A Letter from the Editor

Letter from the Editor

Welcome to the May edition of Public Sector Leaders (PSL)

In his letter to the nation on 8 May, His Excellency, Cyril Ramaphosa focused on the topic of the correlation between a thriving democracy and freedom of the media. He referenced the latest World Press Freedom Index, in which South Africa significantly improved its ranking, moving up ten places from 35th in the world in 2022 to 25th this year.

“Media freedom is a pillar of our democratic order. Our journalists continue to be the standardbearers for accountability and the empowerment of citizens. Media investigations have shone a spotlight on corruption, the abuse of vulnerable people, the targeting of whistle-blowers, and all manner of wrongdoing within the state, the private sector, academia and other sectors,” – President Ramaphosa

It is a busy month for public sector leaders with President Cyril Ramaphosa, the Grand Patron and the Chancellor of the National Orders, congratulating the recipients of the 2023 National Orders; His Excellency welcomed President Sauli Niinistö of the Republic of Finland to the Union Buildings on the occasion of his State Visit to South Africa and Deputy President Paul Mashatile delivered the closing remarks at the South African Mental Health Conference held at Emperors Palace, Ekurhuleni.

During the month of May we celebrate Africa and energy – both extremely topical - with 25 May being Africa Day. Our cover icon this month is Vineet Ladia, Co-Founder and Director of Edukite Learning. While studying at business school, two engineers, Vineet Ladia and Aravind Venkataraman, noticed that education lacked innovation, and were searching for opportunities to create innovative products that could fill gaps in mathematics and science. “We felt that we could make a tangible difference in this field with our passion to ‘go out there and change the world,’” - Vineet Ladia. In our lead article Vineet explains how the solution they came up with, an app, makes learning easier and how this can impact education on the continent.

In this bumper edition of Public Sector Leaders, we include regulars such as Addressing the NationLetter from the Presidency - and a Calendar of Commemorative

events. The Trailblazer this month is Honourable Maropene Ramokgopa who was appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa as Minister in the Presidency responsible for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation and our Woman in Leadership is Honourable Thembi Nkadimeng, who was announced as the new Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) as part of President Ramaphosa’s cabinet reshuffle. Our Regional Focus is Gauteng and In Other News we look at Tech in Africa.

This month we are privileged to feature our Constitution’s Keeper, Chief Justice Raymond Zondo in conversation with Koketso Mamabolo and we celebrate the continent in our article which looks at opportunities and the African Continental Free Trade Area. As this is Energy Month we focus on this hot topic in our piece on securing energy resources amid changing economic conditions.

Whether you are in the public sector, the private sector, supply chain or an interested individual, PSL has something for you.

We hope you enjoy the read.