The South African Local Government Association (SALGA) has announced the appointment of Sithole Mbanga as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Mbanga's appointment is effective from 1 July 2023 and comes after a rigorous, open, transparent and merit-based selection process that upheld the highest organisational standards in recruitment, according to SALGA.
"Mbanga brings considerable experience to his new position and his transformative and collaborative leadership style is consistent with SALGA's dedication to providing effective and efficient service to our member municipalities.
"He joins SALGA at a pivotal moment in our organisation's evolution, as reflected in our 2022-2027 strategic plan, which is prefaced against global, continental, national and local imperatives. We are confident that he will lead and provide the much-needed strategic direction the organisation needs and move the organisation to greater heights," SALGA President, Bheke Stofile, said on Tuesday.
Mbanga takes over from Xolile George, who was appointed as Secretary to Parliament in June 2022.
He brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in many areas, including operations and strategic planning, and has extensive executive-level experience in public sector governance.
Mbanga most recently served as the CEO of South African Cities Network (SACN), a network of South African cities and partners that encourages the exchange of information, experience, and best practice on urban development and city management.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
He has held various managerial positions in the public and private sectors, including the Local Government Support and Learning Network (LOGOSUL) and the National Business Initiative (NBI).
"I also want to express my gratitude to the SALGA executive leadership that provided the organisation with the necessary glue to keep SALGA together until a new CEO was chosen. At such a crucial time, they went above and beyond the call of duty, and this is sincerely appreciated," Stofile said.
SALGA said it looks forward to building on its accomplishments under Mbanga's direction, including 10 consecutive clean audits from the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA), an expansion of the organisation's influence on continental and international decision-making forums, and providing SALGA member municipalities with services that enable them to carry out their developmental mandates.
"In particular, SALGA looks up to Mbanga's leadership to use the solid organisational performance, especially in respect of audit outcomes, as a basis for facilitating improvement in municipal audit outcomes and strengthening local government to be better posed to accelerate service delivery. SALGA wishes Mbanga every success in his new role," the association said.
