Mr Smunda S Mokoena, an electrical engineering graduate from the University of Natal, South Africa and a holder of an MBA degree from De Montfort University in Leicester in the UK, started his career at Anglo American Corporation's (AAC)Western Deep Levels Gold Mine (WDL) in 1987 as an engineerin-training. He obtained the Government Certificate ofCompetency as Electrical Engineer in 1989 while working for WDL. Thereafter he held several technical positions within the AAC group. While at AAC, Mr Mokoena was responsible
for engineering operations both underground and on surface on gold mines and managed a number of projects both on mines and at AAC. In 1996, he joined government in the Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) as Chief Director responsible for health and safety on mines. During 1998, he was made responsible for electricity, gas and coal as energy carriers.

In February 1999, Mr Mokoena was promoted to the position of Deputy Director-General (DDG): Energy. In this position, he was responsible for developing and implementing policies and strategies in the supply and demand of all forms of energy (electricity, coal, petroleum, gas, nuclear, new and renewables) in South Africa. He was also responsible for making proposals on the restructuring of State-owned energy assets such as Central Energy Fund (CEF), a company holding petroleum and gas interests on behalf of Government; the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (NECSA), a company involved in nuclear energy matters on behalf of Government and developing policies and strategies on the electricity supply industry (ESI) reform in South Africa and assisting in the
restructuring of Eskom, a State-owned electricity utility.

In his position as DDG, Mr Mokoena also led a number of policy formulation and legislative processes which included the White Paper on Energy Policy, ESI Regulation Bill, National Nuclear Regulator Act, Nuclear Energy Act, Gas Act, Petroleum Pipelines Bill, Report on Rationalising Regulators, Mozambique Gas Pipeline Agreement and the BEE Charter for the Petroleum and Liquid Fuels Industry.

Mr Mokoena has served on the Boards of Directors of CEF, NECSA, Süd Chemie Zeolites and iGas and was the chairperson of the Electricity Distribution Industry Restructuring Committee (EDIRC).

In November 2001, Mr Mokoena was transferred to the Presidency as DDG to assist the Executive Head of the NEPAD Secretariat on NEPAD policies and programmes, and the Secretariat's financial, human resources, legal and administrative matters. In addition to being responsible for operations in the Secretariat, Mr Mokoena led the process of developing proposals on the peace and security agenda, and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). He also served as the second South African representative on the NEPAD
Steering Committee alongside its Chairman and Economic Advisor to President Thabo Mbeki, Professor Wiseman Nkuhlu. In this capacity, he was responsible for coordinating the South African inputs into the NEPAD process and setting up the African Peer Review Mechanism.

On 1 May 2004, Mr Mokoena took over as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Electricity Regulator (NER), a statutory body established in terms of the Electricity Act. In addition to having played a pivotal role within the NER during the transformation of the electricity industry in South Africa, Mr Mokoena played a critical role in establishing the National Energy Regulator (NERSA), which will include the regulation of gas and petroleum pipelines.

When the National Energy Regulator (NERSA) was established on 1 October 2005, Mr Mokoena was appointed as the Regulator Member and as its first Chief Executive Officer (CEO). NERSA regulates the electricity, piped-gas and petroleum pipeline industries. As part of the transition arrangements, Mr Mokoena is expected to coordinate the delisting on NER before the end of March 2006.

By virtue of being the CEO of NER and NERSA, Mr Mokoena is the Chairperson of the African Forum for Utility Regulators (AFUR) and he is also the executive member of the SADC Regional Electricity Regulators Association (RERA). These bodies contribute in the area of utility regulatory frameworks towards the attainment of NEPAD's objectives. He is also expected to play a major role in South Africa's contribution to NEPAD, Africa's socio-economic programme.