NEW LEADERSHIP APPOINTMENTS TO STRENGTHEN SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

By Precious Mupenzi

• The Department of Social Development has two new executives to strengthen its capacity to deliver social protection services to vulnerable South Africans.
• Angela Sizakele Magangoe has been appointed as the country’s top social worker, the Deputy Director-General: Welfare Services.
• Thandeka Gloria Ngcobo is the department’s new Chief Financial Officer.

The Cabinet has announced two new appointments in the Department of Social Development: Deputy Director General for Welfare Services and Chief Financial Officer.

These appointments are expected to enhance the department’s capacity to deliver on its mandate of providing comprehensive social protection services to vulnerable South Africans and the promise of Social Development Minister Nokuzola Tolashe to fill all executive posts to stabilise the department.

Angela Sizakele Magangoe has been appointed as the country’s top social worker, the Deputy Director-General: Welfare Services, a role that will see her leading vital programmes aimed at improving the well-being of communities across the country.

Thandeka Gloria Ngcobo is the department’s new Chief Financial Officer. With nearly two decades of experience in public finance and supply chain management, Ngcobo’s appointment is seen as a strategic move to strengthen financial oversight and ensure the responsible management of the department’s resources. 

Minister Tolashe, welcomed the appointments, congratulating Magangoe and Ngcobo, stating: “This is the fulfilment of the commitment I made to stabilise the department by ensuring the appointment of the senior structure of the department.”

She added: “We will continue with the process of appointing the rest of the senior leadership until all positions are filled.”

Stabilising the department

Ngcobo is not new to the Department of Social Development. In 2006 she joined the department as the Deputy Director: Demand and Acquisition Management.

It was during this time that she realised her passion for public finance and her ambition to advance within the sector. “In that role, I had the privilege of working alongside senior officials, and it made me realise that continuous learning was key to climbing the corporate ladder,” she says.

After five years at the Department of Social Development, she moved to the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development as a director before taking on the role of chief director of supply chain and asset management at the Department of Home Affairs in 2015.

During her tenure at Home Affairs, Ngcobo played a crucial role in improving the department’s financial management and governance. 

“When I joined, the department had numerous audit findings on supply chain management, accruals, payables, and contract management. By the 2021/2022 audit cycle, we achieved a clean audit in supply chain management, a major accomplishment for a department with contracts worth millions,” she stated.

Magangoe, a seasoned social work professional, brings with her 25 years of dedicated service in the public sector.

Prior to this appointment, she served as a chief director at the national Department of Social Development, where she was responsible for social crime prevention, substance use services, and victim empowerment programmes, leading the country’s fight against gender-based violence and femicide and was responsible for Pillar 4 on the national strategic plan on gender-based violence and femicide.

Outside of her leadership in government, Magangoe plays a key role in national and international social development initiatives.

She is a member of the National Council for Correctional Services and serves as a commissioner for the Global Centre for Credentialing and Certification.

Her experience extends to family welfare, social crime prevention, and substance use, and she has worked closely with international partners such as the European Union and USAID (United States Agency for International Development) to manage grants and strengthen collaborations with civil society organisations.

With her wealth of experience and deep commitment to social justice, Magangoe is well-positioned to lead and shape the future of social work in South Africa.

Her appointment underscores the government’s dedication to strengthening social welfare services and ensuring a more impactful, people-centred approach to service delivery.

Magangoe and Ngcobo’s appointments signal a renewed focus on strengthening the Department of Social Development’s internal structures to ensure efficient service delivery.

Their leadership is expected to drive critical welfare initiatives and financial accountability as the department continues to serve the country’s most vulnerable communities.

Minister Tolashe reiterated her confidence in the new appointees, highlighting the department’s commitment to ensuring strong leadership.

The Department of Social Development extended its congratulations to the two officials and wished them success in their new roles, as did the National Education Health and Allied Workers Union, which called on its members in the department to support the two executives.