South African Business 2025

INTERVIEWA shared drive

INTERVIEWA shared drive for constructiveand positive changeAs the Chartered Institute of Government Finance & Risk Officers (CIGFARO) celebratesits 95th year of existence, the President, Dr Emmanuel Ngcobo, puts the focus ontraining young people into a culture of professionalism and service to the nation.Dr Emmanuel Ngcobo,President: CIGFAROBIOGRAPHYDr Emmanuel Ngcobo is the currentPresident of the Institute, an organisationhe has served with excellence over the past19 years. Dr Ngcobo proudly works for theiLembe District Municipality in the FinanceDepartment, having started his workcareer and involvement with CIGFARO ateThekwini Municipality. Over the years hehas served in various roles in the Instituteas the KZN Provincial Chairperson, BoardMember and Vice-President before beingelected to the role of President. He hassuccessfully authored four strategicbooks: The Road to the CFO Position,The Practice Guide to Foster Excellence inMunicipal Asset Management, Buildinga Sustainable local government RevenueModule and the Essentials of MunicipalAsset Management, all of which willcontribute to being valuable resources tothe public sector.How did you choose this career?I started my career at an early age without being exposed to anyother work environment apart from the local government sphere. AsI progressed through getting involved in a number of initiatives thatincluded private and other spheres of government, I realised I was“called” into local government, meaning I knew that this was the domainI belonged in and would have the most impact in. Apart from enjoyingthe fulfilment of knowing that someone directly or indirectly receivesbasic services through my actions, I further realised that through my skilland experiences I had something to offer with regard to addressing thedaily challenges that are faced in local government which you won’t findanywhere else.There are a number of role-players with different objectives butultimately the common goal is to render community services and torender it well. I was exposed to different people and ways of operating,which helped build and shape me as I found the focus on what I believeI was born to do: serving people and the nation as a whole. I believe thatpublic service is an honourable service because it is a necessary service. Thisis what gave rise to a sincere love and passion for local government. Whereyou remove the drive to act diligently on your calling, that can lead tofrustration. I have passed such a stage and it’s surely one of the best spacesto be in.What are your priorities for your term of office?The resuscitation of our nine provincial branches and giving priorityto the youth. I have a huge passion for our future leaders and as aninstitution if we are to remain effective we must be able to impactfuture leaders and craft a new calibre of professional public servant.Is the world of finance and auditing welcoming to young people?It is an ever-changing and challenging yet growing field. The numberof young people taking spaces on our courses is encouraging. Everynow and then we are introduced to new interns taking up spaces andcementing themselves. The future belongs to the youth, after all.Is it difficult to persuade young people to take up careers in publicfinance and auditing?There is a saturation of finance professionals in the private sectorwhich inadvertently creates the challenge of employability in theSOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESS 202534

INTERVIEWprivate sector. This however has opened the spacewithin the public sector and all its opportunitieshence, making it more attractive to younggraduates. So it is now not so difficult to persuadeyoung professionals to take up careers in publicfinance and auditing.The finance field is perceived to be professionaldue to it being mainly office-based with a formaldress code. But what we stand for goes beyond thislimited perspective of professionalism. CIGFAROstands for inculcating a culture of professionalconduct from its members and the public-financesector as a whole, setting a higher standard than thatassociated with government. We also are committedto ensuring adherence to the applicable laws andregulations. This professional conduct further meansthat practise leads to ethical behaviour because setrules and organisational processes are respected.Why are so few municipalities achievingclean audits?There are many complex factors in a municipalenvironment that largely contribute to this, forexample the political environment that is constantlychanging which affects administration as wellas factors like minimal focus or priority placed onproper oversight.Rebuilding South Africa requires each andevery person to do their part professionally, beinginnovative in their space and striving to do all thingsexcellently. Excellence will ensure that all can livein a prosperous country for current and futuregenerations to come. No-one is insignificant in theirrole and all have the ability to make a contributiontowards building a better, stronger and morebeautiful nation. So let us not be myopic in ourservice of the people – we all can do our part.Is it possible to change that scenario? If so, how?The possibility of change is always present, it is justa matter of how much we are willing to change.So to answer this let me start by saying this, Yes itis possible!As government financial resources are continuallydepleted or have to be spread across more items dueto a number of factors, this opens an opportunity forall of us to be innovative within the environmentwhere we are. This is the time where we throw awaythe “SALT” approach, same as last time. We cannotbe doing the same thing and expect a differentoutcome, therefore innovation is vital if we want toimprove the standard of governance and servicedelivery. What can I do differently to accomplishmore results for my municipality or department withthe same, if not fewer, resources than I have?We have been given a very powerful tool ofthinking, where you allow yourself to distanceyourself from everything else and think of how youcan improve where you are. How can I do better? Youwill be surprised at the potential outcomes and theway in which we can implement transformationalsystems and strategies.How important are the various indabas, seminarsand conferences that you hold?The public sector sphere, especially localgovernment institutions are perceived to be a spaceof inability and incompetence. CIGFARO intendsto break this status quo with through the variousinitiatives we host, thus being an important part ofprofessionalising and transforming the public sector.Do you have international links?This year we will be engaging directly withinternational partners such as the GovernmentFinance Officers Association (GFOA) of theUSA and Canada and the Chartered Institute ofPublic Finance Accountancy of the UK (CIPFA).The intentions of strategic alliances, be it localor international, remains clear. We need tocollaborate and not compete with one another.We need to complement one another so thatwe are able to reach the desired objective of aprofessionalised public sector. This works bestwhen there is the shared drive to see constructiveand positive change. Therefore, there must be anintegrated approach and a commitment to worktogether to achieve this extremely importanttask so that ultimately our beautiful county canflourish and the next generation can step into abrighter future. It’s a responsibility we must all takeownership of. ■35SOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESS 2025