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| Baleka Mbete | |
|---|---|
| Name | Baleka Mbete |
| Birth date | 24 September 1949 |
| Birth place | Orlando West, Soweto, South Africa |
| Nationality | South African |
| Occupation | Politician, Speaker, Activist |
| Party | African National Congress |
| Offices | Deputy President of the African National Congress; Speaker of the National Assembly of South Africa |
Baleka Mbete is a South African politician and anti-apartheid activist who has served in senior roles within the African National Congress (ANC), including as Deputy President of the ANC and Speaker of the National Assembly of South Africa. She participated in liberation-era politics alongside figures such as Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki, Jacob Zuma, and Oliver Tambo, and later played prominent roles in post-apartheid legislative leadership and party structures. Mbete's career spans activism, parliamentary stewardship, executive-level party office, and involvement in several high-profile internal ANC disputes and national controversies.
Mbete was born in Orlando West, Soweto, in 1949 during the era of the Union of South Africa. She was raised amid the township politics that produced leaders like Walter Sisulu, Albertina Sisulu, and Hendrik Verwoerd's apartheid policies she opposed. Mbete attended schools in Johannesburg before receiving nursing training and later engaging with exile networks linked to the African National Congress's external mission in the 1970s alongside activists such as Chris Hani and Joe Slovo. Her early exposure to organizations like the Black Consciousness Movement and liberation institutions influenced her subsequent political activism and connections with the United Democratic Front and South African Communist Party associates.
Mbete's political career began in anti-apartheid mobilization and continued with return from exile to take on leadership roles in the reconstituted ANC in the 1990s. She was elected to the National Assembly of South Africa in South Africa's first democratic elections in 1994 and worked in parliamentary positions during administrations led by Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki. Mbete held executive responsibilities inside the ANC's provincial and national structures and was appointed Deputy Speaker and later Speaker of the National Assembly of South Africa, interacting with presidents including Kgalema Motlanthe and Cyril Ramaphosa. She also served as Deputy President of the African National Congress from 2007 to 2012, working with leaders such as Jacob Zuma and members of the ANC National Executive Committee.
Mbete first became Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of South Africa and was later elected Speaker, where she presided over sittings involving parliamentary caucuses from parties such as the Democratic Alliance, Economic Freedom Fighters, and Inkatha Freedom Party. Her tenure encompassed navigating constitutional procedures tied to the Constitution of South Africa, managing high-profile motions including no-confidence debates about presidents like Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma, and overseeing processes related to inquiries such as the Zondo Commission's antecedents. Mbete returned to the Speaker role after 2014 and was involved in administration of parliamentary rules, Speaker's rulings, and inter-parliamentary relations with bodies like the Pan-African Parliament and delegations from states including United Kingdom and United States diplomatic missions.
Within the African National Congress, Mbete has been a senior figure in provincial and national politics, elected to the ANC National Executive Committee and serving at times on the ANC National Working Committee. She contested and served alongside prominent leaders including Jacob Zuma, Cyril Ramaphosa, Dudu Myeni, and Kgalema Motlanthe, and participated in conferences and electoral contests such as the ANC National Conference and provincial congresses in Gauteng. Mbete's alliances and positions influenced policy debates over issues tied to cabinet appointments, party discipline, and factional disputes involving camps linked to figures like Julius Malema, Ace Magashule, and Lindiwe Sisulu.
Mbete's career attracted controversies including allegations about parliamentary conduct, the handling of certain sittings, and perceived partisanship during heated debates involving leaders such as Jacob Zuma and Thabo Mbeki. She was implicated in disputes over the release of secret ballots and procedural rulings that drew criticism from opposition parties like the Democratic Alliance and Economic Freedom Fighters. Legal and public scrutiny intersected with national inquiries into state capture and corruption, including connections raised in hearings and submissions related to the Zondo Commission and investigations involving figures such as Gavin Watson, Bosasa, and Tony Gupta networks. Some of these controversies led to calls for recusal, parliamentary complaints, and public debate involving institutions like the Judicial Service Commission and civil-society groups including Corruption Watch.
Mbete is connected by family and political ties to other public figures and has been recognized in various forums for her role in liberation struggle memory and parliamentary leadership alongside contemporaries such as Graça Machel and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Her personal experiences reflect intersections with township activism, exile-era networks, and post-apartheid public service; she has been involved in events with heads of state like Nelson Mandela and international delegations from organizations such as the United Nations and African Union. Mbete received acknowledgements from constituencies and institutions for her service in national politics and legislative work, and remains a figure of historical relevance in South African political history.
Category:1949 births Category:South African politicians Category:Speakers of the National Assembly of South Africa Category:African National Congress politicians