Meet Minister Jeff Radebe

Written by Mduduzi Tshabangu

Know your Minister

The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Jeff Radebe, has been a member of the national executive committee and national working committee of the ANC since 1991. In addition he is also a member of the SACP Central Committee and head of the ANC Policy Unit. Radebe also sat on the board of directors 2010 FIFA World Cup.

In 1976, Radebe joined the ANC, while he was still a student. In 1977 the ANC sent him to Mozambique, and soon thereafter to Tanzania, where he worked as a journalist for a radio station in Dar es Salaam. After an unsuccessful secret mission by the ANC, Radebe was arrested in 1986. He was convicted under the Terrorism Act and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment on Robben Island. After a successful 12-day hunger strike, Radebe was released from prison in 1990.

At the dawn of the new democracy, Radebe served as Minister of Public Works under President Nelson Mandela. Under President Thabo Mbeki, he served as Minister of Public Enterprises and of Transport. It was in this capacity that he was a key force in the Arrive Alive campaign.

Radebe holds a BJur degree from the University of Zululand and an LLM in International Law from Leipzig University. He has also studied at the Lenin International School in Moscow.