OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER

CITY MANAGER
Dr Lindiwe Msengana-Ndlela
Tel: +27 (0) 41 506 3209
Fax: +27 (0) 41 506 2422
Email: mm@mandelametro.gov.za; and municipalmanager@mandelametro.gov.za.
Secretary: Ms Tika Shabudien
Email: tshabudien@mandelametro.gov.za



Brief background

Dr Lindiwe Msengana-Ndlela is a qualified and experienced administrator who has been appointed to be the Municipal Manager of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality (NMBMM), with effect from 01 March 2013. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree and a University Education Diploma from Rhodes University, a Bachelor of Education and a Master of Business Leadership from UNISA, and a PhD (Urban Governance, Leadership and Local Economic Development) from the University of Warwick in the UK.  

She brings to the NMBMM a wealth of experience on administration and management systems in the public sector. An advocate of leadership by example, she is the former Director General and Accounting Officer of DPLG (2002 – 2009) who managed a budget that grew from R6 billion to over R24 billion, with a succession of unqualified audit opinions from the Auditor General. During that period she was also the Co-Chairperson of the Governance and Administration Cluster of the Forum of South African Director Generals (FOSAD) and the Chairperson of the Technical Committee to the President’s Co-ordinating Council, a statutory body located in the Presidency and comprising of the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), Provincial Premiers and relevant National Ministries. Her previous portfolios were in Trade and Industry; Sport, Arts, Culture and Heritage.

Within the context of a relatively new system of local government in SA, as inaugurated in 2000, the Metro stands to gain from her wide-ranging experience and policy insights, particularly when she facilitated the development of policy frameworks such as the following:

·         Local Government: Municipal Systems Amendment Act, No.44 of 2003

·         Local Government: Municipal Property Rates Act, No.6 of 2004

·         Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act, No.13 of 2005

·         Policy guidelines for implementing Local Economic Development in South Africa of 2005

·         Municipal Performance Management Regulations of 2006

She also brings useful experience that can be brought to bear in policy implementation as a former Non-Executive Board member of organisations such as the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA); a participant in number of Public, Private and Community sector partnerships; and a facilitator of development initiatives with international donor agencies.

Dr Msengana-Ndlela is known for her principled approach to administration and institutional development. She has been recognised by Rhodes University for “Outstanding accomplishment in professional life and enhancing the reputation of Rhodes University” (Old Rhodian Award, 2005). She is also a recipient of a research Fellowship award from the WK Kellogg Foundation of the USA, through a programme which promotes policy practice and research by women leaders in Southern Africa. Since her departure from the DPLG in 2009, she has undertaken extensive local and international research on urban governance and has since 2012 been a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC). The NMBMM stands to benefit from her reflective research experience, her practical administration expertise and international exposure.

Dr Msengana-Ndlela is a married mother of three grown-up children.