Princess Stella Sigcau is best known as a Minister in 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 Government. Sigcau was also the first female Prime Minister

Heads of government of Transkei

-List of the Heads of Government of Transkei:-See also:*Bantustan*Presidents of Transkei*President of South Africa*List of State Presidents of South Africa...

 of the Transkei

Transkei

The Transkei , officially the Republic of Transkei , was a Bantustan—an area set aside for members of a specific ethnicity—and nominal parliamentary democracy in the southeastern region of South Africa...

 before being deposed in a military coup in 1987.

Early life and career

She was the daughter of King Botha Sigcau

Botha Sigcau

Paramount Chief Botha Sigcau was a chief in Eastern Pondoland, Transkei, South Africa and later President of Transkei from 1976-1978. A graduate of University of Fort Hare, Sigcau was the first President of Transkei. He was a member of the Transkei National Independence Party...

 of the AmaMpondo tribe who was a former President of the Transkei in 1937. Her brothers are King Thandizulu Sigcau and the late ANC actvist and Member of Parliament NKosi Ntsikayezwe Sigcau. She named Nkosi Ntsikayezwe Sigcau's daughter HRH Princess Stella Sigcau II (Founder: Lwandlolubomvu Rural Development Project; Founder and Festival Director: Ntsikayezwe Lamampondo Cultural and Heritage Festival) after her. Sigcau graduated from the Loveday Institute in 1954 before marrying Ronald Tshabalala in 1962. She taught in a number of schools in Natal

Natal Province

Natal, meaning "Christmas" in Portuguese, was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994. Its capital was Pietermaritzburg. The Natal Province included the bantustan of KwaZulu...

 during the 1960s.

Transkei politics

In 1968, she was elected in Transkei representing the seat of Lusikisiki. Prior to the granting of independence, she held a number of portfolios. After independence, she held the portfolios of Interior Affairs and Posts and Telecommunications. She became the leader of the Transkei National Independence Party

Transkei National Independence Party

Transkei National Independence Party was a political party in the bantustan of Transkei, South Africa. The party advocated cooperation with the South African government. As of 1985, the leader of the party was George Matanzima. In the 1981 Transkei elections, the party got 74 out of 75 seats. TNIP...

 on 5 October 1987 and became the third Prime Minister of the Transkei two days later. Her term as Prime Minister did not last long as she was overthrown in a coup by General Bantu Holomisa

Bantu Holomisa

Bantubonke Harrington Holomisa is a South African Member of Parliament and President of the United Democratic Movement.Holomisa was born in Mqanduli, Eastern Cape. He joined the Transkei Defence Force in 1976 and had become a Brigadier by 1985...

.

South African politics

Transkei was absorbed back into South Africa on 27 April 1994. Sigcau stood for election as a candidate on 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...

 party list and was successful. 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...

 named her as Minister for Public Enterprises in 1994 and she served in that role, which involved attempts at transforming the face of South African Airways

South African Airways

South African Airways is the national flag carrier and largest airline of South Africa, with headquarters in Airways Park on the grounds of OR Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, Gauteng. The airline flies to 36 destinations worldwide from its hub at OR Tambo International...

 and South African Railways

Transnet

Transnet SOC Ltd is a large South African rail, port and pipeline company, headquartered in the Carlton Centre in Johannesburg. It was formed as a limited company on April 1, 1990. A majority of the company's stock is owned by the Department of Public Enterprises, or DPE, of the South African...

 until 1999. She then became Minister for Public Works

South African Ministry of Public Works

The Department of Public Works is one of the ministries of the South African government. It is responsible for providing accommodation and property management services to all the other ministries of the South African government...

and served in that capacity until her death in 2006 of heart failure.