The South African Association of Public Administration and Management (SAAPAM) has conferred the Public Service Award on former Deputy President Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.
The award was in recognition of Dr. Mlambo-Ngcuka’s indelible role in overseeing the creation of a unified, professional, non-racial, and non-sexist public service that would serve the needs of all communities.
The award also recognised Dr. Mlambo-Ngcuka for being a fearless advocate for social justice and her contribution to the betterment of South African society through the promotion of democracy.
The SAAPAM Public Service Award is one of the highest awards that the Association confers to practitioners in the public affairs discipline.
Dr. Mlambo-Ngcuka, the former Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, accepted the award at a special gala dinner held in her honour Monday night (26 September 2022), on the margins of the 21st SAAPAM national conference.
Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka was a member of the first South African democratically elected Parliament in 1994.
She served as Chairperson of the Public Service and Administration Portfolio Committee, she was later on appointed as deputy minister in the Department of Trade and Industry (1994 – 1996).
Dr. Mlambo-Ngcuka was minister of Minerals and Energy (1999 – 2005). She later became the Deputy President of South Africa (2005 – 2008), the highest-ranking female political leader in the history of the country.
“Throughout her illustrious political career, Dr. Mlambo-Ngcuka placed at the disposal of the state her skills and energy, she expended her strength towards issues of human development, gender equality, digital literacy and the eradication of the digital divide,” said SAAPAM in a statement.
“As the first woman to hold the position of Deputy President, Dr. Mlambo-Ngcuka provided political oversight to several programmes to combat poverty and bring the advantages of a growing economy to the poor.
“‘In doing so, she embraced the technologies that the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) provides, using Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs: -the topic of her doctoral thesis) for development.”
Dr. Mlambo-Ngcuka was appointed as the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women in 2013.
As the head of the United Nations entity that is dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women, she was a global advocate for women and girls.
Dr. Mlambo-Ngcuka led the organisation’s innovative work on transforming social inequalities and discriminatory norms, with initiatives such as the HeforShe movement (driving men and boys’ engagement in gender equality), and the UnStereotype Alliance initiative (influencing advertising norms for positive change and equal representation).
She helped countries to change hundreds of laws that discriminate against women and girls.
The celebratory gala dinner was addressed by a commissioner of the National Planning Commission and Dean of the Tshwane University of Technology’s faculty of Humanities, Professor Mashupye Maserumule.
Dr. Mlambo-Ngcuka and the attendees were also treated to congratulatory messages from colleagues within the fraternity and government.
