Mbhazima Shilowa facts for kids

Mbhazima Samuel Shilowa (born 30 April 1958) is a South African politician who is now retired. He was also a leader in trade unions. He served as the third Premier of Gauteng province from 1999 to 2008. Before that, he was the general secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) from 1993 to 1999. Later, he helped start a new political party called the Congress of the People (Cope).

Shilowa was born in a rural area of the Northern Province (now Limpopo). He became involved in trade unions in Johannesburg in 1981 as a shop steward. He quickly moved up in the Transport and General Workers' Union. In 1991, he became Cosatu's deputy general secretary, and then its general secretary in 1993. During this time, he also worked against apartheid. He joined the South African Communist Party's Central Committee in 1991 and the African National Congress (ANC) National Executive Committee in 1994.

After the 1999 general election, Shilowa left Cosatu to become the Premier of Gauteng for the ANC. One of his big projects was building the Gautrain. He was re-elected in 2004. However, he resigned on 29 September 2008. He was a friend and supporter of President Thabo Mbeki, and he resigned to protest the ANC's decision to remove Mbeki from his position.

In October 2008, Shilowa left the ANC and helped start COPE with Mosiuoa Lekota. He became COPE's first deputy president. After the 2009 general election, he became the party's chief whip in the National Assembly. But within 18 months, COPE faced problems because of a leadership disagreement between Lekota and Shilowa. Shilowa was later removed from the party in February 2011.

Early Life and Education

Mbhazima Samuel Shilowa was born on 30 April 1958. His birthplace was Olifantshoek, a village in what was then the Northern Province (now Limpopo). He was the youngest of seven children. Due to his family's financial struggles, he took some years off school. He later attended Akani High School in Hlanganani. In 1978, he left school before finishing grade 11 after an argument with a teacher. In 1979, he moved to Johannesburg to find work. He lived in the Dobsonville township and worked in various jobs. These included a hardware store, a cement company, and a training service.

Early Work in Trade Unions

Shilowa became involved in the trade union movement in 1981. He was chosen as a shop steward at his workplace, Anglo-Alpha Cement. A shop steward is a person elected by workers to represent them in discussions with management. He quickly moved up in the union ranks. In 1991, he became the deputy general secretary of Cosatu. He also served as vice-president and then president of the Transport and General Workers' Union.

Through Cosatu, Shilowa was active in the movement against apartheid. Apartheid was a system of racial segregation and discrimination in South Africa. After the African National Congress (ANC) and the South African Communist Party (SACP) were allowed to operate again in 1990, he helped restart their organizations in Gauteng. In 1991, he was elected to the SACP's Central Committee. He was also part of the ANC's team that negotiated to end apartheid.

Leading Cosatu: 1993–1999

In 1993, Shilowa was elected to lead Cosatu as its general secretary. He held this position for six years, being re-elected in 1994 and 1997. Cosatu played a big role in campaigning for the ANC before the first democratic elections in 1994. This was part of the Tripartite Alliance, a partnership between the ANC, Cosatu, and the SACP.

Shilowa was also involved in setting up the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac). This council brings together government, business, and labor to discuss economic and social policies. He was a close friend and adviser to Deputy President Thabo Mbeki. During his time as Cosatu leader, he was seen as a talented politician.

Shilowa was also a member of the ANC's National Executive Committee (NEC) twice. He was first elected in 1994. He was re-elected in 1997 and served a full five-year term.

Premier of Gauteng: 1999–2008

On 23 April 1999, the ANC announced that Shilowa would be their candidate for Premier of Gauteng. He had been expected to join the national government. He resigned as Cosatu secretary-general after the 2 June election. The ANC won a clear majority in Gauteng, and he was elected premier on 15 June 1999. He was re-elected for a second term after the April 2004 general election.

Key Policies and Projects

As premier, Shilowa made some changes to the provincial government. He was generally able to keep the provincial ANC united. His administration was praised for its economic policies. However, he faced challenges in fighting corruption and improving public services.

The most famous project of his time was the Gautrain. This is an express train system in Gauteng. He announced the project during his first term. The construction contract for the railway was signed in 2006. His government also adopted a progressive policy on HIV/AIDS. They started programs to prevent mother-to-child transmission in 2001. They also began providing anti-retroviral treatment in 2004. These policies were put in place even when they were not popular with the national government.

Leading the ANC in Gauteng

In November 2001, Shilowa was elected as the provincial chairperson of the Gauteng ANC. He was the preferred candidate of the national leadership of the party. He served two terms in this leadership role. He was re-elected in December 2004.

In October 2007, he decided not to run for a third term as provincial chairperson. He supported Paul Mashatile, who then became his successor. Shilowa was elected as an ordinary member of the ANC's Provincial Executive Committee.

Political Changes and Resignation

In 2007, as President Thabo Mbeki's second term as ANC president was ending, Shilowa supported Mbeki. However, Jacob Zuma won the ANC presidency at the conference in Polokwane in December 2007. After Mbeki's defeat, Shilowa decided not to run for election to the ANC's National Executive Committee. He said he did not want to be part of that NEC.

In September 2008, Mbeki resigned as national president under pressure from the ANC. Later that same day, Shilowa announced his own resignation as Premier of Gauteng. He resigned to protest how the party treated Mbeki. He felt that Mbeki's removal was not based on strong reasons and was unfair. He said he could not honestly defend the decision.

Shilowa was then linked to a new political group. On 15 October 2008, he announced that he had left the ANC. He would work to help start a new political initiative with Mosiuoa Lekota.

Congress of the People: 2008–2014

Starting a New Party

In late 2008, Shilowa and Lekota led the creation of a new political party. This party was made up of Mbeki's supporters from the ANC. Shilowa officially announced their plans to form a party on 1 November 2008. The following week, he announced that the party would be called the Congress of the People (COPE).

Shilowa became the interim deputy chairperson of COPE. When COPE held its first national congress in December 2008, Shilowa became the party's deputy president. Mosiuoa Lekota became the party president.

The 2009 Election and Beyond

COPE took part in the April 2009 general election. After the election, Shilowa was elected to a seat in the National Assembly. He became the party's chief whip in Parliament. He said that COPE wanted to be a "patriotic opposition party." This meant they would raise issues with the ruling party in a fair way.

Leadership Challenges and Departure

During its first year in Parliament, COPE faced serious internal disagreements over leadership. Shilowa's supporters wanted him to replace Lekota as COPE president. These divisions became clear by the end of 2009. In May 2010, a party meeting collapsed because of these disagreements.

In October 2010, Lekota's group tried to suspend Shilowa from his role as COPE chief whip. They claimed he had mismanaged money. However, a court said his suspension was not valid. In December 2010, another COPE meeting became chaotic. Shilowa claimed he had been elected as the new party president, but Lekota strongly disagreed.

For several months, both Lekota and Shilowa claimed to lead COPE. In January 2011, Lekota's group tried to suspend Shilowa from the party. Shilowa was later expelled from the party in February 2011. The disciplinary panel found that he had mismanaged the party's finances in Parliament. Shilowa denied these claims.

A court case between the two groups finally ended in October 2013. The court ruled that Lekota was the rightful leader of COPE. In January 2014, COPE held its next national meeting. Willie Madisha was elected to replace Shilowa as Lekota's deputy. Before the May 2014 general election, Shilowa announced he would support another party, the United Democratic Movement (UDM). He did not officially join the UDM.

Retirement and Personal Life

After the leadership battle in COPE, Shilowa stepped back from active politics. He still shares his opinions as a political commentator and writes columns for News24. In 2024, he described himself as "a man of leisure."

He also has a wine company called Epicurean. He started it in 2003 with other businessmen. The company makes red wines at Rupert & Rothschild cellars in Paarl.

Shilowa is married to Wendy Luhabe, a businesswoman. She was one of the early supporters and fundraisers for COPE.

Images for kids

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  Mosiuoa Lekota, Shilowa's partner and rival in COPE