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 various sectors, including designations and localisation under the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act (PPPFA); design of industrial financing support; beneficiation of South African mineral endowment; design and implementation of skills programmes to support the broader manufacturing sector; and standard and quality measurements.
Ms Phele has contributed to the core of the industrialisation agenda in South Africa over the past 16 years at the dtic. She has extensive policy knowledge of the steel, heavy industries and engineering as well as strategy development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, which is her permanent role as a Chief Director: Metal Fabrication, Capital and Rail Transport Equipment sector desk.