Stephen speaks to Miyelani Holeni, Group Chief Advisor at Ntiyiso, about the often invisible work behind getting South Africa’s public institutions to perform better. 

When South Africans talk about fixing government, the conversation usually centres on politics, corruption and service-delivery failures.

For Miyelani Holeni, however, the harder work often happens away from the headlines, inside the systems, spreadsheets and institutions that determine whether government can actually deliver.

As Group Chief Advisor at Ntiyiso, Holeni has spent more than two decades working across corporate and management consulting, with extensive exposure to local government, financial services, technology, real estate and FMCG.

His particular focus has been the often-unpopular but essential question of how public institutions generate and manage money. Earlier in his career, Holeni led a revenue management and enhancement programme at Ekurhuleni Metro, overseeing 25 projects aimed at generating new revenue. 

That experience has shaped his view that improving public services cannot simply mean finding more money. Municipalities also need stronger financial systems, better revenue collection, capable leadership and a clearer understanding of how economic development can expand their revenue base.

For Ntiyiso, the work is ultimately about turning underperforming institutions into organisations capable of sustaining themselves and creating opportunities. The company works across areas including revenue management, financial sustainability, local government, business transformation and economic development.

Speaking to Stephen Grootes on The Money Show, Holeni’s job says his job is to improve accountability, strengthen leadership and ensure institutions function and benefit people. 

“we look at, leakages, in terms of the systems. we look at how then we increase the coverage of the services or the revenue or the service delivery and all of those different things. So the knowledge that we have, we’ve institutionalised it.”

– Miyelani Holeni, Group Chief Advisor – Ntiyiso 

“But the issue about it is that we persist with what needs to be done. We tell the story, whether through the data that we use. The same data that they look at every day, and we find the nuggets. We find the problems, and we position it differently.”

– Miyelani Holeni, Group Chief Advisor – Ntiyiso

“I’m afraid, some who have not listened to us, are nowhere to be found or seen today. They’re experiencing problems, but we can’t say we told you so. But we’re happy to go back and work with them so that we change, the difficulties that they’re facing.”

– Miyelani Holeni, Group Chief Advisor – Ntiyiso