North West MEC Basetsana Sussana Dantjie has announced the appointment of Peggy Mhlongo-Kgaboesele as the new Head of Department for the North West department of social development.
On Tuesday MEC Dantjie convened a special departmental management meeting in the capital Mahikeng to introduce Peggy Mhlongo-Kgaboesele as the newly appointed HOD and make reflections on her departmental mandates of service delivery.
“Finally the Premier has appointed a new HOD for the department. Please support her so that under her leadership you take the department to greater heights of service delivery. As team DSD close ranks. Work as a team. Be a leader who is always available,” Dantjie said, to the round applause of managers.
The elated Dantjie encouraged the newly appointed HOD to treat all managers equally. “Be a leader who is able to put your foot down and ensure discipline to regulatory frameworks. You must be the HOD who does things according to the book.,” Dantjie said, adding that there is an outcry according to AG SA that consequence management is holding the department back to get a clean audit.
“This is a test. Go and apply consequence management without necessarily firing people. You need to improve on turn around times to ensure acceleration of service delivery. Do not allow junior officials to do as they wish. Rise above everybody and lead by example.”
Accepting her appointment, Mhlongo-Kgaboesele vowed in her impromptu speech, to work in harmony with the management of the department, citing that through team work and collaboration they will be in the right stead to deliver services to the communities.
Born in Stocking village, in the Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality in Limpopo, Mhlongo-Kgaboesele defied the odds and became one of the leading women in the department of social development as the head of department.
Mhlongo-Kgaboesele hails from humble beginnings. She matriculated at Kgatlhanong High School and registered her first Bachelors Degree in Social Work with the University of the North. It was in 1995 when she applied for the position of administrator in the department of local government and got the post.
She later went on to join the department of Health and Welfare in Limpopo as a social worker and office manager. It was at the Department of Health and Welfare in North West that her potential was unleashed. She was appointed as Social Worker, followed by Chief Social Worker under alternative care unit. As she rose through the ranks of social work. She served as a Chief Director responsible for Districts and Institutional Support in the department. She has also served as a deputy director for services to persons with disability, and appointed a director special needs in the very same department.
Mhlongo-Kgaboesele obtained Financial Management with Regenesis, Certificate in Economics and public financial management with Vista University. She also hold Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the North West University.
Busiswa Setjie, who has known Mhlongo-Kgaboesele for many years described her as a humble person, a visionary, self-driven, a workaholic, an approachable person who is always willing to welcome different views. I wish her all the best in her appointment in this critical post. May she have wisdom, focus and strength. We are looking forward to work with her as a team.”
ENDS.
Issued by North West Department of Social Development
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