The City Press newspaper calls him a "thought leader" within the ANC's political circles. And he'll need all his wits to help Finance Minister Tito Mboweni lead the country through an uncertain and sluggish economic slump.
David Masondo will leave Luthuli House and take up office at the National Treasury building in Pretoria next week when he begins work as South Africa's deputy finance minister.
His name may sound familiar to many, but who is Masondo?
Masondo became a member of the ANC's National Executive Committee (NEC) after he was elected to the body during the party's national conference at Nasrec in 2017.
The soft-spoken intellectual was part of the Limpopo cabinet during the Jacob Zuma years - a period which proved to be a tough time in the province.
Enemies
It was during this time when the Wits University alumni's finance department in Limpopo was placed under administration.
With his political career battered and bruised, Masondo created enemies in the Zuma camp when he spoke out against the former president's decision to place Limpopo under administration.
Masondo accused Zuma's government of disbanding the Limpopo government as a tactic to instil fear among ANC members ahead of the 2012 Mangaung conference.
Five years later, Masondo rose to the national stage, cementing his role in President Cyril Ramaphosa's inner circle.
This was evident when Ramaphosa appointed him as head of the OR Tambo School of Leadership.
Speaking to City Press, Masondo said the core curriculum of the school encompasses courses including political economy, economic development, Africa in the global economy, and South African and ANC history.
These will become mandatory for those aspiring to become public representatives or as ANC elected leaders.
Now, the former Young Communist League national chairperson and South African Communist Party central committee member finds himself in Parliament and part of Ramaphosa's executive.
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