Deputy auditor-general Tsakani Maluleke is tipped to become the first female head of the chapter 9 institution after being unanimously recommended for the job by a parliamentary ad hoc committee.
Maluleke is set to follow in the footsteps of Kimi Makwetu, who also first served as deputy before he was appointed as auditor-general. Makwetu will finish his term on November 30.
While the committee’s recommendation is subject to approval by the National Assembly, support for Maluleke’s appointment went across party lines, as she was described as the best candidate.
After the National Assembly has recommended her, President Cyril Ramaphosa has to appoint her.
The auditor-general’s office derives its powers from the constitution and is critical for SA’s proper functioning, as it audits all three spheres of the government, and all its departments and entities.
If the recommendation is approved, her time at the helm of the institution will coincide with the implementation of the amended Public Audit Act, which gives the office more teeth.
Makwetu congratulated Maluleke in a statement on Tuesday afternoon.
“This position requires a delicate balance of often competing priorities. The candidate-elect is not short of appreciating this and the steadfast hand required to lead the organisation into the future,” he said.
Maluleke “is well equipped to fulfil the functions for the position of the AG as set out in the Public Audit Act,” he said.
According to her CV, Maluleke has more than 20 years’ experience in the private and public sectors, spanning diverse areas including auditing, consulting, corporate advisory, development finance, investment management and skills development agencies.
Since 2014, she has served as deputy auditor-general and CEO of the office of the auditor-general of SA, the first woman to hold this executive position.
She is also the non-executive board chair of the SA Institute of Chartered Accountants (Saica) and former president of the Association for the Advancement of Black Accountants (Abasa).
During the committee meeting earlier on Tuesday, chair Nokuzola Tolashe said they all agreed that Maluleke is the best candidate.
ANC MP Sfiso Buthelezi said Maluleke is the “best of the best”, while DA MP Jan de Villiers welcomed the recommendation.
“As an experienced chartered accountant, Ms Maluleke has the necessary public finance management and audit experience, technical know-how and leadership abilities to steer the vitally important office of the auditor-general at a time [when] dependable audits of the government’s entities are more important than ever,” De Villiers said.
IFP MP Narend Singh and EFF MP Veronica Mente also supported Maluleke’s appointment, while FF Plus MP Wouter Wessels said that while the committee interviewed excellent candidates, Maluleke is the “most suitable”.
She has proved in her current position that she is the right person for the job, Wessels said.
In August the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa), who participated in the public participation process for the appointment, said she scored “full marks” in their assessment.
Matt Johnston, Outa’s parliamentary engagement manager, said at the time that they believed she would be best positioned to build on the momentum Makwetu had established.
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