Busani Ngcaweni

Busani Ngcaweni is Director of the Center for Public Policy at the University of Johannesburg (since July 2025) and a Research Associate at the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences where he is reading for PhD in World Economy. From March 2020, he led the National School of Government in South Africa, which grew into a leading management development institute in Africa and a recognized think tank for public sector reforms and civil service professionalization. The school serves appointed and elected officials across South Africa and the broader African region. It collaborates with universities worldwide. Before this role, Ngcaweni was Head of Policy and Research in The Presidency and served as Chief of Staff to multiple South African deputy presidents and the current president. His interests span policy development, programme implementation, strategy, leadership and economic governance. He has held academic affiliations as a Visiting Adjunct Professor at the Wits School of Governance (2019–2025), Visiting Professor at Fudan University (2024), Visiting Scholar at Toronto Metropolitan University (2015) and Senior Research Associate at the University of Johannesburg. He is also a Fellow of the African Leadership Initiative.
He writes for leading newspapers in South Africa and China. His most recent of 11 edited volumes include Liberation Diaries Volume 2 (Jacana Media, 2024), African Literature and Intellectual Histories (HSRC Press, 2024) and The Contested Idea of South Africa (Routledge, 2002).