By Lehlohonolo Lehana.

The Auditor General of South Africa (AGSA) Tsakani Maluleke has been elected as External Auditor of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) for a period of six years, going from 2024 to 2029.

Maluleke was elected to her UNESCO role on 16 November 2023 by members of various committees and subsidiary organs of this United Nations agency.

UNESCO contributes to peace and security by promoting international cooperation in education, sciences, culture, communication and information.

UNESCO has three governing structures namely the General Conference of its 192 Member States, which meets every two years, the 58-member Executive Board, which ensures the the overall management of UNESCO, and the Secretariat, which is responsible for the day-to-day running of the Organisation.

Maluleke has more than 20 years' experience in the public and private sectors and worked with organisations like PwC and the Eastern Cape Development Corporation before joining the Office of the Auditor-General in 2012.

She also chaired the Office of the Auditor's executive committee.

Maluleke is a registered auditor with solid credentials in a variety of fields, including consulting, auditing, skills development, investment management, development finance, and corporate advisory. Her contribution to the accounting field has also been widely recognised, and in 2018 she was awarded the BMF Black Excellence Leadership Award.

South Africa previously served in the Executive Board from 1997 to 2001 and 2005 to 2009. It currently also serves in the following subsidiary bodies of UNESCO: Council of the International Bureau of Education (IBE), International Coordinating Council of the Programme on Man and the Biosphere (ICC of MAB), Intergovernmental Council of the "Management of Social Transformations" Programme (IGC of MOST) and the Intergovernmental Committee for Physical Education and Sport Member (IGC of CIGEPS).

Maluleke is a Chartered Accountant and registered auditor who holds a B Comm (Accounting) and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Accountancy from the University of Cape Town.

She also obtained a Post-graduate Diploma in Development and Public Management from the University of the Witwatersrand in 2016.