Parliament, Thursday 20 November 2014, The National Assembly (NA) and National Council of Provinces (NCOP) today appointed Mr Gengezi Mgidlana as the new Secretary to Parliament.
His five-year performance based contract starts from 1 December.
This followed a recommendation to both Houses from NA Speaker, Ms Baleka Mbete, and NCOP Chairperson, Ms Thandi Modise.
Ms Penelope Tyawa, the Deputy Secretary to Parliament, was appointed acting Secretary following the passing away of Secretary to Parliament Mr Michael Coetzee in June this year.
Since the first democratic Parliament, the position of Secretary – the institution’s top administrator and accounting officer – has been filled by resolution of the NA and NCOP, following a recommendation to the two Houses from the Speaker of the NA and the Chairperson of the NCOP.
It was advertised for the first time in the fifth democratic Parliament.
The position was advertised in September. Five short-listed candidates were interviewed by a panel comprising Ms Mbete, Ms Modise, Judge Bernard Ngoepe (Tax Ombudsman and former High Court Judge President) and Professor Alan Hirsch (Director of the Graduate School of Development Policy and Practice at the University of Cape Town). Mr Mgidlana was recommended.
Mr Mgidlana’s qualifications include a law degree from the University of Lesotho and he is currently studying for a Masters in Business Leadership with the University of South Africa.
He has been the Deputy Director General in the Presidency responsible for the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and has been seconded to the NEPAD Agency since 2007.Before joining the Presidency, Mr Mgidlana was a senior official of the Gauteng Legislature – first as Parliamentary Operations Director for five years from 1997 and then as Secretary of the legislature until 2007.
