PIONEER
Membathisi Mphumzi Shepherd Mdladlana
Politician | Teacher | Unionist
Born : 12 May 1952
“I am the biggest supporter of public schools. I believe that public schools should be strengthened. We need a strong public school system, because public schools are a fundamental element of a democratic society."
Who is
Membathisi Mphumzi Shepherd Mdladlana?
Contributed to the drafting of the Bill of Rights and elected as a Member of Parliament in 1994, serving various political roles including as Minister of Labour and Ambassador of South Africa.
Professions
and Roles
Politician, teacher, activist, Minister of Labour under President Nelson Mandela, High Commissioner of South Africa to Canada between 2012 and 2016.
Best Known For
Mdladlana was elected to the first multi-racial Parliament of South Africa in 1994 and served as the Chairperson for Theme Committee 4 of the Constitutional Assembly between 1994 and 1996.
Life highlights
- Mdladlana obtained his first teachers’ degree – a certificate in Primary School Teaching – from Lovedale in Alice, in 1971. Lovedale is a historic mission school where many important resistance figures went to school from the end of the 19th century.
- Mdladlana taught at Vukukhanye Primary School in Gugulethu between 1972 and 1981 and then became the principal of Andile Primary School in Crossroads between 1982 and 1994.
- Mdladlana was the Founding President of SADTU in 1990, and served as President until 1994.
- In 1994, Mdladlana was elected to Parliament as an African National Congress (ANC) Member of Parliament (MP).
- During the Constitutional Assembly, Mdladlana served as the Chair of Theme Committee 4 which was responsible for drafting the Bill of Rights.
- Between 1994 and 1998, Mdladlana served as a member of the Home Affairs Portfolio Committee and later the Whip of the Parliamentary Programming Committee from 1995 to 1998. During this same period, Mdladlana was also involved with the National Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Education.
- In 1998, he was appointed Minister of Labour by President Nelson Mandela
- Mdladlana later served as Ambassador of South Africa in Burundi and High Commissioner of South Africa to Canada.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
“I am the biggest supporter of public schools. I believe that public schools should be strengthened. We need a strong public school system, because public schools are a fundamental element of a democratic society. I believe that it is only through public schools that the best educational interests of the children can be served. In fact, in my view the diverse needs and interests of our people can best be served by the public education system.”
– Membathisi Mdladlana
IN THE WORDS OF OTHERS
“Membathisi Mphumzi Shepherd Mdladlana, as the then President of the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) and a former school principal, was a tough taskmaster. We had to be prepared for each meeting, bring written submissions and present them with confidence. He made us anticipate and prepare for opposition party arguments.”
– Naledi Pandor, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation
