Sibongile Lubambo hails from Matsulu, Nelspruit and completed her undergraduate degree in commerce studies at the University of the Western Cape. She then moved to acquire her honours at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She completed her articles with one of South Africa’s “big four” firms and qualified as a chartered accountant. She later went on to become a senior manager, involved in auditing clients, at an auditing firm, where she completed her articles.

She joined the AGSA as a manager in 2009, a year later she was promoted to deputy business executive in Mpumalanga. She was then promoted to business executive and then eventually to her current role of corporate executive. Among other things, her role includes overseeing the AGSA’s Mpumalanga audits and other national ministries allocated to her. She mostly prides herself with the work that the AGSA is doing in recruiting young, black and upcoming accountants and auditors. As someone who needed a break and for someone to see her and her skills, beyond her race and gender, she now takes seriously what it means to give those who would be overlooked because of their race and gender a chance. As such she has been involved in the AGSA’s training programs and mentoring of young talent.

She notes that when she first qualified and was making her way up the ranks, there were many challenges she had to overcome as a woman (mainly balancing her role as a leader with the expectation society has of women) but there has since been conversations about transformation and there are tangible benefits, some of which include the fact that the AGSA has around 54% women staff and more than 50% women sitting on the executive committee, including herself. She is dedicated to using the AGSA to make a difference and do her part in building the South Africa she would like to see her children and others thrive in.