Saki Macozoma

Sakumzi Justice Macozoma (Saki) (1957 - ) is a former South African political prisoner who is now one of South Africa's most prominent businessman and a leader in civil society.

Early Life and Education

Macozoma was born in Port Elizabeth on 12 May 1957. He studied political science, economics and journalism at the University of South Africa and at Boston University in the USA. He holds a BA degree from Unisa.[1]

Political and Business Life

After spending five years in prison alongside Nelson Mandela on Robben Island for anti-apartheid activities he joined the South African Council of Churches. He also worked for the African National Congress (ANC) and South African Breweries. He became a Member of Parliament in 1994 but left the legislature in 1996 to become managing director of Transnet Limited, South Africa's largest parastatal, that controls South Africa's rail network and harbours. During this time he was also chairman of South African Airways.[1]

Macozoma is one of a small group of former ANC politicians who left politics and rapidly became successful in the business world.[2]

He is chairman of Tshipi é Ntle Manganese Mining, Ntsimbintle Mining and Safika Holdings.[3] and deputy Chairman of Volkswagen SA. From 2007 to December 2013, Macozoma was chairman of Liberty Holdings and deputy chairman of the Standard Bank Group. He resigned to concentrate on his Safika business interests.[4] He is well known for his work in civil society and has served as chairman of the Council on Higher Education and the University Council of the University of the Witwatersrand. He is a member of the Board of Governors of Rhodes University and chairman of the Kwazulu–Natal Philharmonic Orchestra.[5]

Mr. Macozoma has also served as president of Business Leadership South Africa, chairman of the President's Big Business Working Group and co-chairman of the Business Trust.

He was a member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress from 1991 to 2008.

In 2005 Billy Masethla, then director of South Africa's National Intelligence Agency (NIA) was arrested and charged with illegally conducting surveillance of Mr Macozoma and his family.[6]

Move to COPE

On 28 February 2009 Mr. Macozoma joined the Congress of the People(COPE), a party that broke away from the ruling African National Congress in 2008.[7] Mr Macozoma is now unaffiliated politically.

Awards

In 2012 Macozoma and former president Nelson Mandela were together awarded the University of South Africa's (UNISA) highest honour, a Calabash award and received the university’s first Robben Island alumnus award, designed to honour those imprisoned by the apartheid regime because they fought against the system of State oppression.[8]

The Anglican Church of Southern Africa honoured Macozoma when the Most Rev'd Thabo Makgoba, Archbishop of Cape Town admitted him to the Order of Simon of Cyrene at a meeting of the church’s Provincial Synod in Benoni, Gauteng on 1 Oct 2013[9]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=22320522&ticker=LBH:SJ/
  2. ↑ Anatomy of fast money at the Wayback Machine (archived November 1, 2007)
  3. ↑ Former Managing Director of Transnet and now Chairman of STANLIB and Andisa Capital at the Wayback Machine (archived May 18, 2008)
  4. ↑ http://www.safika.co.za
  5. ↑ kznphil.org.za/about-us/staff/
  6. ↑ ANC Daily News 22 11 2005
  7. ↑ Anon (2009). "Senior ANC member leaves for COPE". Independent Online. Independent Newspapers (Pty) Limited. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  8. ↑ Rivonia Naidu (2012). "Honouring emerging African leaders". University of South Africa. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  9. ↑ Anon (2013). "Anglican Church gives award to Saki Macozoma". Office of the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town. Retrieved 2013-10-02.

External links