Mr Makgothi Samuel Thobakgale is a well-known figure in the South African public sector, with over 17 years of experience in senior management roles in various government departments. He was appointed as the acting National Commissioner of the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) on 27 September 2021, after joining DCS in September 2020 as the Chief Deputy Commissioner (CDC) responsible for Incarceration and Corrections.
Prior to joining DCS, Thobakgale served as the Deputy Director-General for Small Harbours, State Coastal Properties Development and Special Projects in the National Department of Public Works and Infrastructure from July 2008 to August 2020. During the same period, he was seconded as an Administrator and Accounting Officer for the North West Provincial Public Works and Roads Department under the section 100 (1) b intervention.
Thobakgale has also held various senior management roles in government, including Head of Department in the Department of Public Works and Roads, Acting Head of Department: Infrastructure Advisory and Support Services in the Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport, and Chief of Staff in the office of the MEC for Safety, Security and Liaison.
Thobakgale holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (2001) and a Bachelor of Commerce Honours from the University of South Africa (UNISA), which he obtained in 2009. He also holds two post-graduate diplomas in Prevention of Fraud and Corruption, and Executive Development Programme, as well as a post-graduate certificate in Crime Prevention. Thobakgale is currently pursuing a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degree with the University of Johannesburg.
Thobakgale has served as a member of various boards, including the Trade Investment Board, Limpopo Economic Development Enterprise Board, Limpopo Business Support Agency Board, and Limpopo Tourism Board, among others. He has extensive experience in managing educational, economic, transport, marine, and infrastructure programs over his illustrious career, with work that involves high and low-level strategy development and execution, advisory, stakeholder relations, negotiations, and contract management.
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