Dsd Appoints Sandy Godlwana As Head Of Communication And Spokesperson

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By Precious Mupenzi

  • ⁠The Department of Social Development has appointed Ms Sandy Godlwana as Chief Director: Communication and departmental spokesperson, strengthening strategic communication across the social development portfolio.
  • ⁠Ms Godlwana brings extensive public sector communication experience, including leadership roles within the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) and several national government institutions.
  • ⁠Ms Godlwana’s vision is to create a unified, integrated communication strategy that fosters stronger collaboration across DSD entities, enhances active public engagement, and firmly establishes communication as an essential function in department governance.

The National Department of Social Development (DSD) has appointed Ms Sandy Godlwana as its new Chief Director: Communication and departmental spokesperson to advance a unified vision for public engagement, programme visibility, and communication-led service delivery.

Ms Godlwana brings extensive institutional knowledge and public sector communication experience to the role. Prior to her appointment, she held senior management positions within the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), where she led communication, marketing and customer care functions in KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape. Her experience within SASSA provided her with direct insight into the realities faced by vulnerable communities and strengthened her understanding of how effective communication can restore dignity, build trust, and connect citizens to essential government services.

Over the years, Ms Godlwana has built a distinguished career in government communication, having served in the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa, the National Prosecuting Authority, the former Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, the Department of Local Government and Housing, and the South African Police Service. This broad experience has shaped her communication approach, which is grounded in public participation, stakeholder engagement and citizen-centred storytelling.

Since October 2025, Ms Godlwana has served as Acting Chief Director: Communication at the Department of Social Development, overseeing strategic communication, media relations, branding, content development, digital storytelling, internal communication and reputational management. During this period, she played a key role in increasing the visibility of departmental programmes, strengthening integrated communication across the DSD portfolio, and positioning communication as a strategic governance function.

Her appointment comes at a time when government communication continues to evolve rapidly in an increasingly digital environment, requiring leaders who can combine innovation, responsiveness and human-centred storytelling.

With qualifications in Public Relations Management and extensive leadership experience in government communication, Ms Godlwana brings a strong combination of institutional insight, creativity and strategic leadership to the position.

As part of her vision for the department, Ms Godlwana aims to strengthen and institutionalise structured communication collaboration across the entire DSD portfolio. This includes improving coordination between the department and its entities, the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), the National Development Agency (NDA), the Central Drug Authority (CDA), and the South African Council for Social Service Professions (SACCSP, to ensure greater alignment, consistency and collective impact.

She has also emphasised the need to raise the visibility of all entities within the portfolio, particularly the SACCSP and the CDA, whose mandates and contributions are often underrepresented despite their critical role in professionalising the sector and coordinating the response to substance abuse. Through integrated media campaigns, stakeholder engagement platforms and digital storytelling, she intends to ensure that the work of every entity is communicated clearly and consistently to the public.

Central to her leadership approach is a clear vision: implement an integrated communication strategy across all DSD entities, with measurable outputs, coordinated campaigns, and clear storytelling objectives. Her goal is to create a unified narrative illustrating the impact of social development, strengthening civil society collaboration to elevate community voices and improve programme reach.

In addition, Ms Godlwana plans to institutionalise the participation of Heads of Communication in Executive Committee (EXCO) meetings, the Heads of the Social Development Sector (HSDS), and other key governance structures. This, she believes, will strengthen strategic communication counsel at decision-making level, improve reputational management, and ensure message alignment across the department and its entities.

“Communication must not merely report on government programmes; it must connect people to services, restore hope and position social development as a catalyst for transformation,” said Ms Godlwana.

As she officially assumes the role, Ms Godlwana brings years of experience and a vision to strengthen collaboration and unify communication within the DSD portfolio.