PROFILE
Current Positions
Mr Sihle Zikalala (MP) is the Deputy Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure of the
Republic of
South Africa from 06 March
2023.
He is a Member of Parliament of the Republic of South Africa.
Career/Positions/Memberships/Other Activities
Mr Sihle Zikalala is the former MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
(COGTA) in
KwaZulu-Natal (2022 –
2023). He has held the position of Provincial Chairperson of the African National Congress
in
KwaZulu-Natal (2015 –
2022) and also served as Premier of KwaZulu-Natal (2019 – 2022). In December 2022, he was
elected
into the National
Executive Committee (NEC) of the African National Congress. On 6 March 2023, Mr Zikalala was
appointed Minister of the
Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI).
Zikalala joined the liberation movement at the tender age of fifteen years. It was the
beginning
of a journey that would
see him entrusted with key responsibilities within the Liberation Movement in South Africa,
including being appointed
Secretary General of the ANC Youth League, ANC KZN Deputy Provincial Secretary and
Provincial
Secretary.
Prior to his deployment as Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Mr Zikalala was the MEC for Economic
Development, Tourism, and
Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) and Leader of Government Business – positions which he held
with
great diligence and
passion. It was under Mr Zikalala and the legislature collective that the province of
KwaZulu-Natal pioneered
ground-breaking transformation programmes under Operation Vula, which included Radical
Agrarian
Socio-Economic
Transformation (RASET) as well as a Bulk Buying and the Warehousing programme.
He has carved out a solid reputation for himself as an ardent proponent of the Black
Industrialist Programme, a national
government initiative which seeks to hasten the pace of the empowerment of black owned
enterprises. Minister Zikalala
contributed immensely to the attainment of peace in KwaZulu-Natal in the early 1990s. He
remains
seized with the task of
deepening peace, advancing democracy and achieving social and economic prosperity for the
people
of South Africa.
At the heart of his efforts lies a passion to see the South African economy transformed,
growing,
and being competitive
to reduce inequality, poverty, and unemployment.
Mr Zikalala is a champion for gender equality, youth empowerment, and an advocate for quality
education. He strongly
believes in education and regards it as an indispensable weapon in the arsenal to advance
equality
and improve people’s
quality of life.
Mr Zikalala holds a degree in Communication Science from the University of South Africa, an
Honours degree in Public
Administration from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) and a Master’s degree in
Leadership
Studies from UKZN.