Thabang Edwin Molapo

Harvard South African Fellowship Program Fellow (2024-2025)
Harvard Kennedy School Mid-Career Master in Public Administration (MC/MPA)
Thabang Molapo

Thabang Edwin Molapo is a seasoned audit and governance expert dedicated to advancing public service delivery and transparency through his extensive expertise in accounting and public financial management. With a rich background that spans the public sector, academia, and governance, Thabang combines deep technical knowledge with strong leadership skills.

 

He holds the prestigious Registered Government Auditor (RGA) designation and has made notable contributions as a board member of the Southern African Institute of Government Auditors (SAIGA). As a non-executive director and later as a co-opted Technical Director, Thabang played a pivotal role in overseeing professional examinations and leading the development of a groundbreaking competency framework aimed at professionalizing public financial management in South Africa and beyond. His efforts also extended to the Pan-African Federation of Accountants (PAFA), where he contributed to a technical working group focused on enhancing audit quality across the continent and establishing a continental "auditors without borders".

 

In 2023, Thabang was honored with the Harvard South Africa Fellowship, leading to his acceptance into the Master in Public Administration program at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. There, he will focus on leveraging public policy to deepen democratic processes, with coursework on the intersection of technology and public interest, getting things done, negotiation across differences, and bridging divides to create justice in real time, all with a focus on applications within an African context.

 

Thabang is also a recipient of the SAIGA President's Award, joining esteemed figures such as former Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng. His interests include:

• The intersection of accounting, democracy, and service delivery

• Professionalization of public service

• Education and technical accounting issues

• Protection of democracy and social justice

• Civic education

• Examining how gender equity and equality policies impact boys and exploring alternative, progressive applications of these policies to address unintended social consequences