The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) has moved decisively to strengthen healthcare regulation with the appointment of Dr Mashudu Manafe to its Professional Board for Dietetics and Nutrition, where she will serve as Chairperson of the Education, Training and Registration Committee for the 2025–2030 term.
The appointment places one of South Africa’s leading public health nutrition experts at the centre of decisions that shape professional training, practice standards, and public protection. For the health sector, the message is clear: governance will be rigorous, and outcomes will matter.
Dr Manafe, Head of the Department of Human Nutrition and Dietetics at Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU), was formally inducted during an intensive process designed to prepare board members for the demands ahead. The induction focused squarely on legislative authority, governance responsibilities, operational systems, and strategic priorities, reinforcing the HPCSA’s insistence on accountability.
‘Effective regulation begins with clarity of mandate and purpose,’ Dr Manafe said. ‘Our responsibility is to ensure that professional education and practice standards protect the public while strengthening the integrity of the health professionals.’
Under Regulation 2 of the Regulations relating to the functions and functioning of Professional Boards, each board must, at its first meeting of the year, appoint committees that operate until the following year. These committees are not administrative formalities; they are the engine that drives oversight, quality assurance, and reform.
Committee governance is tightly structured and deliberate, with the appointment of a Chairperson for each committee, except the Executive Committee, which is chaired by the Professional Board Chairperson; clear rules on committee composition, quorum requirements, and terms of reference; and direct alignment with the HPCSA’s mandate to safeguard the public and uphold professional excellence.
Dr Manafe brings rare breadth to the role. A Doctor of Public Health, she earned her doctorate from SMU in 2018 and has built a career at the intersection of nutrition science, leadership, and health systems research. In addition to leading her department, she serves as a Senior Lecturer and postgraduate supervisor, mentoring master’s and doctoral candidates and shaping the next generation of health professionals.
Her research portfolio addresses some of South Africa’s most urgent public health challenges, including weight management and obesity, with a focus on why weight-loss attempts fail; nutrition knowledge and dietary behaviour among healthcare workers; household food security, food hygiene, meal planning, maternal and child nutrition, including infant feeding practices and acute malnutrition.
Before entering academia, Dr Manafe worked as a clinical dietitian at Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital, ensuring her policy and education work remain grounded in frontline healthcare realities.
For the HPCSA, her appointment signals intent. The Council is repositioning its Professional Boards as active drivers of quality, ethical practice, and public confidence, not passive compliance bodies.
‘Strong governance is not abstract,’ Dr Manafe said. ‘It directly shapes the competence of practitioners and the safety of patients.’
As the 2025–2030 term is in progress, the signal to professionals, educators, and institutions is unmistakable: standards matter, leadership matters, and delivery will be closely scrutinised.
By Tumelo Moila
