ADVOCATE EUPHEMIA NTINI MASHIGO JOINS THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AS CHIEF OF STAFF

By Tholakele Makena

• Advocate Euphemia Ntini Mashigo has joined the Department of Social Development as Chief of Staff in the Office of the Minister, where she will coordinate the Office’s work and support alignment between the Minister’s priorities and the Department’s mandate.
• She brings 24 years of public sector experience in legal and management roles, including senior positions at the Department of Basic Education and the Gauteng Department of Education, as well as experience in private legal practice.
• ⁠She was involved in two Constitutional Court matters on school admissions and served on the task team that drafted the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act, 2024, and its regulations.

The Department of Social Development has welcomed Advocate Euphemia Ntini Mashigo as Chief of Staff in the Office of the Minister of Social Development.

In this role, Adv. Mashigo will support the effective functioning of the Minister’s Office. Her responsibilities include coordinating the Office’s work, facilitating communication and alignment on matters that require the Minister’s attention, and supporting engagement between the Minister’s Office, senior management and relevant stakeholders. She will also provide strategic and administrative support to ensure that the priorities of the Minister’s Office are aligned with the Department’s broader mandate.

Adv. Mashigo brings extensive legal and public sector experience to the position, having spent 24 years in government in various legal and management roles. Before joining the Department, she ran her own law practice in Johannesburg.

She began her career as an attorney in 2000 and was admitted as an Advocate of the High Court in 2009. She held senior legal positions at the Gauteng Department of Education and the Department of Basic Education, serving as Chief Director in both departments.

Her expertise includes litigation, legal and legislative drafting, governance, strategic planning, risk management, project management and organisational administration.

During her career in education, Adv. Mashigo was involved in two Constitutional Court matters relating to school admissions: the Rivonia Primary School case and the legal challenge to the Gauteng Admissions Regulations. She also served on the task team that drafted the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act, 2024 (Act No. 32 of 2024), and its regulations.

Adv. Mashigo holds a B Juris degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), an LLB degree from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) and a Certificate in Legislative Drafting from the University of Johannesburg.

Introducing herself at the Management Committee (MANCO) meeting, Adv. Mashigo described herself as a lawyer by profession with extensive experience in government. She said she was excited to join the Department of Social Development and looked forward to working with colleagues to advance the Department’s mandate.