Dr Nomsa Masuku

Dr Nomsa Masuku's life is an intersection between education for democracy development, electoral management, and women empowerment.

These are the causes to which Masuku has dedicated her life. As a commissioner of the Electoral Commission of South Africa, appointed in 2018, Dr Masuku gets to pursue them all.

Dr Masuku started her career in election management in 1998. In the roles she held, she developed the Electoral Commission's strategy and implementation framework for education for democracy development. Her worked included the provision and promotion of civic, balloting and voter education. She was integral to the development of the Electoral Commission's blueprint for stakeholder engagement.

Before her appointment as Commissioner, she was the Deputy Chief Electoral Officer responsible for Outreach.

Dr Masuku has a PhD in Applied English Linguistics from the University of Birmingham, UK. In the education field, she contributed to the body of work related to South Africa's National Curriculum Statement and the protection of human rights, values and inclusivity.

She has also worked with a number of women's groups including Women and the Law in Southern Africa, the Swaziland Action Group against Abuse, and a range of civil society groupings focusing on conflict mediation, youth and women.

Dr Masuku has a varied and eclectic range of interests including education, community development, democracy development, governance, policy development and implementation, and the personal development of women professionals.

Dr Masuku’s career at the Electoral Commission took a seven-year hiatus during which she worked in the private sector. She spent those years as Standard Bank's head Corporate Social Investment, where she used her skill set to develop and implement strategies for the bank’s facilitative role in community development.