Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Ms Nosiviwe Noluthando Mapisa-Nqakula

Personal

Date of Birth: 13 November 1956
Marital Status: Married

Current Positions

Minister of Defence and Military Veterans of the Republic of South Africa since.
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).

Speeches, Statements & Media Release

Speech

The inaugural Defence Forces Day on 22 February 2013, Attridgeville, Pretoria 25/02/2013

It is an event that should give South Africans, the opportunity to interact with and celebrate our armed forces. To recognise the selfless contribution made by our soldiers in the defence of our sovereign integrity and national interest...

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Statements

Briefing the National Assembly of the Parliament of RSA, 23rd April 2013, Cape Town 23/04/2013

When the security situation in the CAR deteriorated earlier this year, the government made an assessment that resulted in the deployment of 200 additional troops in the CAR as a protection force for the trainers and the military assets that were already in that country....

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Media Release

Demands responsive action on allegations of assualt at the Oudtshoorn infantry school 08/05/2013

When the report of this investigation was received, it was found to be inadequate, and the Minister ordered a second probe and that this probe be conducted by that Inspector General and must be widened to cover all the incidents of death, including those in the past...

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