Ismail Momoniat appointed as acting DG of Treasury

Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana has appointed Ismail Momoniat as acting director-general (DG) of the National Treasury, effective from June 8 2022.

“I am confident that Momoniat will keep a steady hand on the till of the organisation, steering the department to meet our strategic agenda while ensuring continuity and stability,” said the minister in a statement issued on Wednesday.

Momoniat, who was the head of tax and financial sector policy at Treasury, takes over from Dondo Mogajane who was in the role since June 2017.

According to a statement issued in April, Mogajane elected not to extend his contract which ended on June 7, 2022.

“The DG will leave the National Treasury on the expiry of his current contract to pursue new opportunities outside of the public sector,” it added.

According to Treasury, Momoniat, who was a mathematics lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand, has served the department for 27 years, of which he served in the role of deputy director-general for 22 years.

He holds a Master of Science (MSc) degree from the London School of Economics and a Master of Science in Mathematics from the University of the Witwatersrand.

The department says Momoniat has been primarily responsible for formulating and designing policy and legislative framework for the fiscal and financial governance and accountability system for the public sector, intergovernmental fiscal framework and the tax and financial regulatory system.

Treasury confirmed that foundational financial and fiscal legislation, of which Momoniat was part, includes the development and enactment of the Public Finance Management Act.

The department says Momoniat recently led the process for the adoption of the Carbon Tax Act to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“I as the minister, the National Treasury team, and the broader financial family, welcome Momoniat in this new acting role and assure him of our support and cooperation,” adds Godongwana.

Nondumiso Lehutso is a Moneyweb intern.