Nakedi Mathews Phosa (born 1 September 1952) is a South African attorney and politician and was also an anti-

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

activist. He is a former

premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

Mpumalanga Mpumalanga () is a province of South Africa. The name means "East", or literally "The Place Where the Sun Rises" in the Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu languages. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique. It ...

as well as a member of the

National Executive Committee National Executive Committee is the name of a leadership body in several organizations, mostly political parties: * National Executive Committee of the African National Congress, in South Africa * Australian Labor Party National Executive * Nationa ...

of 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). Phosa ran for President of the ANC in 2017 lost to Cyril Ramaphosa.

Early life and education

Phosa was born in

Mbombela Mbombela (also known as Nelspruit) is a city in northeastern South Africa. It is the capital of the Mpumalanga province. Located on the Crocodile River, Mbombela lies about by road west of the Mozambique border, east of Johannesburg and north ...

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...

Nelspruit Mbombela (also known as Nelspruit) is a city in northeastern South Africa. It is the capital of the Mpumalanga province. Located on the Crocodile River (Mpumalanga), Crocodile River, Mbombela lies about by road west of the Mozambique border, ea ...

. However, he grew up with his grandfather in a rural area near

Potgietersrus Mokopane, also known as Potgietersrus, is a town in the Limpopo province of South Africa. The town name was changed to Mokopane in 2003 in honour of a local Northern Ndebele people, Ma Nrebele leader, King Mghombane Gheghana , who ruled the area ...

(

Mokopane Mokopane, also known as Potgietersrus, is a town in the Limpopo province of South Africa. The town name was changed to Mokopane in 2003 in honour of a local Ma Nrebele leader, King Mghombane Gheghana , who ruled the area before being conquered ...

). He matriculated at Orhovelani High School in Thulamahashe, Bushbuckridge.

Political career

He was one of the first four members of the ANC to enter South Africa from exile in 1990 in order to start the process of negotiation with the National Party government. As a result of the first fully inclusive democratic elections in 1994, Phosa was appointed as the first premier of Mpumalanga, a position which he held until 1999. During his time in office, Phosa pioneered planning interaction between the private sector and government. He also spearheaded

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...

's reconciliation initiatives between the government and the

Afrikaans Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...

speaking community. Phosa was elected as a member of the National Executive Committee of the ANC in 1999. In 2001,

Cyril Ramaphosa Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa (born 17 November 1952) is a South African businessman and politician who is currently serving as the fifth democratically elected president of South Africa. Formerly an anti-apartheid activist, trade union leader, and ...

Tokyo Sexwale Mosima Gabriel "Tokyo" Sexwale (; born 5 March 1953) is a South African businessman, politician, anti-apartheid activist, and former political prisoner. Sexwale was imprisoned on Robben Island for his anti-apartheid activities, alongside figur ...

and Phosa were investigated in connection with an alleged plot to oust Mbeki. They were cleared. During the 2007 Conference of the ANC (the 52nd National Conference) held in

Polokwane Polokwane (, meaning "Sanctuary" in Northern SothoPolokwane - The Heart of the Limpopo Province ...

in the

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 ...

, Phosa was elected to the post of Treasurer General for the Organisation.

Business career

Since 1999 Phosa has served as a business consultant for various local and international businesses. In addition, Phosa currently holds chairman, vice-chairman or board member positions at more than ten prominent South African institutions and companies, including the

University of South Africa The University of South Africa (UNISA), known colloquially as Unisa, is the largest university system in South Africa by enrollment. It attracts a third of all higher education students in South Africa. Through various colleges and affiliates, U ...

, Afrikaanse Handelsinstituut, Special Olympics South Africa, Value Logistics, EOH (Pty) Ltd, SA Golden Leaf and Hans Merensky Holdings.

Presidential ambitions

Phosa unsuccessfully ran for the post of ANC Deputy President in 2012. Cyril Ramaphosa received 3,018 votes and was elected deputy president of the ANC, convincingly defeating Mathews Phosa, who received 470 votes and Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale, who received 463. On April 29, 2017, Phosa announced that he had accepted a nomination for the ANC Presidency and would be a candidate at the 54th ANC conference in December. On June 11, 2017, Phosa officially announced his intention to seek the Presidential nomination in December 2017.

Works

* ''Deur die oog van 'n naald'' (1996, Tafelberg)

External links

Official ANC website
1952 births Afrikaans-language poets Living people People from Bushbuckridge Northern Sotho people African National Congress politicians Premiers of Mpumalanga Members of the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature {{Mpumalanga-politician-stub