Kgalema Motlanthe
- On 25 September 2008, Kgalema Motlanthe became South Africa's president, replacing Thabo Mbeki.
- Motlanthe was elected by parliament, gaining 269 votes to 50 for Joe Seremane of the opposition Democratic Alliance. There were 41 abstentions.
- Motlanthe became the third black president of South African, following in the footsteps of Thabo Mbeki and Nelson Mandela.
- Kgalema Motlanthe was elected as a caretaker or interim president following the resignation of Thabo Mbeki.
-
Kgalema Motlanthe's nickname is Mkhulu, which means grandfather in Zulu.
- Kgalema Motlanthe was born on 19 July 1949 in Alexandra township in Johannesburg.
-
In the 1970s, while working for the Johannesburg City Council, Kgalema Motlanthe joined the ANC's military wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe.
- In April 1976 he was arrested for furthering the aims of the ANC and a year later he was found guilty of three charges under the Terrorism Act and then spent 10 years imprisoned on Robben Island.
-
From 1987, Motlanthe rose up the ranks of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) until in 1992 he was elected to the post of NUM General Secretary.
-
Motlanthe was elected unopposed to the post of Secretary General of the African National Congress (ANC) in 1997 and was re-elected in 2002.
- In December 2007 Motlanthe was elected ANC Deputy President and in July 2008 he was appointed Minister in The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa.
- Recommended Reading: ANC profile of Kgalema Motlanthe: Full text | Interview with Kgalema Motlanthe on Hardtalk
Custom Search