Busisiwe Mavuso (born 1977 or 1978) is a South African businesswoman and the chief executive officer of Business Leadership South Africa. Before her appointment to that position in July 2019, she was the chief executive officer of the Black Management Forum between 2016 and 2017.

Busi Mavuso
Born1977 or 1978 (age 45–46)
Alma materUniversity of South Africa
Years active1995–present
OrganizationBusiness Leadership South Africa

Early life and education edit

Mavuso was born in 1977 or 1978 in Soweto,[1] where she grew up in the White City neighbourhood of Jabavu.[2] She and her three siblings were raised by their mother, a widowed teacher who died in 2012.[2] In 1994, at the age of 16, Mavuso matriculated at Lofentse Girls School in Orlando East.[2]

Although her family circumstances meant that she was forced to enter the workforce immediately after matriculation, she also enrolled part-time in the University of South Africa, intending to become a chartered accountant.[2] She completed her Bachelor's degree in accounting several years later and then completed a Master's in business leadership at the same university.[3] In 2018,[4] she qualified as a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.[2]

Early corporate career edit

Mavuso entered banking in 1995;[3] her first job was an internship at Allied Bank.[5] She went on to work in various consulting, telecommunications, and healthcare companies.[3]

In 2009,[2] she became the chief financial officer of the Black Management Forum; she ultimately spent eight years at the Forum, rising to become managing director.[6] Upon her appointment as managing director in 2016, she professed herself in favour of strict and punitive enforcement of transformation targets in South African companies.[3]

Business Leadership South Africa edit

In November 2017,[7] she was appointed as the chief operating officer of Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA), working under her mentor, Bonang Mohale, who had recently been appointed as BLSA CEO.[2] She succeeded Mohale as CEO on 1 July 2019.[6][8]

Simultaneously, between 2018 and 2022, Mavuso was a member of the board of Eskom; she was appointed to her seat in January 2018, when the board was chaired by Jabu Mabuza.[9] In April 2022, she made national headlines for walking out of a meeting between the board and Parliament's Standing Committee on Public Accounts. When Mavuso told the Committee that the board and André de Ruyter would not accept being made "the fall guy for this ANC-led government" and its "mess" (the ongoing energy crisis), Committee chairperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa told Mavuso to "Either behave yourself or excuse yourself from this meeting" and she promptly excused herself.[10] The Ministry of Public Enterprises called Mavuso's conduct "unbecoming",[10] but Mavuso maintained that she had no obligation to "behave and be pliable to Parliament".[11][12] She resigned from the Eskom board in September 2022.[13]

Mavuso also served on the board of Business Unity South Africa.[1] Her weekly newsletter, serialised in several newspapers, has a wide readership in South Africa.[14]

Personal life edit

As of 2016, Mavuso had two young children.[3] She lives in Johannesburg.[2]

References edit

  1. ^ a b "'The reality is that we don't have a capable state' – Busisiwe Mavuso". 702. 21 July 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Heywood, Mark (9 August 2021). "Business Leadership SA's Busi Mavuso: We're naive to think we can achieve stability in the face of inequality". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Winning Women: Transforming corporate SA". City Press. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  4. ^ "Interview: Busisiwe Mavuso ACCA, CEO of Business Leadership South Africa". ACCA Global. December 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  5. ^ "Backstory: Business Leadership SA CEO Busisiwe Mavuso". Business Day. 4 July 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  6. ^ a b "BLSA appoints Busisiwe Mavuso as new CEO". Business Leadership South Africa. 27 June 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  7. ^ "BLSA appoints new COO and board member". IOL. 7 November 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  8. ^ Brown, Justin (30 June 2019). "Busisiwe Mavuso is BLSA's new CEO". City Press. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  9. ^ "New Eskom board announced – Jabu Mabuza named as new chairperson". The Mail & Guardian. 20 January 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  10. ^ a b Omarjee, Lameez (22 April 2022). "Govt slams Busi Mavuso's criticism of ANC at tense Eskom meeting". News24. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  11. ^ "'I am not going to be told to behave as if I am a naughty 12-year-old school girl' – Eskom board member Busisiwe Mavuso". IOL. 25 April 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  12. ^ "Eskom's Busisiwe Mavuso stands by her remarks". SABC News. 25 April 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  13. ^ Cowan, Kyle (29 September 2022). "Embattled Eskom takes another hit as Busi Mavuso resigns from already hobbling board". News24. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  14. ^ "South Africa: Magashule overplays his hand". Africa Confidential. 13 May 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2023.

External links edit