Trevor Manuel
Encyclopedia
Trevor Andrew Manuel is a South Africa
n politician, currently serving in the Cabinet of South Africa as Minister in the Presidency in charge of the National Planning Commission
. Previously he was the Minister of Finance from 1996 to 2009, during the presidencies of Nelson Mandela
, Thabo Mbeki
and Kgalema Motlanthe; he was one of the country's longest-serving finance ministers. In May 2009, he was re-assigned to head up a National Planning Commission by President Jacob Zuma
shortly after the latter's inauguration.
), during the apartheid era and classified as a Cape Coloured. His mother, Philma van Söhnen, was a garment factory worker, and his father, Abraham James Manuel, was a draughtsman. According to Manuel's "family legend", his great-grandfather was a Portuguese immigrant; He had married an indigenous woman. He grew up and was educated in the city. He matriculated in 1973 and studied Civil and Structural Engineering, and later, during his detention, law.
(UDF). In September 1985 Manuel was detained and then banned until 31 August 1990. However, Manuel's ban was lifted on 25 March 1986 after it was ruled that it was not in line with the provisions of the Internal Security Act. On 15 August 1986 Manuel was again detained under the emergency regulations for almost two years until July 1988. He was released from detention under severe restrictions but promptly detained again in September 1988, this time until February 1989. His release came with stringent restriction orders.
(ANC), Manuel was appointed as deputy co-ordinator in the Western Cape Province
. At the ANC's first regional conference in 1990 Manuel was elected publicity secretary. At the ANC's 1991 national conference Manuel was elected to the National Executive Committee. In 1992 Manuel became head of the ANC's Department of Economic Planning. Manuel was elected as an ANC Member of Parliament in 1994 and was appointed by President Nelson Mandela
as Minister of Trade and Industry; two years later, in 1996, he was moved to the post of Minister of Finance.
The World Economic Forum
selected Manuel as a "Global Leader for Tomorrow" in 1994, and he has received numerous international awards and recognition for his accomplishments. He is regarded highly by a broad section of the South African public and is widely viewed as one of the most competent South African ministers.
South Africa reported its first budget surplus in 2007. A combination of increased prosperity, high commodity prices and a wider tax base were credited with the surge of revenue. Manuel increased spending for education, housing and sanitation.
In the 2002 election
to the ANC's National Executive Committee, Manuel placed first. At the ANC conference in Polokwane
in December 2007, he was again elected to the National Executive Committee, this time in 57th place with 1,590 votes. In April 2008 Manuel was announced chancellor of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology
.
In September 2008, the IMF commissioned a "Committee on IMF Governance Reform", to be chaired by Manuel. This report was submitted in March 2009.
On September 23, 2008, Trevor Manuel resigned as Finance Minister along with a number of other cabinet members after the resignation of President Thabo Mbeki
, unsettling the financial market, but it was subsequently announced that he would be willing to continue to serve under the next president. Manuel explained the resignation as a principled gesture, and he expressed surprise at the market's reaction. He was retained in his post in the cabinet of Mbeki's successor, Kgalema Motlanthe, which was announced on September 25.
as well as for the Indian community of KwaZulu-Natal
. For the former only 10% of jobs would be available in regions where they form a 60% majority. Manyi claimed that there was a "surplus" of Coloureds in the West-Cape and that this 'problem' should be solved by making the members of this community spread over other provinces—a solution similar to that of relocation under apartheid.
Manuel's sharp reaction to Manyi's remarks provoked an equally sharp response from Paul Ngobeni
, a prominent backer of Jacob Zuma
and John Hlophe
.
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, currently serving in the Cabinet of South Africa as Minister in the Presidency in charge of the National Planning Commission
National Planning Commission of South Africa
The National Planning Commission of South Africa is a South African government agency established in May 2009, responsible for strategic planning for the country....
. Previously he was the Minister of Finance from 1996 to 2009, during the presidencies of 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...
, 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...
and Kgalema Motlanthe; he was one of the country's longest-serving finance ministers. In May 2009, he was re-assigned to head up a National Planning Commission by President Jacob Zuma
Jacob Zuma
Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma is the President of South Africa, elected by parliament following his party's victory in the 2009 general election....
shortly after the latter's inauguration.
Early life
Trevor Manuel was born in Kensington (Cape TownCape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
), during the apartheid era and classified as a Cape Coloured. His mother, Philma van Söhnen, was a garment factory worker, and his father, Abraham James Manuel, was a draughtsman. According to Manuel's "family legend", his great-grandfather was a Portuguese immigrant; He had married an indigenous woman. He grew up and was educated in the city. He matriculated in 1973 and studied Civil and Structural Engineering, and later, during his detention, law.
Public life
Manuel entered public life in 1981 as the General Secretary of the Cape Areas Housing Action Committee, after which he became a National Executive member of the 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 September 1985 Manuel was detained and then banned until 31 August 1990. However, Manuel's ban was lifted on 25 March 1986 after it was ruled that it was not in line with the provisions of the Internal Security Act. On 15 August 1986 Manuel was again detained under the emergency regulations for almost two years until July 1988. He was released from detention under severe restrictions but promptly detained again in September 1988, this time until February 1989. His release came with stringent restriction orders.
Post-apartheid
After the unbanning of the African National CongressAfrican 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), Manuel was appointed as deputy co-ordinator in the Western Cape Province
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...
. At the ANC's first regional conference in 1990 Manuel was elected publicity secretary. At the ANC's 1991 national conference Manuel was elected to the National Executive Committee. In 1992 Manuel became head of the ANC's Department of Economic Planning. Manuel was elected as an ANC Member of Parliament in 1994 and was appointed by 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...
as Minister of Trade and Industry; two years later, in 1996, he was moved to the post of Minister of Finance.
The World Economic Forum
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland....
selected Manuel as a "Global Leader for Tomorrow" in 1994, and he has received numerous international awards and recognition for his accomplishments. He is regarded highly by a broad section of the South African public and is widely viewed as one of the most competent South African ministers.
South Africa reported its first budget surplus in 2007. A combination of increased prosperity, high commodity prices and a wider tax base were credited with the surge of revenue. Manuel increased spending for education, housing and sanitation.
In the 2002 election
51st National Conference of the African National Congress
The 51st ANC National Conference was held in 2002 at the University of Stellenbosch in Stellenbosch, Western Cape. At this conference, Thabo Mbeki was re-elected as president of the party.-AIDS reappraisal document:...
to the ANC's National Executive Committee, Manuel placed first. At the ANC conference in Polokwane
52nd National Conference of the African National Congress
The 52nd National Conference of the African National Congress was held in Polokwane, Limpopo from December 16 to December 20, 2007. It elected Jacob Zuma and supporters to the party's top leadership and National Executive Committee , representing a significant defeat for Thabo Mbeki, then the...
in December 2007, he was again elected to the National Executive Committee, this time in 57th place with 1,590 votes. In April 2008 Manuel was announced chancellor of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Cape Peninsula University of Technology, a university in Cape Town, South Africa, is the only university of Technology in the Western Cape province, and is also the largest university in the province, with over 32,000 students.-History:...
.
In September 2008, the IMF commissioned a "Committee on IMF Governance Reform", to be chaired by Manuel. This report was submitted in March 2009.
Resignation and re-appointment
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...
, unsettling the financial market, but it was subsequently announced that he would be willing to continue to serve under the next president. Manuel explained the resignation as a principled gesture, and he expressed surprise at the market's reaction. He was retained in his post in the cabinet of Mbeki's successor, Kgalema Motlanthe, which was announced on September 25.
Public spat with Jimmy Manyi
On March 2, 2011, Manuel published an open letter to Jimmy Manyi, the spokesperson for the South African government, in which he accused him of racism and compared him to Hendrik Verwoerd. This letter was precipitated by the remarks that Manyi made about a change in the labour laws he had proposed in his previous position of Director-General of Labour. These changes affect the racial quota that employers in South Africa are to apply to their work force. Previously they needed to reflect the ethnic composition of the local community; this would now be changed to the composition of the country as a whole. Such a change would have severe consequences for the Coloured community of the Western CapeWestern 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...
as well as for the Indian community 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....
. For the former only 10% of jobs would be available in regions where they form a 60% majority. Manyi claimed that there was a "surplus" of Coloureds in the West-Cape and that this 'problem' should be solved by making the members of this community spread over other provinces—a solution similar to that of relocation under apartheid.
Manuel's sharp reaction to Manyi's remarks provoked an equally sharp response from Paul Ngobeni
Paul Ngobeni
Paul Mpande Ngobeni was born in Lydenburg, Mpumalanga, South Africa on September 1, 1960. He went to the United States on a scholarship in 1982 graduated with a BA from Hamilton College, New York and Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from New York University School of Law...
, a prominent backer of Jacob Zuma
Jacob Zuma
Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma is the President of South Africa, elected by parliament following his party's victory in the 2009 general election....
and John Hlophe
John Hlophe
John Mandlakayise Hlophe is Judge President of the Western Cape High Court.-Background and career:...
.