Miss Thobeka Thabile Mahlaba has exhibited a high level of professionalism during her career in the local government sphere and has recently assumed the position as the Executive Director for Social Services and Development Planning at Harry Gwala District Municipality, after 17 years of experience, which includes more than a decade in middle and senior management. She will be leading key municipal portfolios such as Municipal Health Services, Disaster Management, Special Programmes and Development planning.
Her academic foundation includes a BTech degree in Environmental Health and an NQF Level 6 in Total Quality Management, amongst several specialized municipal qualifications. She acquired an Honours Degree (Cum Laude) and received a scholarship to pursue her Masters Degree in Public Administration at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), which she has accomplished successfully. She has been instrumental in aligning municipal operations with legislation, strategic IDP priorities, and the National Frameworks in pursuit of acquiring service delivery excellence for the District.
Miss Mahlaba brings a strong track record in strategic leadership, financial oversight, governance, and cross-sectoral collaboration. She has successfully chaired various intergovernmental forums and advisory committees and her contribution to performance management and community services delivery have earned multiple provincial and national accolades including recognition by the OR Tambo Environmental Health Excellence Awards.
Known for her integrity, problem-solving abilities and deep understanding of policy and compliance environments, she continues to drive improvements in public health, infrastructure planning and socio-economic development, in alignment with the municipality’s IDP and SDBIP priorities.
She remains grounded in family values and has a very strong work ethic which she exhibits as a highly motivated and productive employee who produces high-quality results in her work. Outside of her professional life, Miss Mahlaba enjoys reading, especially during quiet moments and has a keen interest in international affairs, in order to keep abreast with issues affecting the country, which fuel her global perspective and understanding of development challenges and solutions beyond South Africa. She is also passionate about Environmental Health, Youth development, Women empowerment, and fostering a culture of ethical, inclusive governance.
