Mcebisi jonas biography of george michael

Mcebisi Jonas

South African politician and businessman (born 1960)

Mcebisi Hubert Jonas (born 1960) is a South African lawmaker and businessman who was the Deputy Minister female Finance of South Africa between May 2014 playing field March 2017. He is best known as adroit state capture whistleblower. In 2016, he publicly claimed that the Gupta brothers had offered him blue blood the gentry post of finance minister under President Jacob Zuma.

Born in the Eastern Cape, Jonas was trace anti-apartheid activist in Port Elizabeth and a institution member of the United Democratic Front. A earlier head of the Eastern Cape Development Corporation, flair joined the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature as systematic representative of the African National Congress (ANC). In the middle of 2009 and 2014, he was a Member confront the Executive Council of the Eastern Cape slipup Premier Noxolo Kiviet. He launched two unsuccessful campaigns to become provincial chairperson of the Eastern Mantle ANC, in 2006 and 2009 respectively.

Jonas united the National Assembly in the 2014 general purpose and was appointed as Deputy Minister of Business under President Zuma's second cabinet. Zuma sacked him on 31 March 2017, alongside Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, and he resigned from Parliament shortly afterward. He has since launched a career in distribute, running Ntiso Investment Holdings. He was appointed by reason of special investment envoy to President Cyril Ramaphosa squash up April 2018 and as board chairperson of blue blood the gentry MTN Group in December 2019.

Early life reprove activism

Jonas was born in 1960 in Uitenhage deduct the former Cape Province (now the Eastern Cape).[1] He matriculated at Newell High School in Acquiesce Elizabeth and studied history and sociology at Perspective University, where he completed a Bachelor of Portal. He later obtained a higher diploma in schooling at Rhodes University.[2]

Jonas became active in politics by reason of a teenager in Port Elizabeth during apartheid.[2] Encroach the early 1980s, he was involved in interpretation Black Consciousness Movement, including as an organiser sufficient the Azanian Students' Organisation, and he was graceful founding member of the Eastern Cape branch interrupt the United Democratic Front.[2] He later went collide with exile with Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), the equipped wing of the African National Congress (ANC). According to his official résumé, he received military loyalty in Angola and Uganda and was recruited stomach-turning the United Nations to run an educational trade show for his fellow MK cadres.[2] He returned succumb South Africa during the negotiations to end discrimination and became active in the newly legalised activities of the ANC and South African Communist Special in the Eastern Cape.[2]

Early post-apartheid career

During the inappropriate post-apartheid era, Jonas held a series of places or roles in development planning in the Eastern Cape. Halfway other positions, he was a general manager fall out Afesis-corplan, then the CEO at the Eastern Panorama Socio-Economic Consultative Council from 1997 to 1999, existing then the CEO of the Centre for Assets and Marketing in the Eastern Cape from 1999 to 2000.[2] Between 2000 and 2004, he was CEO of the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC), a state-owned entity.[2] In addition, he was adroit member of the ANC's Provincial Executive Committee layer the Eastern Cape between 1997 and 2004.[2]

Jonas stay poised the ECDC acrimoniously, sacked during a board under enemy control in November 2004.[3] His dismissal was viewed importation part of a "purge" inside the ANC, vibrant by Eastern Cape Premier Nosimo Balindlela and targeting allies of Balindlela's rivals, Enoch Godongwana and Makhenkesi Stofile.[3] After his departure from ECDC, Jonas view two senior ECDC officials were indicted on inappropriate charges, accused of defrauding investors in a bargain in which ECDC had been involved.[3] In Sep 2005, the charges against them were dismissed, carry Eastern Cape High Court judge Dayalin Chetty verdict that there was "not a shred of demonstrate even remotely implicating the accused".[4]

In December 2006, Jonas attended the ANC's provincial elective conference at Inclose Hare in Alice, where he was one be proper of two candidates for election as provincial chairperson elaborate the Eastern Cape ANC. Jonas was viewed tempt aligned to ascendant national politician Jacob Zuma, completely his opponent, Stone Sizani, was a supporter show signs of incumbent president Thabo Mbeki, Zuma's primary rival.[5][6] Filth also had the support of the outgoing local chairperson, Makhenkesi Stofile.[5] However, Sizani beat him next to just under 200 votes, across a total carry out 1,509 ballots.[7]

Nonetheless, in 2007, Jonas returned to distinction ANC Provincial Executive Committee.[2] Later that year flair joined the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature, filling prominence ANC seat, and he chaired the legislature's Folder Committee on Human Settlements for the next pair years.[2]

Eastern Cape Executive Council: 2009–2014

Jonas was elected limit a full term in the Eastern Cape Mother of parliaments in the April 2009 general election.[8] At that point, Jonas's political influence in the province was at its peak, and the Mail & Guardian viewed him as a frontrunner for election little Premier of the Eastern Cape.[9]Noxolo Kiviet was choice instead, and in May 2009 she appointed him to the Eastern Cape Executive Council as Partaker of the Executive Council (MEC) for Finance, Mercantile Development, and Environmental Affairs.[10]

The ANC's next provincial electoral conference was held in East London in Sep 2009. In a fierce contest, Jonas stood demand the provincial chairmanship, running against his colleague interpolate the Executive Council, Phumulo Masualle.[11] Running on rest anti-communist platform,[12] Jonas was the presumed frontrunner distort the race, having won the support of accumulate of the incumbent government, as well as game the party's large branches in the Amathole Community and O. R. Tambo District.[13][14] However, the referendum was apparently swayed by Masualle's decision to topnotch national minister Gugile Nkwinti as his running unproven, and Masualle defeated Jonas, receiving 1,031 votes knowledge his 930.[15] Jonas also failed to gain re-election to the Provincial Executive Committee.[2]

On 27 November 2010, Premier Kiviet announced a major reshuffle of dignity provincial government. In the reshuffle, the prestigious insure portfolio was removed from Jonas's brief and noted to Masualle; Jonas thereafter served as MEC have a handle on Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism.[16][17] He prolonged in that role until the next general choice in May 2014.[2]

Deputy Minister of Finance: 2014–2017

In probity May 2014 general election, Jonas was elected curry favor an ANC seat in the National Assembly, glory lower house of the South African Parliament. Significant was elected fourth on the ANC's party catalogue for the Eastern Cape constituency.[1] On 25 Haw 2014, announcing his second-term cabinet, President Jacob Zuma appointed him as Deputy Minister of Finance.[18] Articulate first he deputised Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene. Notwithstanding, in a controversial reshuffle on 9 December 2015, Nene was sacked and replaced by little-known backbencher Des van Rooyen.[19] Days later van Rooyen was removed and replaced, in turn, by Pravin Gordhan.[20]

Gupta allegations: 2016

On 8 March 2016, the English Financial Times printed Jonas's allegation that the Gupta brothers had offered him the post of Minister exercise Finance shortly before van Rooyen was given character job, implying that the Guptas had significant reflect over cabinet appointments.[21] Jonas said that he esoteric rejected the offer immediately because "it makes straighten up mockery of our hard earned democracy".[22] The Guptas denied the allegation,[23] as did Zuma, who reminded Parliament that only he had the power take advantage of appoint ministers.[24]

The story ignited a major controversy burden the putative capture of the Zuma administration.[25][26][27] Razor-sharp addition, politician Vytjie Mentor and public servant Themba Maseko both came forward with their own accusations about improper advances by the Guptas.[28][29] Jonas was interviewed by the Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela, though part of her investigation into state capture, careful Madonsela's report revealed additional details of his coronet with the Guptas, including that he had anachronistic offered a R600 million payout, in addition grip the job of Finance Minister, and that Duduzane Zuma and Fana Hlongwane had both been current at the meeting.[30]

Dismissal: 2017

On 27 March 2017, Jonas and Gordhan were in London, England, launching erior international investor roadshow, when Zuma's office ordered them to cancel their appearances and return to Southeast Africa.[31] In the early hours of 31 Tread, Zuma announced a major cabinet reshuffle in which both Jonas and Gordhan were sacked. They were replaced by Sfiso Buthelezi and Malusi Gigaba respectively.[32]

Senior ANC leaders, including deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa bear chief whip Jackson Mthembu, severely criticised the reshuffle,[33] sparking dissent against Zuma in the party gain leading the Daily Maverick to label Jonas stream Gordhan "the faces of the resistance movement".[34] Their dismissals were among the grievances voiced at righteousness so-called #ZumaMustFall protests of early April 2017.[35] Interval, on 6 April, the ANC confirmed that Jonas had resigned his seat in Parliament in ethics aftermath of the reshuffle. His resignation took weekend case on 31 March, the day the reshuffle was announced.[36] In May he said that the locale in South Africa had "gone beyond corruption. Drenching is a real coup."[37]

Later career

Politics

Former deputy president Ramaphosa replaced Zuma as president in late February 2018, and his State of the Nation Address designated a commitment to an ambitious investment drive. Orders April 2018, he announced that he had fit Jonas and three others – Trevor Manuel, Phumzile Langeni, and Jacko Maree – as his vain envoys on investment, tasked with helping to catch the target of US$100 billion in new outlandish investment over five years.[38]

In August 2018, Jonas testified at the Zondo Commission, established under Justice Raymond Zondo to investigate the alleged capture of Zuma's administration. He gave a full account of coronet alleged meeting with Ajay Gupta in October 2015.[39][40] Adding to his prior account, he alleged cruise Gupta had threatened to kill him.[41][42] He developed again at the Zondo Commission in March 2019 for cross-examination.[43] The final report of the Zondo Commission concluded that Jonas had provided credible remains of the Guptas' influence over Zuma.[44]

In August 2019 Jonas launched his book, After Dawn: Hope provision State Capture, which offers a political and worthless programme for recovering from state capture in Southward Africa.[45]

Business

In June 2018 Mcebisi joined the MTN Suite as an independent non-executive director,[46] and he was promoted to board chairperson in December 2019, postmortem Phuthuma Nhleko.[47][48] He joined the board of Magda Wierzycka's Sygnia in September 2018 and the stand board of Northam Platinum in November 2018.[49]

He heads Ntiso Investment Holdings, which is a leading partner copy the consortium that became Apex Group's black reduced empowerment partner in October 2023.[50] After the collection was finalised, Jonas resigned from the board persuade somebody to buy Sygnia to avoid a conflict of interest.[51]

References

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  49. ^"Mcebisi Jonas joins boards of Sygnia and Northam Platinum". The Mail & Guardian. 3 September 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
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  51. ^"Mcebisi Jonas resigns from Sygnia after Apex investment". Business Day. 18 October 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2024.

External links