Hon. Gwede Mantashe

Minister of Mineral & Petroleum Resources, Republic of South Africa Department of Mineral & Petroleum Resources

Honourable Samson Gwede Mantashe is a politician who is currently serving his second term as the National Chairperson of the African National Congress (ANC), having previously served as its Secretary General for two terms from December 2007 to December 2017. He is the Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources in the 7th administration of the Republic of South Africa, having served as the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy during the 6th administration. Minister Mantashe received a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of South Africa (UNISA) in 1997, where he also completed a Bachelor of Commerce Honours in 2002. He holds a Masters’ degree from the University of Witwatersrand (WITS), acquired in 2008. He successfully completed the Master of Business Administration through MANCOSA in 2021. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Business Leadership degree with the University of South Africa (UNISA). He was previously employed by the Western Deep Levels mine, Prieska Copper Mines, Matla Colliery, and served as a Councillor in the Ekurhuleni Municipality, and later appointed to the Board of Directors of a Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) listed company, Samancor. Subsequently, he was appointed as the Executive Director at the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) where, for a period of two years, he served as the Chairperson of the Technical Working Group of the Joint Initiative for Priority Skills Acquisition (JIPSA). Prior to his election to the highest decision-making body of the ANC, he previously served as a trade unionist occupying several positions in the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) the highest being its General Secretary. He has also served as the Chairperson of the South African Communist Party (SACP), where he continues to serve as a member of its Central Committee.