Department Of Small Business Development Minister

Ms Lindiwe Daphney Zulu was the special advisor to the President on International Relations. She previously served as the head of communication for the PAN African’s women’s organisation in Angola in 1988.

In 1989 she moved to Lusaka, Zambia where she held the position of head of communication in the ANC department of Religious Affairs. After which in 1990 she moved to Uganda where she was the head of communication and administrator in the ANC office.

In 1991 she returned to South Africa where she became the head of communication in the ANC women’s league and in 1993 she became an executive committee member of the women’s league. That same year she was seconded to the ANC Department of Information and publicity as the spokesperson for the first democratic elections. In 1994 she became a member of the Gauteng Legislature and in 1995 was appointed Deputy Speaker of the Gauteng Legislature.

In 1999 she became the special advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs a position she held until 2001. In 2001 she was appointed Chief Director for Western and Central Africa up until 2003 where she became the executive head of Government and International Relations, Vodacom group. In 2004 she became the South African Ambassador to Brazil and in 2007 she was elected to the ANC national executive committee and in 2009 was elected to Parliament.

Ms. Nomathemba Theresia November is the Deputy Minister of Small Business Development of the Republic of South Africa since 31 March 2017.

She comes with a lot of practical know-how and knowledge of entrepreneurship with a particular focus and interest on cooperatives development and small to medium enterprises. She had been involved in community development and women empowerment projects and initiatives for a while before being elected a Councillor at the Ikhara Hais Municipality in 1997, which is now called David Kruiper Local Municipality in Northern Cape. She became the Speaker of the Ikhara Hais Municipality in 2006 until 2009.

She rose through the African National Congress (ANC) ranks starting as a youth activist in the 1970s and subsequently became a branch Secretary in Paballelo township in Upington, a Regional Executive Committee member and later served as a Provincial Executive Member of the ANC Women’s league in the Northern Cape. Ms. November became a member of the Parliament/National Assembly in May 2009 to March 2017 and served in the Portfolio Committee on Rural Development and Land Reform as well as the Portfolio Committee on Public Works until May 2014.

She was also a member of the Ad Hoc Committee on Coordinated Oversight on Service Delivery until 2014. She became a member of the Portfolio Committee on Small Business Development in June 2014 until her appointment as Deputy Minister for the Ministry of Small Business Development in March 2017. Deputy Minister November hails from Upington, Northern Cape and her constituency office is in Kai Garieb/ Kakamas.

Ms. Edith Vries was appointed as Director General for the Department of Small Business Development of the Republic of South Africa in September 2015.

She is a leading executive and international expert on organisational strategy, corporate governance, transformation, change and diversity management, people centred leadership and gender equality. As a highly regarded visionary and inspirational speaker, she balances impassioned and dynamic leadership with a well-articulated and erudite sense of strategy formulation, direction and implementation. Edith has a proven track record of executive level leadership in the public, corporate and not-for-profit sector coupled with a distinguished academic tenure and accomplished research background as well as being a well-respected political activist.

Edith has also represented the South African government at the highest levels both nationally and internationally, having led and presented national policy formulation at key multilateral forums. Edith has over the years successfully developed a deep understanding and intuitive practice of people and group dynamics at both organisational and individual level.

Her employment history includes Director General at the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF); Executive Head of the Independent Development Trust (IDT); Director of Community Development at the Department of Welfare; and Associate Professor at the University of the Western Cape.

Edith holds varying degrees and qualifications from varying educational institutions over the world, and is well respected for her contributions within her field of study.