PRETORIA, 18 August 2026 — President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed former Finance Minister Nhlanhla Musa Nene as Chairperson of South Africa’s Financial and Fiscal Commission (FFC), alongside five other appointments aimed at strengthening the institution responsible for advising government on financial and fiscal matters.
The Presidency announced on Tuesday that Nene will be joined by Malijeng Ngqaleni, who has been appointed Deputy Chairperson, while Bulelwa Dygrecia Nqadolo, Advocate Neo Khethang Tsholanku, Andrew Robert Donaldson and Astrid Ludin have been appointed as members of the Commission.
The appointments were made in terms of section 221 of the Constitution and section 8 of the Financial and Fiscal Commission Act of 1997.
All six appointments are for five-year terms, effective from the date they assume office. Nene will serve as a full-time Chairperson, while Ngqaleni and the remaining commissioners will serve on a part-time basis.
Nene Returns to a Key Public Finance Role
Nene brings extensive experience in public finance and government to the Commission, having previously served as South Africa’s Minister of Finance, Deputy Minister of Finance and a Member of Parliament.
He also served as a member of the Local Organising Committee for the 2010 FIFA World Cup hosted by South Africa.
His appointment places a former head of the National Treasury at the helm of a constitutional institution whose work sits at the intersection of national, provincial and local government finances.
Ngqaleni, who is already a member of the FFC, brings considerable experience in intergovernmental fiscal relations. She previously served as Deputy Director-General for Intergovernmental Relations at National Treasury and held senior positions dealing with provincial and local government infrastructure, budgets and policy.
Nqadolo has extensive experience in municipal and provincial financial governance. Her previous positions include Deputy Director-General for Municipal Financial Governance, Deputy Director-General and Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Director and Chief Financial Officer at the Eastern Cape Provincial Treasury.
Commission Draws on Legal, Treasury and Regulatory Expertise
Tsholanku currently serves as Head of Corporate Legal Services at the South African Revenue Service. His career has included serving as Head of Criminal Investigations at SARS and holding senior legal and compliance positions at Eskom and the South African Broadcasting Corporation. He has also practised as an advocate and served as a public prosecutor.
Donaldson is a Senior Research Associate at the University of Cape Town’s Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit. He previously served as a Deputy Director-General at National Treasury with responsibility for the Budget Office and Public Finance and was Acting Head of the Government Technical Advisory Centre.
Ludin brings extensive financial-sector regulatory and public-policy experience. She previously served as Deputy Commissioner at the Financial Sector Conduct Authority, where her responsibilities included oversight of financial markets, retirement fund supervision and the regulator’s digital transformation.
She is also President of the International Organisation of Pension Supervisors and has held senior positions at the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission, Department of Trade and Industry, Competition Commission and Prudential Authority.
The Presidency said the combination of expertise, experience and institutional memory represented by the new commissioners would add significant value to the FFC.
FFC Plays Key Role in Intergovernmental Finances
The Financial and Fiscal Commission is an independent constitutional institution tasked with making recommendations to Parliament, provincial legislatures, organised local government and other organs of state on financial and fiscal matters.
Its mandate makes it an important part of South Africa’s system of intergovernmental fiscal relations, particularly in matters concerning the allocation of public resources across the national, provincial and local spheres of government.
President Ramaphosa congratulated the newly appointed commissioners and wished them well in carrying out their responsibilities.
He also expressed appreciation to outgoing FFC Chairperson Dr Patience Nombeko Mbava for her dedication and expertise during her term of office.
