Bachelor’s degree of Commerce from the University of Kwa-Zulu-Natal, a post-graduate diploma in business administration from UNISA, and is currently a candidate for a Master’s degree in Management at the Wits School of Governance.