National Assembly vote: Who is Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula?

With the National Assembly (NA) vote set for Thursday, the African National Congress (ANC) caucus announced it had nominated former defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula for the post.

However, Mapisa-Nqakula received backlash during the recent unrest in South Africa, with many claiming the national defence force was not adequately prepared to deal with the unrest. 

During President Ramaphosa’s recent cabinet reshuffle, Mapisa-Nqakula was removed as the minister of defence and military veterans and replaced by former NA speaker Thandi Modise.

Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula: What you need to know

Early life and career

Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula was born on 13 November 1956 and matriculated from Mount Arthur High School in Lady Frere, in the Eastern Cape.

She is married to journalist and former minister for safety and security, Charles Nqakula.

Mapisa-Nqakula left SA in 1984 to undergo military training in Angola and the Soviet Union. She also represented the ANC Women’s section to the People’s Republic of Angola for two years.

In 1985, she attended the 2nd ANC Consultative seminar in Kabwe, and continued to work closely with women’s organisations inside and outside the country.

Mapisa-Nqakula was deployed to help rebuild ANC structures during the nineties and became Secretary-General of the Women’s League in 1993.

She was appointed as Minister of Home Affairs from April 2004 to May 2009, as well as minister of correctional services from May 2009 to June 2012, and minister of defence and military veterans from June 2012 to 5 August 2021.

Academic Qualifications

Mapisa-Nqakula holds a Primary Teacher’s Diploma from the Bensonvale Teacher College – and taught at Bensonvale Junior Secondary School in 1978 – and Project Management with Canadian University Studies.

She also studied Basic Human Relations, Community Development, and Communications; and trained in Youth Leadership, and is currently studying Psychology with the Newport University.

Career and prominent positions

She was a founder member of the East London Domestic Workers Association (ELDWA) in 1982, and served as Assistant Director of Masazane Open School from 1982 to 1984.

She also served as Head of Commission set up to investigate desertions of ANC MK members to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Angola in 1984.

She represented the ANC Women’s section to the Pan African Women’s Organisation (PAWO) from 1988 to 1990. During that time she also attended the PAWO Regional seminar on the emancipation of women in Lusaka in 1989.

National Assembly vote

The National Assembly (NA) will hold a plenary sitting today to elect a new speaker.

The position became vacant when President Ramaphosa appointed the previous speaker, Thandi Modise, as the new defence minister.

Modise has been in the position since 2019, following the sixth democratic elections. Parliament’s spokesperson, Moloto Mothapo, on Wednesday said the election of the new speaker will take place at 11 am.

Mothapo said it’s “all systems go” for the special sitting, and confirmed that the sitting will be held at two venues in the NA building – the NA Chamber and Committee Room E249 – due to Covid-19 protocols.

READ MORE HERE: ‘All systems go’: National Assembly speaker to be elected on Thursday