Dr Patience Nombeko Mbava will serve a five-year term as the new Financial and Fiscal Commission (FFC) chairperson, following her appointment by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The FFC is an independent, permanent and statutory institution that makes recommendations to Parliament, provincial legislatures, and any other organ of State determined by national legislation, with a focus on the equitable division of nationally collected revenue among the three spheres of government and any other financial and fiscal matters.

The role of FFC chairperson was temporarily filled by deputy chairperson Michael Sachs following the death of Professor Daniel Plaatjies. The commission has extended its gratitude to Sachs for his tenure as acting chairperson.

Mbava, whose term came into effect on Tuesday, has led monitoring and evaluation units in public entities, with a focus on organisational strategy development and governance.

She has a PhD in Public and Development Management, an MBA from Stellenbosch University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Smith College in the US.

The commission said it looked forward to her leadership and it wished her well in her new role.