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31 October 2005

Premier Sello Moloto announced late on Friday, 28 October 2005, the appointment of Dr Nelly Manzini as the new Director-General of Limpopo. "We are honoured that Dr Manzini has accepted this mammoth challenge of leading the public service at this critical hour of growth and development in our province,” said the Premier. “She will definitely lead in the development of institutional efficiencies and efficacies within our provincial administration; this is one of the key strategic objectives of the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy (PGDS).”

Dr Manzini was born and bred in a rural village of Nwamitwa, approximately 20 kilometres north-east of the Tzaneen in Limpopo. She is the fourth child of the late Hosi (Chief) Fofoza Nwamitwa and a widowed mother of three (two girls and one boy). Dr Manzini speaks and understands Xitsonga, Sepedi, Tshivenda, Setswana, isiZulu, isiXhosa, Sesotho, English and Afrikaans. She did her primary schooling at Fofoza and for her secondary schooling she went to Bankuna and Lemana high schools. When she is not working she shares her leisure time with rural women. “I want to know all other cultures and I also like to watch soccer,” she said.

She acquired her tertiary qualifications at the University of Limpopo (then the University of the North), University of South Africa (UNISA) and the University of London. She also did Senior Executive Programmes at Wits and Harvard Universities and holds a D.Litt et Phil (UNISA); an Advanced Diploma in Primary Health Care (University of London); a diploma in Interior Design (INTEC); a MA Cur (UNISA); BA Cur (hons) (UNISA); a diploma in Nursing Administration (University of the North); a diploma in Midwifery (Elim Hospital); and a diploma in General Nursing (Masana Hospital).

Her first job was as a nursing sister in 1976 at Letaba Hospital. After six years as a nursing sister she became a Nursing Services Manager in 1983. In 1990, she became a Deputy Manager at the then Giyani Head Office (Mopani District) and in 1993 she became a Manager at the same Office. In the new government in 1995 she became the Director of District Systems Development and Primary Healthcare, then in 1998 a Regional Director at the Central Region (Capricorn District). She became a Senior General Manager of Health Services in 2000 and in 2002 she became the Head of Department of Health and Social Development.

People who are given a task to and they take ages to attend to that will not be the new DG’s friends. “I don’t like people who procrastinate.” In 1975 she had her certificates in General Nursing and Midwifery, in 1983 BA-Cur and MA Cur in 1989.

From the University of London she completed her Advanced Diploma in Primary Health Education in 1993 and in 1998 she finished her Doctor of Literature and Philosophy. At the dawn of democracy in South Africa in 1994 blacks and whites had teething problems of living together in racial harmony. Some means where made to bridge this racial gap, Dr Manzini was elected to serve in the Executive Committee of the Bridge Building Project, a campaign intended to bring all South Africa’s races into living together as a united non-racial nation, rich in diversity.

In 1999 she was a member in the Nomination Committee for the Nelson Mandela Health and Human Rights Awards. She received a study award in 1994 for Improving Quality of Care, from the British Council in Oxford, United Kingdom. The Israel Embassy gave her a study award for a course in Family Development in 1992, followed by the Kelloggs Foundation in 1994 when it sponsored her to attend a conference in Zimbabwe on Reproductive Health. In the same year, she attended a conference in Bangladesh for Reproductive Health in Developing Countries. In 1995 World Health Organisation took her to Indonesia for a workshop on Health Centres in District Development Systems.

She presented numerous health-related papers and contributed to a number of Health and Social Development-related publications. In April 2001 she presented a paper entitled `Free Health Services in South Africa’ during an International Health Leadership Programme in Cambridge, United Kingdom (UK). Twice she became World Health Organisation Technical Advisor on the role of Health Centres in District Systems Development and she also served in Evaluation of Research Methodology in Reproductive Health in Developing Countries. Dr Manzini, also currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Health Systems Trust, the South African Institute of Health Managers and the Oliver Tambo Health Manager Training Programme at the University of Cape Town.

Dr Manzini is currently the Head of the Department of Health and Social Development where she is responsible for the strategic planning and direction of the Department, overall management of the departmental components of health and welfare services, policy development, budget and financial control and high-level communications and functional guidance.

Here, Manzini is responsible for managing a R10.2-billion budget (R3.97-billion Health and R6.24-billion Welfare). She has also received the Premier’s Service Excellence Award Platinum Winner for 2003. She is a Board Member of the Oliver Tambo Fellowship Programme and the South African Institute of Health Managers and a Trustee of the Health Systems Trust.

Welcoming the incumbent, the Acting Director-General Dr Phuti Pheme said: “We feel privileged to be joined by a professional of Dr Manzini’s calibre as the accounting officer of not only the Office of the Premier, but she also becomes the highest public servant in the province. We will greatly benefit from her strategic leadership, expertise and qualities. Her loyalty to public transformation is unquestionable and her passion and thirst for knowledge is insatiable.”

Enquiries:
Saul Molobi
Tel: 015 287 6311
Cell: 083 444 2922

Issued by: Office of the Premier, Limpopo Provincial Government
31 October 2005
Source: Limpopo Provincial Government (http://www.limpopo.gov.za/)