Public Service Commission | Talk
Zukiswa Mqolomba - Register for the Event
Zukiswa Mqolomba is a senior Public Sector Executive with roots deeply embedded in
strategy, economics, poverty and public policy work. She is a Mandela Rhodes Scholar and
Chevening scholar. She has two master’s degrees: a Master’s from the University of Cape
Town and a Master’s in Poverty and Development from the University of Sussex in the
United Kingdom respectively. She also holds an executive leadership training certificate in
21st Century Leadership with Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government, Boston,
United States. She is doing her PHD in Sociology at the University of Cape Town doing a
dissertation on professionalisation of the state and (re)building state institutional capabilities.
She has won international, continental and domestic awards for her leadership in public
policy and governance. For instance, she has been awarded the Africa Youth Awards 2021,
and Africa3535 leadership laureat award for Governance. She has also won the Humphrey
Leadership award from the United States also for her policy contribution in the Public sector,
as well as 2 time winner of the Mail&Guardian top 200 youth leaders award, running in the
top 10 for Politics and Government. She is also a recipient of the Vice-chancellor's award,
University of Cape Town. She has a keen interest in finding solutions to public sector
challenges, as well as public service innovations and transformations. She’s done research
and policy work on public sector innovation and transformation. Her research work includes
conducting research on the developmental state and the institutional architecture pertaining
to building it. She has done some work on building meritocratic states, including recruitment
in the public service, as well as strategies on how to deal with corruption and to
professionalise the public service. She’s also done work on the National Development Plan
and how to build a professionalised and transformed public service. She is a member of the
Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM) headquartered in the
United States. She used to serve as a member of the Panel of Experts, which has been
tasked to develop a poverty alleviation and job creation strategy/policy for the Department of
Public Works of South Africa. She used to work for the Presidency of the Republic of South
Africa at the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation as a Senior Sector Expert:
Economy (“Senior Economist”). She formerly worked as an Executive Manager: Research,
Training, Monitoring and Evaluation at a State Agency, namely the Media Development and
Diversity Agency; influencing the country's community media and development agenda on
inclusion, marginalization and transformation. She’s participated in civic programmes of the
United Nations, NATO, The Elders and African Union Commission. She is interested in
reading biographies of legends in international and local nations. She also likes to write on
various themes and topics affecting women, youth and marginalised communities. She is a
co-editor of a book of essays entitled ‘Chasing Freedom: Histories, Analysis and Voices of
Student Activism in South Africa published by CODESRIA in March 2022. She has been
appointed by the President of the Republic of SA to be a National Commissioner (Deputy
Chairperson) for the Public Service Commission of South Africa. She is now an Adjunct
Faculty member and member of the Experts Network of the Chandler Institute of
Governance headquartered in Singapore, appointed to train public sector officials in Africa
and across the globe; in an effort to build capacity and to professionalise it
