S'bu Ndebele
Encyclopedia
Sibusiso Joel "S'bu" Ndebele (born 17 October, 1948, Rorke's Drift
, KwaZulu-Natal
), is the current Minister of Transport in the Cabinet of South Africa. He has been on the National Executive Committee
(NEC) of the African National Congress
(ANC) since 1997, and was the Provincial Chair of the ANC from 1998 to 2008.
From 2004 to 2009 he was the Premier
of the South Africa
n province of KwaZulu-Natal. Between 1994 and 2004 he was on the Executive Council of KwaZulu-Natal
, as the MEC for Transport.
, and matriculated from Eshowe Teachers’ Training and High School in Eshowe.
He obtained a degree in library science from the University of Zululand
in 1972, a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Politics and African Politics from the University of South Africa
in 1983, and an honours degree in Development Administration and Politics in 1985.
. He was arrested for ANC activities in May 1976 and was sentenced to ten years on Robben Island
in June 1977.
clan. The affected community has vowed to resist the evictions and has accused Ndebele of "selling" them to "a new kind of colonialism." On the 4th of December 2008, the eMacambini community blockaded the N2 and R102 freeways to protest S'bu Ndebele's non-reply to their memorandum handed over in a previous march.
On 16 May 2009, shortly after accepting the position of Minister of Transport, Ndebele received a R1,1-million Mercedes Benz S500 from the Vukuzakhe group of 'emerging contractors', who had received contracts worth more than R400-million in the department. Opposition parties have claimed that the gift could be a conflict of interest and that the Mercedes should be returned. Ndebele explained that he received the gift unannounced, long after he had ceased being MEC for transport, and denies any conflict of interest.
It would cost more than R35-billion to fix these roads before 2014, Ndebele said in Parliament, according to Beeld newspaper.
But his department has only R16,8-billion available to do this.
"I can confirm that a number of contracts issued by the department for several road projects in the province may have been improperly and fraudulently awarded," said Transport MEC Mahlakeng Mahlakeng in a statement.
He said it was estimated that more than R1.5 billion allocated for road capital projects over the next three years - the medium term expenditure framework - had already been committed.
Within three months of the current financial year, 2009/10, the roads directorate had already spent its entire capital project budget, he said. Its budget allocation for the year was R525 million.
He said the information had emerged from an audit by PriceWaterhouseCoopers. The government was committed to getting the money back.
Further details would be released once the government had cleared the legal implications of doing so.
Millions of rands' worth of contracts had been issued by the department "without following procedure as stipulated by the Public Finance Management Act (PMFA)".
The government would give the audit report to the police's Hawks and the Asset Forfeiture Unit to investigate. - credit Sapa
Rorke's Drift
The Battle of Rorke's Drift, also known as the Defence of Rorke's Drift, was a battle in the Anglo-Zulu War. The defence of the mission station of Rorke's Drift, under the command of Lieutenant John Chard of the Royal Engineers, immediately followed the British Army's defeat at the Battle of...
, KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu....
), is the current Minister of Transport in the Cabinet of South Africa. He has been on the National Executive Committee
National Executive Committee (African National Congress)
The ANC National Executive Committee is the chief executive organ of the South African political party, the African National Congress. It is elected at every National Conference; the executive committee, in turn, elects a National Working Committee for day-to-day decision-making responsibilities.On...
(NEC) of the African National Congress
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...
(ANC) since 1997, and was the Provincial Chair of the ANC from 1998 to 2008.
From 2004 to 2009 he was the Premier
Premier of KwaZulu-Natal
The Premier of KwaZulu-Natal is the head of government of the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa.For a discussion of the election, role and powers of the Premier, see the article "Premier ".-List of Premiers of KwaZulu-Natal:...
of the South Africa
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 province of KwaZulu-Natal. Between 1994 and 2004 he was on the Executive Council of KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu....
, as the MEC for Transport.
Studies
He attended primary school at Makhaseneni, near MelmothMelmoth, KwaZulu-Natal
Melmoth is a small town situated in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The town was established in the Mthonjaneni district after the annexation of Zululand by the United Kingdom in 1887 and was named after Sir Melmoth Osborn...
, and matriculated from Eshowe Teachers’ Training and High School in Eshowe.
He obtained a degree in library science from the University of Zululand
University of Zululand
The University of Zululand has been designated to serve as the only comprehensive tertiary educational institution north of the uThukela River in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Its new status is in accordance with South Africa's National Plan for Higher Education aimed at eradicating inequity and...
in 1972, a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Politics and African Politics from the University of South Africa
University of South Africa
The University of South Africa is a distance education university, with headquarters in Pretoria, South Africa. With approximately 300 000 enrolled students, it qualifies as one of the world's mega universities.-History:...
in 1983, and an honours degree in Development Administration and Politics in 1985.
Early politics
He was publicity secretary of the South African Students Organisation at the University of Zululand (1972). Shortly thereafter, in 1974, he joined the African National Congress underground and went into exile in SwazilandSwaziland
Swaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique...
. He was arrested for ANC activities in May 1976 and was sentenced to ten years on Robben Island
Robben Island
Robben Island is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 km west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, Cape Town, South Africa. The name is Dutch for "seal island". Robben Island is roughly oval in shape, 3.3 km long north-south, and 1.9 km wide, with an area of 5.07 km². It is flat and only a...
in June 1977.
Criticism
Recently he has been heavily criticised for offering 16 500 hectares of land to the Dubai-based company Ruwaad Holdngs to build a massive themepark named 'Zulu World'. This will result in the forced eviction of around 10 000 families from the eMacambiniEMacambini
eMacambini is a rural area in the KwaZulu Natal province of South Africa which is mostly populated by members of the Macambini clan. It is near Mandeni on the Zululand coast, just north of Durban and close to the new King Shaka International Airport....
clan. The affected community has vowed to resist the evictions and has accused Ndebele of "selling" them to "a new kind of colonialism." On the 4th of December 2008, the eMacambini community blockaded the N2 and R102 freeways to protest S'bu Ndebele's non-reply to their memorandum handed over in a previous march.
On 16 May 2009, shortly after accepting the position of Minister of Transport, Ndebele received a R1,1-million Mercedes Benz S500 from the Vukuzakhe group of 'emerging contractors', who had received contracts worth more than R400-million in the department. Opposition parties have claimed that the gift could be a conflict of interest and that the Mercedes should be returned. Ndebele explained that he received the gift unannounced, long after he had ceased being MEC for transport, and denies any conflict of interest.
Corruption
There is not enough money available to fix roads, so more toll gates will probably have to be built on national roads, Transport Minister Sbu Ndebele said in a report on Thursday. More than 4 100 km of roads - or 32 percent of the national road network - are in such a bad state that they only have a "structural life span" of five years left.It would cost more than R35-billion to fix these roads before 2014, Ndebele said in Parliament, according to Beeld newspaper.
But his department has only R16,8-billion available to do this.
More Corruption
The North West government said on Wednesday it had been hit by a multimillion-rand scandal related to road projects that might have been improperly and fraudulently awarded."I can confirm that a number of contracts issued by the department for several road projects in the province may have been improperly and fraudulently awarded," said Transport MEC Mahlakeng Mahlakeng in a statement.
He said it was estimated that more than R1.5 billion allocated for road capital projects over the next three years - the medium term expenditure framework - had already been committed.
Within three months of the current financial year, 2009/10, the roads directorate had already spent its entire capital project budget, he said. Its budget allocation for the year was R525 million.
He said the information had emerged from an audit by PriceWaterhouseCoopers. The government was committed to getting the money back.
Further details would be released once the government had cleared the legal implications of doing so.
Millions of rands' worth of contracts had been issued by the department "without following procedure as stipulated by the Public Finance Management Act (PMFA)".
The government would give the audit report to the police's Hawks and the Asset Forfeiture Unit to investigate. - credit Sapa