Manne Emsley Dipico, first

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

of the

Northern Cape Province The Northern Cape ( ; ; ) is the largest and most sparsely populated province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley. It includes the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, part of the Kga ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, was born in

Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia Queensland * Kimberley, Queensland, a coastal locality in the Shire of Douglas South Australia * County of Kimberley, a cadastral unit in South Australia Ta ...

on 21 April 1959. He was appointed Chairman of the Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa (Necsa) in 2006. He is Chairman of Ponahalo Holdings (De Beers Group) and Deputy Chairman of De Beers Consolidated Mines Ltd.Who’s Who of Southern Africa
/ref> He is the first President of SA-China People's Friendship Association. Website of the Chinese Embassy in South Africa http://www.chinese-embassy.org.za/eng/znjl/t1023994.htm

Education and early political involvement

Dipico matriculated from St Boniface High School in Kimberley in 1979, going on to study for a Bachelor of Arts at the

University of Fort Hare The University of Fort Hare () is a public university in Alice, Eastern Cape, Alice, Eastern Cape, South Africa. It was a key institution of higher education for Africans from 1916 to 1959 when it offered a Western-style academic education to ...

. In 1996 he obtained a Leadership Diploma at the

Wharton School of Business The Wharton School ( ) is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia. Established in 1881 through a donation from Joseph Wharton, a co-founder of Bethlehem Steel, the Wharton ...

at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

in the United States of America. While at Fort Hare Dipico was an executive member of the Azanian Students Organisation (Azaso), joining underground structures of 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 Eastern Cape in 1982. In the Northern Cape he was Regional Executive member of the United Democratic Front in 1985-6, and executive member of the Galeshewe Youth Organisation (Gayo) in 1982-4. Dipico was detained in

Ciskei Ciskei ( , meaning ''on this side of Great Kei River,

he river The He River is a tributary of the Xi River in Guangxi and Guangdong provinces in China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it ...

Kei''), officially the Republic of Ciskei (), was a Bantustan for the Xhosa people, located in the southeast of South Africa. It covered an area of , almost entirely surrounded b ...

in 1984 during the

State of Emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state before, during, o ...

; and in Kimberley was detained in 1986 and again in 1987, charged with terrorism, subversion and promoting and furthering the aims of a banned organization. He was sentenced and imprisoned from 1987 to 1990. Dipico was a member of the National Union of Mineworkers, serving as Regional Organiser in 1985-7 and as Education Co-ordinator in 1990. He became Regional Secretary of the

in the Northern Cape in 1991, following the un-banning of the organization in South Africa, becoming its Provincial Chairman in 1992. He was on the Central Committee of the

South African Communist Party The South African Communist Party (SACP) is a communist party in South Africa. It was founded on 12 February 1921 as the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), and tactically dissolved itself in 1950 in the face of being declared illegal by t ...

in 1995-8.

Premiership

With the creation of the

in 1994, Manne Dipico, as Chairman of the ANC, became its first

, serving in this capacity until 2004. He traveled to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

in 1994 to gain insight into the role of premiers there. In 2001 ANC delegates unanimously voted in Manne Dipico as the ANC Provincial Chairperson for the fourth time in succession. He was succeeded by Elizabeth Dipuo Peters as Premier in 2004.

Other roles

Dipico has served with various organizations: * Board member Helen Joseph Development Centre, Galeshewe * Patron, Griqualand West Rugby Football Union, 1996 * President, St Johns Ambulance, 1995 * Patron, Helen Bishop School for the Mentally Handicapped, 1994 * Member, Lions, 1994 * Honorary President, Kimberley Children's Choir * President, SA-China People's Friendship Association

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dipico, Manne People from Kimberley, Northern Cape Premiers of the Northern Cape Living people 1959 births African National Congress politicians South African Communist Party politicians Members of the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 2004–2009