Wamkelekile, Welkom
Mcebisi Jonas
21 May 2020
Mcebisi Jonas is the Board Chairperson of South Africa’s MTN Group and a non-executive director in different company boards. He is also one of four Presidential Investment Envoys, appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa to attract USD100-billion to South Africa.
Jonas previously served as Deputy Minister of Finance and as a Member of Parliament from 2014 to 2017, during this time he helped to steer South Africa’s economy through one of the country’s most difficult post-democratic periods. He also served as Chairperson and Non-Executive Director of the Public Investment Corporation, the stateowned pension fund manager and one of Africa’s largest investment managers.
Before his appointment to national government, Mr Jonas played a key political leadership role in the Eastern Cape. Among other provincial ministerial positions, he served as a Finance MEC in the province. He served as Chief Executive Officer of the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC), a state-owned entity, which successfully amalgamated various smaller development institutions. He also served as Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for Investment and Marketing in the Eastern Cape, developing the investment promotion agenda for the province, which resulted in the establishment of the ECDC, the Coega Industrial Development Zone and the East London Industrial Development Zone.
Mr Jonas’ activism has defined his political career. During the anti-apartheid years he led a number of political activities both within South Africa and in exile. He played a key role in the establishment of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in the Eastern Cape. Upon his return from exile in the 1990’s, Mr Jonas was central to establishing the ruling African National Congress (ANC) structures in the Eastern Cape. More recently, he played a seminal role in the civic activism against state capture.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Please view the republishing articles page for more information.
Africa Month at UCT
During the month of May we commemorate the establishment, in 1963, of the Organisation of African Unity – a precursor to the African Union – which made Africa a pioneer in continental unity and nation building. As a celebration of this moment, UCT will be participating in a series of virtual symposiums on “Africa’s innovations in the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic” to discuss pertinent governance and developmental issues in Africa, towards the formulation of policy recommendations. The university also curated responses from across the university community about what it is that makes us African, and how this informs what we do.
Africa Day, 25 May 2020
UCT Africa Month Virtual Symposium Series
Day 1: Wednesday, 27 May 2020
Opening remarks and Session 1: Knowledge systems and knowledge production on the continent
Session 2: Why has Africa been less impacted? Best practice examples in Africa
Day 2: Thursday, 28 May 2020
Session 3: Unpacking the climate change and development nexus in Africa: Moving beyond obligations to opportunities
Day 3: Friday, 29 May 2020
VC’s Introduction and Session 4: Pan-African reflections on leadership and good governance during COVID-19: Good practice, challenges and opportunities
Session 5: COVID-19 philanthropy on the continent and Closing: Key insights and practical implications
Audio
UCT wishes to acknowledge the generous event sponsorship received from Standard Bank for the UCT Africa Month Virtual Symposium Series.
- Knowledge systems and knowledge production on the Continent
- Why has Africa been less impacted by COVID 19?
- Unpacking the climate change and development nexus in Africa: Moving beyond obligations to opportunities
- Pan African reflections on leadership and good governance during COVID 19: good practice, challenges and opportunities
- COVID 19 philanthropy in Africa
