Currently Auditor General of South Africa, she has been appointed External Auditor of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for a period of six years, from 2024 to 2029.
Tsakani Maluleke was elected on November 16 by the members of Unesco’s various committees and subsidiary bodies. The other candidates were from Chile, Kenya, the Philippines, Russia and Turkey.
Unesco’s External Auditor, says the organization, must be “the Auditor-General of a Member State (or an official of equivalent title)”. He or she is empowered to make observations on the efficiency of financial procedures, on the accounting system, on internal financial controls and, in general, on the administration and management of the Organization.
On the recommendation of South Africa’s National Assembly, Cyril Ramaphosa had appointed Tsakani Maluleke as the country’s Auditor General, effective December 1, 2020. She is the first woman to hold this position in the 109-year history of the country’s supreme audit institution. Previously, from 2014 to 2020, Since 2014, she was Deputy Auditor General and Director General of the Office of the Auditor General of South Africa, also the first woman to hold this senior position in the organization’s history.
he Auditor General of South Africa is an office created by the South African Constitution of 1996 and one of the Chapter Nine institutions designed to support democracy, although its history goes back over 100 years. The Office examines government objectives, programs and strategic initiatives, and responds to risks identified through its audit work. Its audit reports, says the Office, contribute to a culture of public sector accountability that makes a difference to the lives of South African citizens.
Private and public sector auditor
Tsakani Maluleke is a chartered accountant and chartered auditor. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and a Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. In 2016, she also completed a postgraduate diploma in development and public management at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.
She has a wealth of experience spanning more than 20 years in the private and public sectors, and in fields as diverse as auditing, consultancy, business advisory, development finance, investment management and skills development agencies.
She has worked for PwC, WorldWide Capital, the Eastern Cape Development Corporation and the SETA Energy and Water Authority, where she was appointed Director after SETA came into administration. Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA), is a vocational training organization in South Africa. Each SETA is responsible for managing and creating apprenticeships, internships, unit skills programs and apprenticeships within its jurisdiction. In 2012, she joined the Office of the Auditor General of South Africa.
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Member of numerous Boards of Directors
Tsakani Maluleke also has extensive experience in corporate governance, gained through her membership of numerous boards and strategic committees of companies, including: Aberdare Cables (Pty) Limited, Africa’s largest cable manufacturer; Onelogix Limited, a listed logistics company; and Public Investments Corporation (Africa’s largest asset manager).
She was also non-executive Chairman of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA).
