Minister of Communications of the Republic of South Africa since 17 June 1999.
Founder member of the Board of the Women's Development Foundation.
Board member of the International Women's Forum of South Africa.
Patron of the Board of the International Marketing Council (IMC).
Academic Qualifications
Secondary education in Natal Province, South Africa.
University education at University of Fort Hare, Eastern Cape.
Postgraduate studies in the United States of America (USA) (Ph D) in Sociology
Honoured at the Rutgers University University with a Doctorate in Laws.
Career/Positions/Memberships/Other Activities
Teacher for twelve years, two years in KwaZulu-Natal and ten years in Swaziland.
Lived in exile from her early working life until she returned to South Africa in 1990.
Worked as Associate Professor at Rugters University in New Jersey, USA
Senior lecturer and Registrar at the United Nations Institute for Namibia based in Lusaka, Zambia.
Appointed Executive Director of the Education Development Trust (EDT) - active in the education movement and in policy development and fields of gender, economic development, local government and Information Communications and Technology Sector upon return from exile.
Activist on Education, Gender and Research.
First woman and black person to chair the South African Broadcasting Corporation.
First woman to be appointed to the Board of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
First woman and first black Chairperson of the Board of Sentech (Ltd).
First female Premier of the Free State Provincial government (1996 - 1999).
Former member of Council, University of Durban-Westville.
Former member of the Working Group of the National Forum on Science and Technology (NSTF).
Former member of the Board of Governors of International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada.
Former Chairperson of the Ministerial Oversight Committee of African Ministries (1999 - 2003).
Former Patron of Shoprite/Checkers SABC Woman of the Year Award.
Former Patron of the Maokeng Community Developement trust.
