With all the hype surrounding Thabo Mbeki’s resignation, Jacob Zuma’s corruption verdict and the ANC in general much has been said about Kgalema Motlanthe. He is touted to be and more than likely will become the next (however temporary) president of South Africa. But who is Motlanthe? What does he stand for and what can we expect from the man?
Here are some pieces of information about Kgalema Motlanthe that I have gathered from various online resources and media profiles.
His history, story and positions he has occupied:
A brief biography
Political Activist & ANC Secretary – General
Kgalema Motlanthe was born in 1949. At school he was influenced by the ideologies of the Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) and Steve Biko.
In 1976 he was detained for 11 months for furthering the aims of the African National Congress. He was again arrested in 1977 and sentenced to 10 years in Robben Island. He was released in 1987 and that year was elected Secretary-General of the National
Union of Mineworkers (NUM). With the resignation of Cyril
Ramaphosa, Motlanthe was elected Secretary-General of the African National Congress. A position he still holds. – source
Current Positions
Member of Parliament ANC 2008
Secretary-General National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) 1992
Education Officer National Union Of Mineworkers 1987
Trade Unionist COSATU
Noteworthy Events
In 1967 he was detained for 11 months.
In 1977 he was arrested and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in Robben Island prison.
- source
Business
Motlanthe is a shareholder of Pamodzi Investment Holdings. In February 2006, auditors revealed that a total of about R2 billion in loans by the Land Bank, a government institution established to help farmers, had gone sour. Earlier, a R800 million (about $112 million) 10 year loan had been given to Pamodzi. This amounted to nearly one-third of the Land Bank’s total assets, and was a non-agricultural investment. There is no suggestion that this particular loan was non-performing. Pamodzi chief executive Ndaba Ntsele denies there was any wrongdoing.[5]. The government has since fired the Land Bank chairman and agreed to inject R700 million to keep the Land Bank operative. – source
General information
Motlanthe was the one ANC leader able to calm the crowd at the party’s Polokwane conference in December where Mbeki lost the fight to serve a third term as party president to Zuma.
The party will appoint Lindiwe Sisulu, currently the housing minister, as deputy president in place of Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, an Mbeki loyalist who has stepped down.
This seems like the best move the party can make as Motlanthe, an outspoken critic of party radicals such as youth leader Julius Malema, will project an image of continuity and stability. – source
For a great list of news articles on Motlanthe head over to the Mail & Guardian Online and Thought Leader.
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Popularity: 7% [?]
September 29th, 2008 at 10:24 am
may god emphazise the peace and estability in south africa i hope this crisis will be solved with open heartly. together and faithfull
December 16th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
Excellent summary – We’ve created a couple of Kgalema Motlanthe cartoons on Wonkie… will do a trackback here so people can get more context on the man behind the cartoon
May 8th, 2011 at 3:15 pm
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