President designates Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson c
President Cyril Ramaphosa has designated Prof Somadoda Fikeni and Ms Zukiswa Mqolomba as Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson respectively of the Public Service Commission (PSC).
The Commission derives its mandate from Sections 195 and 196 of the Constitution and is tasked and empowered to, among others, investigate, monitor, and evaluate the organisation and administration of the Public Service.
This mandate entails the evaluation of achievements, or lack thereof, of government programmes.
The PSC also has an obligation to promote measures that would ensure effective and efficient performance within the Public Service and to promote values and principles of public administration as set out in the Constitution, throughout the Public Service.
Prof Fikeni has been acting as Chairperson of the Commission since the term of the former Chairperson, Adv Richard Sizani, came to an end on 31 January 2022.
Prof Fikeni is a Senior Executive Director within the Public Administration leadership and has a PhD in Comparative Politics and Public Policy Analysis.
He has lectured Public Administration in several universities, worked as an academic in universities and research institutions, and has experience as a public servant.
He has served as Chairperson for 7 different public and private entities in the last 16 years and was part of the team that designed the Department of International Relations and Cooperation’s School of Diplomacy.
As Deputy Chairperson of the Commission, Ms Zukiswa Mqolomba brings to the position more than 12 years’ experience in the Public Service, 8 of which have been at senior management levels.
She is an economics researcher, policy analyst and programme manager rooted in economics, poverty and public policy research.
She holds two Masters Degrees in Public Policy with the University of Cape Town, as well as an MA in Poverty and Development with the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom.
In terms of section 196(7) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 the President appoints fourteen (14) commissioners to the Public Service Commission comprising five national commissioners and one commissioner for each province.
In terms of section 5(1) of the Public Service Commission Act, 1997, the President shall designate one Commissioner as Chairperson and another as Deputy Chairperson of the Public Service Commission.
President Ramaphosa wishes Prof Fikeni and Ms Mqolomba well in leading the Commission in its critical mission of contributing to the development of an efficient, ethical and capable Public Service.
Source: Government of South Africa