Devrani Moonsamy on Finance, Integrity, and Women’s Empowerment

“I went from auditing to fixing, from pointing out problems to becoming part of the solution.”

Devrani Moonsamy

In this interesting conversation, Joyce Chiamaka Nwezeh, of Africa for Africa Women, sits with Devrani Moonsamy, who is currently employed at the Ombud Council.

Introduction

May we meet you please?

Devrani Moonsamy:

My name is Devrani Moonsamy. I’m currently employed at the Ombud Council, a public entity under the Department of Finance in South Africa, reporting to the Minister of Finance. My role is  Head of Finance, where I manage both finance and supply-chain.

I’ve always worked in the public sector. I’m also a mother of two — a ten-year-old daughter and a sixteen-year-old son.

I find it important to link motherhood to your career. It’s such an essential part of life — you can’t separate who you are as a mother from who you are professionally.

Inspiration and Career Path

What inspired you to pursue finance? What was that moment when you decided to go beyond numbers and create impact?

Devrani Moonsamy:
Yes. The turning point for me was when I was studying BCom and following the Chartered Accountant (CA) route. I did my articles at the Auditor General of South Africa, which audits public-sector entities.

While leading audits, I noticed the same recurring issues every year — financial mismanagement and weak internal controls. Each audit cycle revealed the same findings, with little or no improvement. That frustrated me and sparked a question: Why aren’t things changing?

So I decided to move from auditing to being part of the solution. I applied for a job at one of the entities I audited, and when I joined, I began improving internal controls, strengthening financial reporting, and introducing systems that built efficiency. We eventually turned that entity around.

That experience became my lifelong inspiration — to improve governance, ensure accountability, and create real change in every institution I serve. Since then, I’ve worked in four public entities as a CFO, and my focus has always been enhancing policies, financial controls, and performance.

At a higher level, it’s about ensuring that taxpayers’ money is spent efficiently, transparently, and toward meaningful national objectives — ultimately improving service delivery in South Africa.

Impact and Empowerment

That’s incredible — turning challenges into transformation. What meaningful contributions have you made in your career, especially in uplifting others and driving change?

Currently, I’m employed at the Ombud Council, which forms part of the financial sector. One of the most meaningful contributions in my life from a women-empowerment perspective came through a Women’s Leadership Program I joined in 2022. It was funded by FASSET South Africa, run jointly with Duke University and the International Women’s Forum Of South Africa (IWFSA).

The program aimed to empower and develop a thousand women in South Africa over three years. I was fortunate to receive a bursary to participate. It was life-changing. It opened my eyes to the real tools women need to achieve their goals, especially when facing barriers like the glass ceiling.

The alumni of that program, called the IWFSA Alumni, now consists of those 1,000 women. Together, we create and manage projects to address issues affecting women and to empower them across South Africa. I play a key coordinating role — ensuring our provincial gatherings stay active, helping women network, share ideas, and meet others in their industries.

Beyond that, I lead women’s groups in my community — within my residential estate and my spiritual temple. I’ve found that when women gather and talk, they discover opportunities, learn from each other, and find emotional and practical support.

Professionally, I’ve been part of CFO South Africa since around 2013. It brings together CFOs from both the public and private sectors. Being part of that network has been transformational. It gave me opportunities to speak at summits and Indabas, sharing my experience and mentoring young finance professionals — not only women but anyone who wants to learn.

However, there’s a special focus on helping women rise through executive levels because the higher you go, the lonelier it becomes. Mentorship and guidance are vital to help women overcome workplace challenges. For me, that has been one of the most meaningful contributions — mentoring and empowering others through shared experiences.

The Power of Recognition

Should you win the Powers Award, how would you use this platform to drive change and influence others?

Devrani Moonsamy:
Wow. Honestly, just being nominated already feels like a win. There are so many other women doing incredible things, but if I were to win, I’d use the platform significantly.

I recently attended the G20 Conference on Women and Financial Inclusion, and it was an amazing experience. The amount of good work being done by both private- and public-sector leaders was inspiring. But one thing I noticed was that we often work in silos. We need more collaboration — a shared vision and a unified strategy.

That’s how I would use this platform: to bring together women from across Africa and beyond, to share ideas, experiences, and strategies. I already have strong networks within South Africa and a few outside the country. This award would help me strengthen those global networks.

Through my network of women in the International Women’s Forum, which has chapters worldwide, I’d aim to build a platform that connects women, promotes mutual learning, and drives collective action. Everyone is doing incredible work, but collaboration will make our impact ten times stronger. With unity, we can make history and achieve even greater progress.

Growth Strategy and Sustainability

That’s a strong vision. Finally, what’s your growth strategy to ensure sustainability and minimize risks in your work?

Devrani Moonsamy:
At this stage, I’ve linked everything I do to my sense of purpose — finance, women’s empowerment, and public service.

I’ve worked in the public sector for about twenty years. What’s most important to me is that the lives of South Africans depend on how effectively public funds are managed.

One key challenge I’ve identified is that there’s no single, strong platform dedicated to public-sector CFOs. While CFO South Africa brings both public and private CFOs together, public-sector issues often get limited attention due to time constraints.

So my growth strategy is to create a dedicated forum for public-sector CFOs — a space for sharing experiences, shaping policies, improving reporting, and ensuring consistent standards across entities. Whether it’s done independently or in partnership with the National Treasury, it would greatly enhance public-finance management in the country.

Secondly, I want to ensure that women empowerment goals are integrated into national and organizational budgets. In every South African sector — finance, mining, energy — the annual performance plan must prioritize women, youth, and people with disabilities. Aligning these goals with financial planning is essential.

My strategy is to merge these two worlds — finance and social objectives — so we can manage budgets with purpose. Joining platforms like Africa for Africa Women will also help me learn from other countries and co-create strategies to better serve women and youth, not just in South Africa but across Africa and globally.