The political head of the department is the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans.

Personal Information

• Date of Birth: 13 November 1956
• Marital Status: Married

Current Positions

• Minister of Defence and Military Veterans of the Republic of South Africa since 12 June 2012
• Member of Parliament since 2004.
• Member of National Executive Council (NEC) of African National Congress (ANC) since December 2007.

Academic Qualifications

• Matriculated from Mount Arthur High School.
• Obtained Primary Teacher’s Diploma from the Bensonvale Teacher TRG College.
• Project Management with Canadian University Studies (CUSO).
• Studying Psychology with the Newport University.
• Obtained basic Human Relations Course.
• Obtained Community Development course.
• Obtained Communications course.

Career/Memberships/Positions/Other Activities

• Theme 3 Core Group Member of the Constitution Making Process since 1994.
• Member of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence since 1994.
• Chairperson of the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence since 1994.
• Assistant Director of the Masazane Open School (a project of the South African Institute of Race Relation-SAIRR)(1982—1984).
• Youth Worker with Target Timothy (A project of SANSSA) (1981—1982).
• Teacher at St Matthews Teachers’ Training College (1979).
• Teacher at Bensonvale Junior Secondary School (1978).
• Trained in Youth Leadership and Community Development (NYLTP).
• Worked with open schools to help students from disadvantaged communities who were matric drop-outs.
• Founder member of the East London Domestic Workers Association (ELDWA) (1982).
• Left the country and underwent military training in Angola and the Soviet Union respectively (1984).
• Member of political and military structures (Soviet Union) (1985).
• Worked with the political military structures (ANC) (1986—1988).
• Representative of the ANC Women’s section to Pan African Women’s Organisation (PAWO) (1988—1990).
• Deployed in the country to help rebuild ANC structures (1990).
• Served as Head of Commission set up to investigate desertions of ANC MK members to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Angola (1984).
• National organiser of the ANC Women’s League and member of its National Executive (1990—1993).
• Secretary-General of the ANC Women’s League (1993—1995).
• Member of the ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) (1994—1997).
• Attended Equality Development and Peace seminar in Nairobi (1985).
• Attended 2nd ANC Consultative seminar in Kabwe (1985).
• Attended PAWO Regional seminar on the emancipation of women in Lusaka (1989).
• Worked closely with women’s organisations inside and outside the country.
• Represented the ANC Women’s section to the People’s Republic of Angola for two years.
• Attended Malibongwe Conference in Amsterdam (1990).
• Attended World Racism conference in Durban (2001).
• Deputy Chairperson of ANC Political Committee and Chief Whip of majority party (2001).
• Deputy Minister of Home Affairs of the Republic of South Africa (6 May 2002—28 April 2004).
• Minister of Home Affairs of the Republic of South Africa (29 April 2004—10 May 2009).
• Minister of Home Affairs of the Republic of South Africa until 10 May 2009.
• President of African National Congress Women League (ANCWL) (2003—3 July 2008).