From making history in Mbombela when she became a CFO at 26, to hailing from one of South Africa’s most storied dynasties, Mintek CFO Thembelihle Mjaji-Mbatha has dedicated her life to service in the public sector.
When Thembelihle Mjaji-Mbatha became a chief financial officer at 26, she may not have fully grasped the magnitude of what she was stepping into. Her appointment at the Inkomati-Usuthu Catchment Management Agency placed her in executive rooms with leaders who were decades older than her. The expectations were immense and the margin for error was thin.
She is modest about making history in Mbombela. “You know, it was during a time they were looking for CAs for the chief financial officer positions and I happened to be there,” she says. At the time, she was already a senior manager in government, which made her a natural candidate for the job.
Still, the transition was jarring.
Leading seasoned executives while overseeing finance, ICT and corporate services became what she now calls a formative “trial by fire”. It was here that she developed the discipline and strategic instinct that would shape her career. “In government, you get there and you are expected to thrive. I had to swim in real time, navigating all the complexities.”
She saw firsthand how governance failures erode public trust and how strong internal controls can reverse that trajectory. For the young CFO, moving entities from qualified to clean audit outcomes became more than compliance milestones; it was evidence that disciplined finance leadership could restore credibility.
Driving force
While many of her peers were pursuing international opportunities, Thembelihle chose to remain in South Africa. “One thing I pride myself with – we are the best in the world for producing chartered accountants. Our CFO professionals will forever be sought after,” she said. “It has to come back to what is your internal driving force.”
That internal drive has now brought her to Mintek, where she serves as CFO in a highly technical, male-dominated environment. The scrutiny, she admits, is inevitable. “There’s always going to be that level of scrutiny… just for the fact that you’re a woman. You are young, you are Black. They’re like please, have you even seen a mine?”
Luckily, she has. During her articles at KPMG, she audited mines in Mpumalanga, a role which required her to verify assets underground.
But rather than attempting rapid transformation, she prefers a measured approach – diagnosing challenges carefully, strengthening governance foundations and building culture gradually. “You just need to make sure that all your decisions are thought out because everyone is watching,” she says.
In a volatile national context marked by structural constraints and talent migration, she remains committed to building impact at home.
“I always say if you come to the public sector, put on your bulletproof vest and welcome,” she adds. “There are some of us who have been through the fires and we will take your hand. You just have to be willing to do the work.”
Royal ties
Long before she stepped into executive boardrooms, Thembelihle was connected to one of South Africa’s most storied matriarchal traditions. She traces her lineage to the dynasty associated with the legendary Rain Queen Modjadji of Limpopo, a cultural lineage famed for its symbolism around rainmaking.
While her grandparents are directly descended from Balobedu royalty, Thembelihle deliberately chose to avoid that path. “My grandparents are from that lineage and I never wanted to get involved in the royal side, because even now there is succession politics,” she explained.
As a child, she spent holidays in Limpopo. But by high school, she had decided her future lay elsewhere. Instead, she found her calling in accounting at Lowveld High School, albeit through a pragmatic lens, and guided by her taste for the finer things in life. “One day I went to the back of the newspaper and looked for the highest paying jobs and at the time it was the CA thing,” she says, laughing at the memory.
Her tertiary education journey began at the University of South Africa (Unisa), a decision that initially left her utterly overwhelmed. “I cried,” she recalls. “Unisa is long distance learning and there’s no campus support.”
Yet that distance-learning foundation helped her develop a high standard of discipline. Later on, she secured a KPMG bursary which afforded her the opportunity to attend lectures at Varsity College’s Pretoria campus on a full-time basis. She excelled academically and went on to complete her articles.
Giving back
During this period, she sought out mentorship from Helen Thrush, former SAICA chairperson, who became a guiding influence. “Helen inspired me so much. I still call her my mentor,” she said.
Her CA qualification was historic even in that office, becoming the youngest and first Black female chartered accountant there.
Beyond professional milestones, service runs deep in her DNA. Through her foundation, Thembelihle mentors young girls and campaigns to end period poverty by improving access to sanitary products. “For me it’s about giving back. That’s just in my nature.”
A mom to twins, she relies on a strong support system rooted in family and community, a modern reflection of the matriarchal strength that defines her heritage. “With us in the Black culture, you will always find Mzala, a relative that no one had known but is related to the family. In time, I developed my own village of people who assist me in raising the kids.”
She turns her daily commute into a classroom through audiobooks, listening to titles like Let Them by Mel Robbins and tunes into The Diary of a CEO by Steven Bartlett.
When pressure builds, Thembelihle turns to her Christian faith, fasting, prayer and long walks to recentre herself. Another surprising aspect to this CFO is her need for speed. A self-confessed petrol head, she completed an advanced AMG driving course in 2024 and describes being on the racetrack as a rush. “Give me the wheel anytime,” she said.
