Charles Nqakula
Encyclopedia
Charles Nqakula is a South Africa
n politician who has been Minister of Defence since September 2008. He was Minister of Safety and Security
from May 2002 to September 2008. Tipped as a contender for the future presidency of South Africa, he is concurrently national chairperson of the South African Communist Party
(SACP). Nqakula is married to the Minister of Correctional services, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula
.
, matriculating in 1963. He worked as a hotel waiter and wine steward, after which he became a clerk in the Department of Bantu Education.
. From 1976 he worked for the Daily Dispatch in East London until he was placed under an apartheid
banning order in 1981. Nqakula was unbanned the following year but, because his village had been redesignated as part of the Ciskei independent homeland
, he was unable to re-enter South African territory and was declared a prohibited immigrant.
He became a member of the Union of Black Journalists (UBJ) and was elected vice-president of the union in 1976. The UBJ was banned in October 1977 as part of a government crackdown on organisations supporting the Black Consciousness Movement
. In 1979 he was elected vice-president of the Writers' Association of South Africa (WASA), which later became the Media Workers Association of South Africa (MWASA). Although frequently being detained by both the South African and Ciskeian authorities, he managed to establish the Veritas News Agency in Zwelitsha
towards the end of 1982.
(UDF) in 1983, and was arrested the same year in East London for being in South Africa without a visa. By this time Nqakula was an underground operative for the ANC
, specialising in propaganda. He left South Africa in 1984 travelling to Lesotho
, Tanzania
and Zambia
. He underwent military training in Angola
and joined MK
the armed wing of the ANC. He also travelled to the Soviet Union
and East Germany for further military training.
He infiltrated South Africa on his return as one of the commanders of Operation Vula, with a mission to build viable underground and military structures. In 1988, he served as commander in the Western Cape
. Emerging from the underground in 1991, he was granted amnesty by the government. He served on the interim leadership group of the SACP, as convenor of its National Organising Committee. He was also a member of its Political Committee and served on the SACP Secretariat. He was elected SACP Deputy Secretary-General in 1991 and became Secretary-General following the assassination of Chris Hani
in April 1993.
Upon the demise of the apartheid government and the election of President Nelson Mandela
in 1994, Nqakula was elected to the National Executive Committee of the ANC. He later served as Parliamentary Counsellor to the President. On January 24, 2001 Charles Nqakula was appointed as Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, becoming Minister of Safety and Security on May 7, 2002.
After President Thabo Mbeki
was forced to resign in September 2008, Nqakula was moved to the post of Minister of Defense in the cabinet of Mbeki's successor, Kgalema Motlanthe, on September 25, 2008.
of Mozambique was killed, Charles Nqakula announced in parliament on February 9, 2006 that the inquiry is to be reopened:
All of South Africa's law enforcement agencies are expected to be involved in the new inquiry, in co-operation with their Mozambican counterparts.http://www.ecr.co.za/content/view/3557/81/
".http://www.argus.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=460&fArticleId=3274298.
According to a United Nations Survey on Crime Trends http://www.unodc.org/unodc/crime_cicp_survey_seventh.html, South Africa has the second highest murder
rate in the world. South Africa also has the highest occurrence of rape
in the world. Nqakula failed to realise the consequence of his statement, as many people around the world are starting to make travel arrangements for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
.
Nqakula was again criticized while he was in Burundi
, promoting peace and democracy, while there was a spate of violent crime in Gauteng
. This spate included the killings of an alarming number of people, including members of the South African Police Service
killed while performing their duties. The criticism preceded a subsequent announcement by the minister that an all out effort would be made to quell the alarming increase of crime by 30 December 2006. 54 police officers have lost their lives in the first 7 months of 2006.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n politician who has been Minister of Defence since September 2008. He was Minister of Safety and Security
South African Ministry of Safety and Security
The Department of Police is one of the departments of the South African government. It oversees the South African Police Service and the Independent Complaints Directorate...
from May 2002 to September 2008. Tipped as a contender for the future presidency of South Africa, he is concurrently national chairperson of the South African Communist Party
South African Communist Party
South African Communist Party is a political party in South Africa. It was founded in 1921 as the Communist Party of South Africa by the joining together of the International Socialist League and others under the leadership of Willam H...
(SACP). Nqakula is married to the Minister of Correctional services, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula
Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula
Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula is a South African politician, appointed minister of correctional services in 2009. She was the minister of home affairs from 2004.Mapisa-Nqakula obtained a teacher's diploma from the Bensonvale Teachers College....
.
Early life
Charles Nqakula attended primary school at Cradock and secondary school at LovedaleLovedale (South Africa)
Lovedale was a mission station and educational institute in the VictoriaEast division of the Cape Province, South Africa...
, matriculating in 1963. He worked as a hotel waiter and wine steward, after which he became a clerk in the Department of Bantu Education.
Journalism
In 1966, Nqakula started as a journalist with the Midland News, a regional weekly newspaper in Cradock. Seven years later, he became a political reporter with Imvo Zabantsundu in King William's TownKing William's Town
King William's Town is a town in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa along the banks of the Buffalo River. The town is about 40 minutes' motorway drive WNW of the Indian Ocean port of East London...
. From 1976 he worked for the Daily Dispatch in East London until he was placed under an apartheid
History of South Africa in the apartheid era
Apartheid was a system of racial segregation enforced by the National Party governments of South Africa between 1948 and 1994, under which the rights of the majority 'non-white' inhabitants of South Africa were curtailed and white supremacy and Afrikaner minority rule was maintained...
banning order in 1981. Nqakula was unbanned the following year but, because his village had been redesignated as part of the Ciskei independent homeland
Homeland
A homeland is the concept of the place to which an ethnic group holds a long history and a deep cultural association with —the country in which a particular national identity began. As a common noun, it simply connotes the country of one's origin...
, he was unable to re-enter South African territory and was declared a prohibited immigrant.
He became a member of the Union of Black Journalists (UBJ) and was elected vice-president of the union in 1976. The UBJ was banned in October 1977 as part of a government crackdown on organisations supporting the Black Consciousness Movement
Black Consciousness Movement
The Black Consciousness Movement was a grassroots anti-Apartheid activist movement that emerged in South Africa in the mid-1960s out of the political vacuum created by the jailing and banning of the African National Congress and Pan Africanist Congress leadership after the Sharpeville Massacre in...
. In 1979 he was elected vice-president of the Writers' Association of South Africa (WASA), which later became the Media Workers Association of South Africa (MWASA). Although frequently being detained by both the South African and Ciskeian authorities, he managed to establish the Veritas News Agency in Zwelitsha
Zwelitsha
Zwelitsha is a town in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. From 1972 to 1981 it served as the provisional capital of the Bantustan of Ciskei, until the capital could be moved to Alice, and then to Bhisho...
towards the end of 1982.
Politics
Charles Nqakula was elected publicity secretary of the fledgling United Democratic FrontUnited Democratic Front (South Africa)
The United Democratic Front was one of the most important anti-apartheid organisations of the 1980s. The non-racial coalition of about 400 civic, church, students', workers' and other organisations was formed in 1983, initially to fight the just-introduced idea of the Tricameral Parliament The...
(UDF) in 1983, and was arrested the same year in East London for being in South Africa without a visa. By this time Nqakula was an underground operative for the ANC
African National Congress
The African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
, specialising in propaganda. He left South Africa in 1984 travelling to Lesotho
Lesotho
Lesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name...
, Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
and Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
. He underwent military training in Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
and joined MK
Umkhonto we Sizwe
Umkhonto we Sizwe , translated "Spear of the Nation," was the armed wing of the African National Congress which fought against the South African apartheid government. MK launched its first guerrilla attacks against government installations on 16 December 1961...
the armed wing of the ANC. He also travelled to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and East Germany for further military training.
He infiltrated South Africa on his return as one of the commanders of Operation Vula, with a mission to build viable underground and military structures. In 1988, he served as commander in the Western Cape
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...
. Emerging from the underground in 1991, he was granted amnesty by the government. He served on the interim leadership group of the SACP, as convenor of its National Organising Committee. He was also a member of its Political Committee and served on the SACP Secretariat. He was elected SACP Deputy Secretary-General in 1991 and became Secretary-General following the assassination of Chris Hani
Chris Hani
Chris Hani, born Martin Thembisile Hani was the leader of the South African Communist Party and chief of staff of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress . He was a fierce opponent of the apartheid government...
in April 1993.
Upon the demise of the apartheid government and the election of President Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
in 1994, Nqakula was elected to the National Executive Committee of the ANC. He later served as Parliamentary Counsellor to the President. On January 24, 2001 Charles Nqakula was appointed as Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, becoming Minister of Safety and Security on May 7, 2002.
After President Thabo Mbeki
Thabo Mbeki
Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki is a South African politician who served two terms as the second post-apartheid President of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008. He is also the brother of Moeletsi Mbeki...
was forced to resign in September 2008, Nqakula was moved to the post of Minister of Defense in the cabinet of Mbeki's successor, Kgalema Motlanthe, on September 25, 2008.
Unfinished business
Following an inconclusive investigation in 1996 by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission into the 1986 aircrash in which President Samora MachelSamora Machel
Samora Moisés Machel was a Mozambican military commander, revolutionary socialist leader and eventual President of Mozambique...
of Mozambique was killed, Charles Nqakula announced in parliament on February 9, 2006 that the inquiry is to be reopened:
- "We owe it to the people of Mozambique to ensure the matter is thoroughly investigated," Nqakula said, amid lingering suspicions that the apartheid regime's Directorate of Military Intelligence caused the presidential aircraft to crash.
All of South Africa's law enforcement agencies are expected to be involved in the new inquiry, in co-operation with their Mozambican counterparts.http://www.ecr.co.za/content/view/3557/81/
Crime rate controversy
Later in 2006, Nqakula outraged opposition MP's in parliament (who were not satisfied that enough was being done to counter crime), when he said that South Africans who complain about the country's crime rate, should stop whining and leave the countryEmigrate
Emigrate is a heavy metal band based in New York, led by Richard Z. Kruspe, the lead guitarist of the German band Rammstein.-History:Kruspe started the band in 2005, when Rammstein decided to take a year off from touring and recording...
".http://www.argus.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=460&fArticleId=3274298.
According to a United Nations Survey on Crime Trends http://www.unodc.org/unodc/crime_cicp_survey_seventh.html, South Africa has the second highest murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
rate in the world. South Africa also has the highest occurrence of rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
in the world. Nqakula failed to realise the consequence of his statement, as many people around the world are starting to make travel arrangements for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
.
Nqakula was again criticized while he was in Burundi
Burundi
Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...
, promoting peace and democracy, while there was a spate of violent crime in Gauteng
Gauteng
Gauteng is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. It was formed from part of the old Transvaal Province after South Africa's first all-race elections on 27 April 1994...
. This spate included the killings of an alarming number of people, including members of the South African Police Service
South African Police Service
The South African Police Service is the national police force of the Republic of South Africa. Its 1116 police stations in South Africa are divided according to the provincial borders, and a Provincial Commissioner is appointed in each province...
killed while performing their duties. The criticism preceded a subsequent announcement by the minister that an all out effort would be made to quell the alarming increase of crime by 30 December 2006. 54 police officers have lost their lives in the first 7 months of 2006.