Appointed to lead the world’s oldest customs union on 1 March, Dumisani Masilela succeeds a Lesotho national and becomes the first Eswatini citizen to head SACU on a permanent basis. A former Commissioner General of Eswatini’s Revenue Authority and an expert with the International Monetary Fund, he takes the helm of a key institution driving economic integration in Southern Africa. A profile of the man facing a wide range of challenges.
This marks a new step in the career of Dumisani Masilela. The former Commissioner General of the Eswatini Revenue Authority is now the Executive Secretary of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU). He officially took up his duties on March 1, 2026, at the Secretariat based in Namibia. This regional organization brings together five countries: South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, and Eswatini and serves as a major pillar of the economies of its member states.
“As the leader of the Secretariat of SACU is Namibia’s commitment to the regional integration arrangement. We discussed some very pertinent issues relating to the region itself in terms of integration.”
Dumisani Masilela / Executive Secretary of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU)
The appointment of Dumisani Masilela followed a rigorous selection process, during which he emerged as the top-ranked candidate, with unanimous support from the member states. Before taking up his position, he served as a technical advisor at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, after having gained experience in Central Africa in public revenue management. His profile as a technocrat and his expertise in taxation make him a key figure in an institution where economic decisions are often sensitive.
“With the dynamism that we are seeing in the global environment, every organisation or arrangement needs to reinvent itself from time to time.”
Dumisani Masilela / Executive Secretary of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU)
At the head of SACU, D. Masilela will have to face major challenges. The organization, the oldest customs union in the world, is confronted with complex issues related to revenue sharing, tariff policies, and changes in international trade. In a context of global economic tensions, his mission will be to preserve cohesion among member states while strengthening regional integration and shared industrial capacities.
“Currently, SACU is seized with an initiative to re-imagine itself. We also touched on the strategy because SACU formulated and approved a strategy which covers the period 2022 to 2027.”
Dumisani Masilela / Executive Secretary of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU)
With this appointment, he embodies a new generation of African leaders coming from public administration and international institutions. At the head of SACU, he now bears the responsibility of strengthening a strategic regional economic area, while aligning his work with a dynamic of reform and modernization.
