Dr Tebogo Makube is Chief Director: Industrial Procurement at the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic). Before joining the dtic, Dr Makube was the Programme Manager: Fiscal Policy at the Financial and Fiscal Commission. Prior to that he was Director: Provincial Infrastructure at the National Treasury. He has also held research and management positions at the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) and Nokusa Consulting. He is also a Board Member at Proudly South African. Dr Makube holds a PhD in Energy Studies and other qualifications in Law, Economic Policy and Energy Economics.  

Palesa Moitse is a Senior Specialist International Trade at the South African Revenue Service. She was previously Director Trade Remedies at the Internation Trade Administration Commission (ITAC). She has more than 15 years’ experience in trade policy formulation, legal drafting and the implementation of trade rules. This work has included multilateral WTO negotiations and committee work, regional trade negotiations and bilateral trade agreements. She was the lead negotiator for the Trade Facilitation Negotiation that was adopted in Bali December 2013. Her academic background is BA in Law and LLB from the National University of Lesotho and an LLM in Banking…

Rudi Dicks has been in the trade union movement for most of his life. He held the position of Executive Director of the National Labour and Economic Development Institute (NALEDI) for four years, up until 2013, and is now with the Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation in the Presidency as an Outcome Facilitator for Employment and Inclusive Growth. He was a member of the Management Committee, Executive Council, Labour Market Chamber, Demarcation Committee and S77 Standing Committee at NEDLAC. He currently serves on the Advisory committee of the Jobs Fund and the Employment, Income Distribution and Inclusive Growth Research Initiative. Prior to…

Thandi Phele is the Acting Deputy Director General of Industrial Competitiveness and Growth Branch at the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic). Since her appointment in the acting position, she has been providing thought leadership to South African industrial policy and driving key programmes aimed at industrialisation and localisation. Key among these, she continues to lead the development and implementation of various masterplans led by the dtic: Automotives; Retail-Clothing, Textiles, Footwear and Leather; Poultry; Sugar; Steel and Metal Fabrication; and Furniture. She has been instrumental in the development and deployment of a number of industrial policy tools to…

Nomvuyo Guma is the Chief Director for Microeconomic Policy at the National Treasury, managing a team of 10 Economists, responsible for sectoral policy analysis, structural reforms, and green economy issues, as well as the Co-Head of Operation Vulindlela (OV). OV is a joint initiative between the Presidency and the National Treasury to accelerate the implementation of priority structural reforms. Ms. Guma is an economist with over 16 years of experience in economics, applied microeconomics, strategy, and policy development in both the public and private sectors. She holds a Bachelor of Business Science degree in Economics, from the University of Cape…

Josephilda Hlope works at the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation. She is currently Outcome Facilitator responsible for Social Protection and Social Cohesion and leads engagement on the G20 Development Working Group. She served as Chief Policy Analyst in the Advisory Services Directorate Economic in the Presidency from 2008 to 2010, and was a member of the National Planning Commission Secretariat for the NDP in the Presidency from 2010 to 2014. As part of her career, she has developed evidence-based policies and programmes, streamlined monitoring and evaluation processes, and implemented innovative national development strategies. She has authored papers and participated in…

Saul Levin is the Executive Director of TIPS, a not-for-profit economic research institute. Saul has previously worked as a Chief Director in the Economic Development Department (EDD) with oversight over Development Finance Institutions. Prior to that Saul spent two years as a Business Operations Manager at Standard Bank. Previously he worked as the Chief of Staff for the Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry and for the Minister of Minerals and Energy. He has also worked as an economist at the Department of Trade and Industry, and spent several years working in small business development. Saul has a Master’s degree…