Personal

• Date of Birth: 28 February 1959.
• Marital Status: Married

Positions last Held

• Minister of Provincial and Local Government of the Republic of South Africa (17 June 1999 until 25 september 2008).

Academic Qualifications

• Master of Science degree in State, Society and Development from the University of London.
• Currently a Doctoral candidate at the University of London specializing in Political Economy of Automotive Manufacturing.

Career/Positions/Memberships/Other Activities

• Member of the Zoutpansberg Students' Organisation while at school.
• Private teacher, Lamula Secondary School, Meadowlands, Soweto (1980).
• Member of the Congress of South African Students (COSAS).
• Left school and worked at a firm of Attorneys as a messenger.
• Joined the General and Allied Workers' Union for whom he later worked as a volunteer.
• General Secretary of the General and Allied Workers Union, 1982. Re-elected in 1984.
• Transvaal Publicity Secretary of the United Democratic Front (UDF).
• Helped organise the launch of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) (1985).
• Elected General Secretary of Congress of South African Trade Union (COSATU) at Inauguration Rally (29 December 1985).
• Founder member of COSATU (1985).
• Named as one of the South African Communist Party (SACP's) 22-person Interim Leadership Group (29 July 1990).
• Represented the African National Congress (ANC) at Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA) - Working Group 4.
• Member of National Peace Committee and played an important role in the drafting of the National Peace Accord of 14 September 1991.
• Represented the ANC at the Transitional Executive Councils (TECs) Sub-Council on Law and Order, Safety and Stability (1993 - 1994).
• Minister of Safety and Security of the Republic of South Africa (1994 - 16 June 1999).
• Member of the Central Committee of the South African Communist Party (SACP).
• Serving member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) and the National Working Committee (NWC) of the ANC.

Awards/Decorations

• Doctor of Science degree (Honoris Causa), by the Igbinedion University, Okada.