Mamagase Elleck Nchabeleng (born 29 July 1958) is a South African politician who has represented the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a Social democracy, social-democratic political party in Republic of South Africa, South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when ...

(ANC) in the

National Council of Provinces The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) is the upper house of the Parliament of South Africa under the (post-apartheid) constitution which came into full effect in 1997. It replaced the former Senate, but is very similar to that body, and to ma ...

since 2019. He co-chairs

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

's Joint Standing Committee on Defence and chairs the Select Committee on Education, Technology, Sports, Arts and Culture. A former

anti-apartheid activist The Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM), was a British organisation that was at the centre of the international movement opposing the South African apartheid, apartheid system and supporting South Africa's non-White population who were persecuted by ...

who spent time on

Robben Island Robben Island ( af, Robbeneiland) is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 kilometres (4.3 mi) west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, north of Cape Town, South Africa. It takes its name from the Dutch word for seals (''robben''), hence the Dutch/Afrik ...

, he formerly served in the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

from 2009 to 2019 and in the

Limpopo Provincial Legislature The Limpopo Provincial Legislature is the primary legislative body of the South African province of Limpopo. It is unicameral in its composition, and elects the premier and the provincial cabinet, the Limpopo Executive Council, from among the ...

from 2004 to 2009.

Early life and activism

Nchabeleng was born on 29 July 1958 and is the son of

Peter Nchabeleng Peter Mampogoane Nchabeleng (7 March 1928 – 11 April 1986) was a South African trade unionist and anti-apartheid activist who died in police detention in the Lebowa bantustan in April 1986. At the time of his death, he was the inaugural chai ...

, who was a prominent ANC and

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

activist in

Sekhukhuneland Sekhukhuneland or Sekukuniland ( af, Sekoekoeniland) is a natural region in north-east South Africa, located in the historical Transvaal zone, former Transvaal Province, also known as Bopedi (meaning “land of Bapedi”). The region is named afte ...

in present-day

Limpopo province Limpopo is the northernmost Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The capital and largest city in the province is Polokwane, while th ...

. From 1976 to 1984, Elleck was imprisoned on

on charges related to his own ANC activity. After his release, he remained active in anti-apartheid organising in the

Northern Transvaal Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a r ...

and then in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

. He has a diploma in rural development planning from

St. Francis Xavier University St. Francis Xavier University is a public undergraduate liberal arts university located in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a member of the Maple League, a group of primarily undergraduate universities in Eastern Canada. History St. Franc ...

Legislative career: 2004–present

Nchabeleng represented the ANC in the

from 2004 to 2009. In the 2009 general election, he was elected to an ANC seat in the

, the lower house of the

South African Parliament The Parliament of the Republic of South Africa is South Africa's legislature; under the present Constitution of South Africa, the bicameral Parliament comprises a National Assembly and a National Council of Provinces. The current twenty-seve ...

. In February 2011, he was additionally elected to chair the Assembly's Portfolio Committee on Labour. He was re-elected to his seat in the 2014 general election, ranked fifth on the ANC's provincial-to-national party list for Limpopo. In the 2019 general election, he was elected to an ANC seat in the

, the upper house of Parliament. After the election, he was elected to chair the Select Committee on Education, Technology, Sports, Arts and Culture. He also became Co-Chairperson of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence, serving alongside Cyril Xaba of the National Assembly.

References

External links

*
Mamagase Elleck Nchabeleng
at Parliament of South Africa Living people Members of the Limpopo Provincial Legislature African National Congress politicians {{DEFAULTSORT:Nchabeleng_Elleck Members of the National Council of Provinces Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 21st-century South African politicians Inmates of Robben Island 1958 births