Ms Gugu Mashiteng is the current Head Official of the Mpumalanga Provincial Treasury, a position she has held since December 2019. Her responsibilities include implementing the provisions of the Public Finance Management Act and the Municipal Finance Management Act throughout the province, managing the provincial budget process, ensuring prudent financial management systems are established, and guiding expenditure processes within the provincial administration.

Before her tenure at the helm of the Provincial Treasury, Ms Mashiteng held the position of Chief Financial Officer (Deputy Director General) in the Mpumalanga Department of Education from September 2016 to November 2019. As a senior executive, she was instrumental in developing and implementing the department’s budget strategy and aligning financial resources with strategic objectives. Her responsibilities included setting stringent internal controls to ensure proper financial management, preparing monthly in-year monitoring reports and quarterly and annual financial statements, leading the audit process and handling the department's financial and human resource management functions.

From 2014 to 2016, Ms. Mashiteng was the Deputy Municipal Manager for Planning and Economic Development at the uThungulu District Municipality. In this role, she was responsible for planning, organising, coordinating, and controlling all activities related to Integrated Development Planning, Local Economic Development, Agriculture, Rural Development, Film, and Tourism.

Ms Mashiteng's earlier career milestones at the management level included being Chief Director: Transversal Human Resource Development in the Mpumalanga Department of Education (Systems & Planning) in 2014. Between June 2009 and February 2014, she served as the Director: Strategic Planning, Research & Project Coordination, where she was responsible for research concerning strategic planning and the development of the departmental five-year plan, annual performance plan, and operational plan.

Her career in finance started at Vodacom in 2005 as an Assistant Accountant. In January 2007, she joined the Mpumalanga Provincial Treasury as the Deputy Director: Budget & Expenditure Management. In this capacity, she was tasked with driving and managing the provincial budget process, performing analytical reviews of budgets and expenditure trends (In-Year Monitoring), and advising section heads on budget-related issues.

Ms Mashiteng's expertise and commitment to progressive programmes that advance shared economic growth and agile business strategies led to her involvement in the following Corporate Governance and board leadership:

• Deputy Chairperson of the Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone (RBIDZ) (2016-2022), where she played a crucial role in steering the strategic direction and growth of the industrial zone.

• As the Chairperson of the Investment Committee of the RBIDZ, she led the evaluation and approval of investment proposals. This required a keen understanding of the economic landscape and assessing the feasibility and potential impact of proposed investments in stimulating economic growth.

• As a member of the Audit Committee, she oversaw the financial integrity of the RBIDZ, ensuring that the entity maintains the requisite transparency and accountability within the ecosystem.

• Chairperson of the Department of Education Audit Steering Committee (2016-2019). In this role, Ms Mashiteng oversaw the auditing processes for the Department of Education, ensuring that financial and operational audits were conducted efficiently and effectively.

• She led efforts to stimulate economic growth within the uThungulu District as the Chairperson of the Economic Development Forum (2014-2016). This involved coordinating with local businesses, government agencies, and community organizations to develop and implement strategies that promote sustainable development.