Minister of Transport

Jeffrey Thamsanqa Radebe, Mr.

Personal

  • Date of Birth: 18 February 1953.
  • Marital Status: Married to Mining Entrepreneur, Mrs Bridgett Radebe
  • Dependants: 3, Vukani, Mandisa and Malaika

Academic Qualifications

  • B. Jur Degree, University of Zululand (1976).
  • LLM in International Law, Leipzig University (1981).
  • Studied at the Lenin International School, Moscow (1985)

Current Positions and Memberships

  • Minister of Transport of the Republic of South Africa.
  • Member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the African National Congress (ANC)
  • Member of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the ANC.
  • Member of the SACP Central Committee
  • Head of the ANC’s Policy Unit
  • Board Member of the Local Organising Committee of the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup
  • Honorary Colonel of the South African Air Force

Previous Positions and Memberships

  • Minister of Public Works of the Republic of South Africa (1994-999).
  • Minister of Public Enterprises of the Republic of South Africa (1999- 2004).
  • Member of the Ex Political Prisoners Committee (1995).
  • Chairperson of the Nelson Mandela 80th Birthday Committee (1998).

  • Member of the Business Trust (1998-2003).

Historical Background

  • Student activist

  • Joined the underground structures of the ANC during the student uprisings (1976).

  • Served legal articles in Durban (1976).

  • Left for Mozambique on instruction of the ANC (1977).

  • Radio journalist with Radio Freedom, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania (two years).

  • Worked for the ANC's International Department, Zambia.

  • Created underground ANC and South African Communist Party (SACP) structures inside South Africa from Lesotho, giving political direction to activists.

  • Underwent military training with Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK).

  • Arrested in Johannesburg and convicted under the Terrorism Act. His 10 year sentence was reduced to six years on appeal (1986).

  • Active in the ANC's political department in Robben Island. Head of the department by the time he left Robben Island. Released after organising a successful 12-day hunger strike to speed up the release of political prisoners (1990).

  • Project Co-ordinator for the National Association of Democratic Lawyers (Nadel) (1990-1991)

  • Elected Deputy Chairperson of the ANC, Southern Natal Region (1990).

  • Chairperson of ANC's Southern Natal Region (November 1991 - 1994).

  • Secretary of the SACP's interim Leadership Core (1990 - 1991).

  • Served on the Natal Regional Dispute Resolution Committee (1991 - 1994).

  • Chairperson of the Regional ANC Peace Forum (1991-1994)

  • Has been the Member of the NEC of the ANC since 1991

Awards / Decorations

  • Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters by Chicago State University (1996).

  • Leucospermum flower named Radebe Sunrise (2005).

  • Awarded an Honorary Colonel by SA Air Force, Mobile Deployment Wing (2006)