Susan Shabangu (born 28 February 1956) is a South African politician and former
trade unionist
A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...
. She represented the
African National Congress
The African National Congress (ANC) is a political party in South Africa. It originated as a liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid and has governed the country since 1994, when the 1994 South African general election, fir ...
(ANC) in the
National Assembly of South Africa
The National Assembly is the directly elected house of the Parliament of South Africa, located in Cape Town, Western Cape. It consists of four hundred members who are elected every five years using a party-list proportional representation sy ...
between May 1994 and June 2019. During that time she was a
cabinet
Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to:
Furniture
* Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers
* Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets
* Filin ...
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( , ; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa f ...
Thabo Mbeki
Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki (; born 18 June 1942) is a South African politician who served as the 2nd democratic president of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008, when he resigned at the request of his party, the African National Cong ...
's government. She was a member of the ANC National Executive Committee between December 2007 and December 2022.
Education
Susan Shabangu completed her high school career at Madibane High School in
Soweto
Soweto () is a Township (South Africa), township of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for ''South Western T ...
in 1977.
Trade union activism
Before being elected to government, Shabangu was active in the labour movement. From 1980 to 1985, she was Assistant Secretary for the
Federation of South African Women
The Federation of South African Women (FEDSAW) was a political lobby group formed in 1954. At FEDSAW's inaugural conference, a Women's Charter was adopted. Its founding was spear-headed by Lillian Ngoyi.
Introduction
The Federation of South Afri ...
(FEDSAW). She was also a member of the Federation of Transvaal Women (FEDTRAW). In 1981 she was part of the Anti-Republic Campaign Committee. In 1982, she worked with the Release Mandela Campaign Committee. During 1984-85 she organized the Amalgamated Black Workers Project. She served on the Industrial Council and was the National Women's Coordinator of the Transport and General Workers Union (T&GWU). She served on the National Women's Sub-committee of the
Congress of South African Trade Unions
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU or Cosatu) is a trade union federation in South Africa. It was founded in 1985 and is the largest of the country's three main trade union federations, with 21 affiliated trade unions.One Union ...
African National Congress
The African National Congress (ANC) is a political party in South Africa. It originated as a liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid and has governed the country since 1994, when the 1994 South African general election, fir ...
(ANC) in the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...
, the lower house of the new
South African Parliament
The Parliament of the Republic of South Africa is South Africa's legislature. It is located in Cape Town; the country's legislative capital.
Under the present Constitution of South Africa, the bicameral Parliament comprises a National Asse ...
Tripartite Alliance
The Tripartite Alliance is an alliance between the African National Congress (ANC), the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the South African Communist Party (SACP). The ANC holds a plurality in the South African parliament, ...
partner, in the ANC caucus. She was a backbencher for two years, during which time she served on various portfolio committees.
On 28 March 1996, President
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( , ; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa f ...
announced that he had decided to create the office of the Deputy Minister of Minerals and Energy. Shabangu was appointed as the inaugural holder of the office. She deputised
Pik Botha
Roelof Frederik "Pik" Botha, (27 April 1932 – 12 October 2018) was a South African politician who served as the country's foreign minister in the last years of the apartheid era, the longest-serving in South African history. Known as a lib ...
of the opposition
National Party National Party or Nationalist Party may refer to:
Active parties
* National Party of Australia, commonly known as ''The Nationals''
* Bangladesh:
** Bangladesh Nationalist Party
** Jatiya Party (Ershad) a.k.a. ''National Party (Ershad)''
* Californ ...
until May 1996, when Botha's party left the
Government of National Unity
A national unity government, government of national unity (GNU), or national union government is a broad coalition government consisting of all parties (or all major parties) in the legislature, usually formed during a time of war or other nati ...
; from then onwards she was deputy to new Minister Penuell Maduna. While serving in the ministry, Shabangu was also an advisor to COSATU's September Commission, which, under the leadership of
Connie September
Cornelia "Connie" September (born 26 June 1959, Cape Town) is a retired South African politician that served as Minister of Human Settlements from 2013–2014.
Shabangu served as Deputy Minister of Minerals and Energy until the April 2004 general election, a period that spanned the remainder of Mandela's presidency and the first term of
Thabo Mbeki
Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki (; born 18 June 1942) is a South African politician who served as the 2nd democratic president of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008, when he resigned at the request of his party, the African National Cong ...
Charles Nqakula
Charles Nqakula (born 13 September 1942) is a South African politician who served as Minister of Defence from September 2008 to 2009. He also served as Minister for Safety and Security from May 2002 to September 2008.
Nqakula is married to th ...
. In that portfolio she was best known for the widespread controversy that arose in April 2008, when, speaking of criminals, she told an audience of
police
The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...
officers in
Pretoria
Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country.
Pretoria strad ...
that, "You must kill the bastards if they threaten you or the community".
Jacob Zuma
Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (; born 12 April 1942) is a South African politician who served as the fourth president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan names Nxamalala and Msholozi. Zuma was a for ...
took office as president. On 10 May 2009, Zuma announced that he would elevate Shabangu to his cabinet as Minister of Mineral Resources (initially called Minister of Mining). The portfolio was newly reconfigured, having previously been a part of the Ministry of Minerals and Energy. Shabangu served without a deputy until 31 October 2010, when Zuma appointed Godfrey Oliphant as Deputy Minister of Mineral Resources.
In August 2012, following the
Marikana massacre
The Marikana massacre was the killing of thirty-four miners by the South African Police Service (SAPS) on 16 August 2012 during a six-week wildcat strike at the Lonmin platinum mine at Marikana near Rustenburg in South Africa's North West provi ...
at Lonmin Platinum Mine near Rustenburg where 44 people were killed after police opened fire on striking workers belonging to the
Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union
The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) was formed in Mpumalanga, South Africa, in 1998 as a breakaway faction of the COSATU-affiliated National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). It was formally registered as a union in 2001. Acco ...
(AMCU), Shabangu visited the area. Tasked with investigating what had happened, she reported to Parliament on 21 August 2012 that she had engaged all "affected parties". When questioned at the Marikana Commission of Inquiry on 26 August 2014 she admitted that these did not include the AMCU or representatives of the striking workers.
Mail & Guardian
The ''Mail & Guardian'', formerly the ''Weekly Mail'', is a South African weekly newspaper and website, published by M&G Media in Johannesburg, South Africa. It focuses on political analysis, investigative reporting, Southern African news, loca ...
'' noted that 40 per cent of the department's R200-million annual budget was allocated to administration, remarking that the plan suggested that "Shabangu is supposed to be running some sort of research-heavy lobby group that spends too much money on administration and is unlikely to actually advance the cause of women one iota".
Shabangu was one of 35 signatories to an open letter, coordinated by the
One Campaign
ONE Campaign (styled as ONE) is an international, non-partisan, non-profit organization advocating for the investments needed to create economic opportunities and healthier lives in Africa. The campaigning organization uses data, grassroots ac ...
, which urged
Angela Merkel
Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German retired politician who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. She is the only woman to have held the office. She was Leader of the Opposition from 2002 to 2005 and Leade ...
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma
Nkosazana Clarice Dlamini-Zuma (; born 27 January 1949), sometimes referred to by her initials NDZ, is a South Africa, South African politician, medical doctor and former anti-apartheid activist. A longstanding member of the African National Con ...
of the
African Union
The African Union (AU) is a continental union of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the African Union. The b ...
to emphasise women's interests in
international development
International development or global development is a broad concept denoting the idea that societies and countries have differing levels of economic development, economic or human development (economics), human development on an international sca ...
initiatives. In South Africa, she established a policy task team on access to
feminine hygiene products
Feminine hygiene products are personal care products used for women's hygiene during menstruation, vaginal discharge, or other bodily functions related to the vulva and vagina. Products that are used during menstruation may also be called menstru ...
. Her ministry was also tasked with addressing
gender-based violence Gender-related violence or gender-based violence (GBV) refers to any kind of violence directed against people due to their gender or gender identification, culture may have a role to play, being lower in egalitarianism societies and higher, sexist ...
, though she was sometimes criticised for insensitive messaging on the subject.
In August 2016, Shabangu was the acting
President of South Africa
The president of South Africa is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of South Africa. The president directs the executive branch of the government and is the commander-in-chief of the South African National Defence F ...
while both Zuma and his deputy were both in Swaziland at a meeting of the
Southern African Development Community
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana.
Goals
The SADC's goal is to further regional socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and se ...
.
Social Development: 2018–2019
In February 2018,
Cyril Ramaphosa
Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa (born 17 November 1952) is a South African businessman and politician serving as the 5th and current President of South Africa since 2018. A former Anti-Apartheid Movement, anti-apartheid activist and trade union leade ...
Bathabile Dlamini
Bathabile Dlamini (born 10 September 1962) is a South African politician who was the President of the African National Congress (ANC) ANC Women's League, Women's League from 2015 to 2022. She was previously the Minister of Women, Youth and Person ...
, who took over her former portfolio. The ''
Daily Maverick
''Daily Maverick'' is an independent, South African, English language, online news publication and weekly print newspaper, with offices in the country's two most populous cities: Cape Town (the site of its headquarters) and Johannesburg.
...
'' described her new ministry as "a poisoned chalice of note"; her main task was to stabilise the social welfare system in the aftermath of the grants crisis.
Shabangu was re-elected to her parliamentary seat in the May 2019 general election, ranked 63rd on the ANC's national list. However, Ramaphosa's second-term cabinet, announced on 29 May, did not include Shabangu. The following week she announced her resignation from Parliament. The resignation took effect on 3 June 2019.
Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation
The minister of human settlements is the housing minister in the Cabinet of South Africa. Known as the minister of housing until May 2009, the minister has political responsibility for the Department of Human Settlements.
Between May 2019 and ...
,
Lindiwe Sisulu
Lindiwe Nonceba Sisulu (born 10 May 1954) is a South African politician. She represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly of South Africa between April 1994 and March 2023. During that time, from 2001 to 2023, she se ...
, appointed Shabangu to a ministerial advisory committee on the
water sector
The water industry provides drinking water and wastewater services (including sewage treatment) to residential, commercial, and industrial sectors of the economy. Typically public utilities operate water supply networks. The water industry do ...
. Defending the appointment in the
Standing Committee on Public Accounts
The Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA; Afrikaans: ''Staande Komitee oor Openbare Rekeninge'') is a standing committee of the National Assembly of South Africa, the lower house of the Parliament of South Africa. It oversees the financial ...
, Sisulu pointed to Shabangu's trade union experience as evidence of expertise in
labour law
Labour laws (also spelled as labor laws), labour code or employment laws are those that mediate the relationship between workers, employing entities, trade unions, and the government. Collective labour law relates to the tripartite relationship be ...
, telling legislators that, "Susan Shabangu has more experience, more understanding of politics, more understanding of government than you could ever have."
Shabangu's third term on the ANC National Executive Committee ended at the party's 55th National Conference in December 2017, and she was not re-elected.
Personal life
In March 2003 Shabangu was charged with
public indecency
Indecent exposure is the deliberate public exposure by a person of a portion of their body in a manner contrary to local standards of appropriate behavior. Laws and social attitudes regarding indecent exposure vary significantly in different ...
after an altercation with an airport security official at
Johannesburg International Airport
O. R. Tambo International Airport is an international airport serving the twin cities of Johannesburg and the main capital of South Africa, Pretoria. It is situated in Kempton Park, Gauteng, Kempton Park, Gauteng. It serves as the primary air ...
. She had lifted her dress in exasperation after repeatedly being asked to pass through a metal detector.
Her daughter is a social worker.
South African History Online
The South African History Project (2001-2004) was established and initiated by Professor Kader Asmal, former Minister of Education in South Africa. This initiative followed after the publication of the Manifesto on Values, Education and Democracy ...