AMERICAN, SA CITIZEN IN NEW RSTP BOARD

mfanukhona@times.co.sz

MBABANE – The Royal Science and Technology Park (RSTP) shall be under the directorship of two foreigners – an American and a South African citizen.

Concerns have been raised that since the RSTP handles sensitive data for the country and clients, putting it under the control of professionals paying allegiance to foreign States could possibly compromise the confidentiality of information.

However, acting Minister of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) Manqoba Khumalo clarified that Professor Theodore Davis is an American who, at some point, worked for the University of Eswatini (UNESWA) as a lecturer.  “Davis is currently in the USA, and hasn’t yet returned to the country because of travel restrictions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which necessitated States to effect lockdowns,” explained the minister.

The minister said Dr Phindile Masangane, the Chairperson of the RSTP Board, is a bona fide liSwati who holds a PhD in Chemistry, an MBA from Wits Business School and a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Eswatini.  She is currently the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the upstream oil and gas regulatory authority, Petroleum Agency South Africa (PASA). He said Dr Masangane’s parental home is Ndzingeni in the northern part of Eswatini.

Khumalo mentioned that she studied and lectured at UNESWA, working closely with the then Vice Chancellor Professor Lydia Makhubu. The minister said the two Board members would not be handling operational issues but were appointed for governance (administration) of the public enterprise. He said the chairperson completed his higher secondary education in Eswatini. He explained that government touched base with its South African counterpart regarding her appointment to serve in the country.

He said the South African government expected that Dr Masangane would only be reimbursed her travelling allowance as she was not permitted to be paid a salary over and above the remuneration to which she was entitled in that country. “Can you see how committed she is to the country? A very smart woman, knowledgeable and hard working, we needed her because she understands technical and administrative aspects of the RSTP,” Minister Khumalo explained. 

The minister explained that everything pertaining to her appointment and that of Professor Davis was done above board, such as liaising with the Public Enterprise Unit and police for vetting purposes. 

no law barring foreigners

There is no specific law that bars foreigners from becoming Board members, but they would have to apply for work permits through the Immigration Department of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The ministry issues the permits in consultation with the Training and Localisation Unit. Before then, Dr Masangane was an executive at the South African state-owned energy company, CEF (SOC) Ltd, which is the holding company of PASA. 

In this role, she was responsible for clean, renewable and alternative energy projects. In partnership with private companies she led the development of energy projects, including the deal structuring, project economic modelling and financing on behalf of the CEF Group of Companies. Her responsibilities also include supporting the national government in developing an energy policy and regulations for diversifying the country’s energy mix.

In 2019, she was Head of Strategy for the CEF Group of Companies where she led the development of the Group’s long term strategic plan, Vision 2040+ as well as the Group’s gas strategy.

Between 2010 and 2013, Dr Masangane was a partner and director at KPMG, responsible for the Energy Advisory Division. In this role she successfully led the capital raising of E34.3 billion (US$2 billion) for the Zimbabwe power utility (ZESA/ZPC)’s hydro and coal power plants expansion programmes. 

On the other hand, Professor Davis is a Fulbright Scholar from the United States.  He was a Visiting Professor at the University of Eswatini, Faculty of Commerce, as well as the Interim Director of the Entrepreneurship and Business Development Centre. Furthermore, he was an Assistant Professor at State University of New York College at Buffalo and did some work for Harvard University.  

Currently, he is the Vice President, Chief Administration Officer at J.B. and Associates, a small advisory firm that specialises in the areas of management, and public relations by furnishing assistance to the management of private, nonprofit, and public small to medium size organisations.  

Prof. Davis has over 20 years’ success building, aligning, and restructuring organisations to achieve operational excellence and sustainable financial gains.   It is said that his wide-ranging experience spans startups, turnarounds, hybrid/multi-operational businesses, non-profits, joint ventures. Prof. Davis received a PhD from Southern Illinois University, an MBA from University of Pittsburgh, and a BA from Chicago State University.  

Prof. Davis received several awards for outstanding teaching qualities, classroom creativity, leadership and innovation and continued dedication to students. He is a member of several community and professional service organisations, including the Academy of Management, and the Black Chamber of Commerce.  

Moreover, he is a member of the Board of Directors of several nonprofit organisations. He teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses, specialising in Human Resource Management and Strategic Management. In addition, he has published several articles in the fields of Strategic Management, Human Resource Management, and Entrepreneurialism.  Prof. Davis lives in Glencoe, Illinois, a northern suburb of Chicago with his children.

tough task ahead

In an interview, Dr Masangane said she had acquired a South African citizenship, adding that the Board Charter allowed them to hold six meetings per year, and would attend all those meetings. “For the committee meetings which I am invitee I will connect remotely,” she said.

She said two Board members were outside the country – one in the USA and the other in South Africa. The other one who is in South Africa is Phiwa Nkambule, who has been reappointed into the Board.

The chairperson mentioned that these two members would join via virtual meeting platforms. Asked how she was going to sign documents, she responded: “signing documents is not a problem at all. I can do that from my smart laptop.”

Dr Masangane said she was more concerned that there was a big task in front of them, wished they had established a strong team spirit before using virtual meetings. “That is why it was very important for me to attend the first meeting in person with the CEO and management. I am glad I did that. It was a fruitful two days in which I got to meet the capable RSTP management team,” said the newly-appointed chairperson.

She is concerned that the country’s economy is facing serious constraints – some of which were there before COVID-19 pandemic. 

She said the COVID-19 pandemic had been the most disruptive challenge that had thrust the world into a full digital world. “As you know the RSTP mandate is to support the country on the use of IT to grow and diversify the economy. So RSTP will play a strategic role in the country’s economic recovery,” she said.

Dr Masangane said the country was awarded the right to host the AE Trade of the African Union and such requires ICT infrastructure.  “It would be opportune that the RSTP plays a critical role in this in a mutually beneficial manner,” said the chairperson. She pointed to the fact that the recovery of the economy required efficient government services, and the integration of government databases was a cornerstone of this process.

She advised that the digitalisation and integration of government services must be done in a cost-effective manner, and RSTP was posed to play that role. The new Board will steer the RSTP’s drive to generate an income of E174 billion.

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