Ayanda Dlodlo
Ayanda Dlodlo (born 22 May 1963) is a South African politician, former cabinet minister and member of the African National Congress (ANC). Her former ministerial portfolio in Cyril Ramaphosa's cabinet was Minister of Public Service and Administration from 5 August 2021 until 4 April 2022. Prior to that position, she was the Minister of State Security from 30 May 2019 until 5 August 2021. Early life. Dlodlo was born in Soweto, South Africa. Her father was studying for a Bachelor of Science and later with an education degree he became a school principal, while her mother was  a student nurse. The family moved to Swaziland to escape apartheid but unfortunately the marriage did not last for long, her parents divorced and her mother returned to Johannesburg. At seventeen, she joined the ANC's military organisation Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) and departed for Angola for military training in 1980. Upon returning to South Africa in 1994, she learned that her sister had been killed by the security forces and that her mother was suffering from the effects of torture and detention. Education. In exile, Dlodlo underwent basic military training in Angola and military intelligence training in the Union of  Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Later she was sent to the United Kingdom where she studied Marine and Shipping Management. Later studies included Management Development, Business Management and Executive Development Programmes. In October 2018 she graduated from the Management College of Southern Africa with a postgraduate diploma in business management. Career. Business. On her return to South Africa, her first job was at Portnet. She has worked at the SA National Ports Authority, SA Freight Rail Company and has also worked on special assignments for the New York and New Jersey Port Authority as well as the Associated British Ports. She  was a director of many companies including Rosschef Africa, The Wired Cloud and Women in Energy. Politics. She was the Head of the Department of Safety and Security in the Gauteng Province. Dlodlo headed Strategic Operations at the Directorate of Special Operations (Scorpions), the now-defunct elite crime unit. She was charged in 2006 with theft of R80,700 from the Scorpions’ secret informer fund, but charges were dropped. In 2007, Dlodlo was the general secretary of the uMkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans’ Association and supported ANC deputy president Jacob Zuma's candidacy for party president at the Polokwane conference. In the  2009 South African election, she became a member of parliament for the ANC. In May 2010, Dlodlo was one of three members of an ANC national disciplinary committee that found Julius Malema guilty of contravening aspects of ANC rules. She was, in 2010, Zuma's parliamentary counselor. Dlodlo was appointed as the Deputy Minister of Public Service and Administration on 1 November 2010 serving in the First Cabinet of Jacob Zuma. She was barred in 2012 from doing business with all three tiers of government for five years for her roles as a fellow director of VIP Consulting Engineers. The  company had been paid for work not completed in 2009 prior to her becoming a member of parliament. She was re-appointed by Zuma to the same ministerial position on 26 May 2014 in the same position and held it until 30 March 2017. She was appointed the Minister of Communications from 30 March 2017 until 17 October 2017. In a reshuffle, she was appointed Minister of Home Affairs from 17 October 2017 and held it until 26 February 2018. In Cyril Ramaphosa's first cabinet, she was appointed as Minister of Public Service and Administration on 27 February 2018 , replacing Malusi Gigaba, a post she held until 29 May 2019, when she was appointed as Minister of State Security. On 5 August 2021, Ramaphosa moved her back to the Public Service and Administration portfolio. On 4 April 2022, Dlodlo resigned from Cabinet and the National Assembly to become an executive director on the board of the World Bank. Ramaphosa appointed the Minister of Labour and Employment, Thulas Nxesi, to temporarily fill the vacancy in the cabinet. She is a member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the African National Congress (ANC) and served as the chairperson of the  Legislature and Governance subcommittee. Dlodlo is also the South African Representative on the Open Government Partnership. Marriage. Dlodlo is married and has a son Thabang Mnisi.