Roy Padayachie facts for kids

Radhakrishna Lutchmana "Roy" Padayachie (born May 1, 1950 – died May 5, 2012) was an important South African politician and activist. He served as a cabinet minister from November 2010 until his death in May 2012. He was also a member of the National Assembly for the African National Congress (ANC) from April 2004 to May 2012.

Roy Padayachie was born and grew up in Durban. He worked as a chemist and later as a community organizer. He was also a business consultant before becoming a politician. Throughout his life, he was very active in community and political groups in Durban. He was a strong anti-apartheid activist, working with groups like the Natal Indian Congress and the United Democratic Front. He secretly joined the ANC in 1972.

Padayachie became a member of the National Assembly in the April 2004 election. He served as Deputy Minister of Communications until May 2009. Later, under President Jacob Zuma, he was Deputy Minister of Public Service and Administration from May 2009 to October 2010. He then became a full minister. He was Minister of Communications from November 2010 to October 2011. After that, he became Minister of Public Service and Administration from October 2011 until he passed away. He died while on an official trip to Addis Ababa.

Early Life and Education

Roy Padayachie was born on May 1, 1950, in Clairwood, which is near Durban. This area was part of the Natal Province at the time. His family had roots in India, with his great-grandfather coming from a village near Chennai. His grandparents were born in Mauritius, and his parents were born in South Africa.

During the time of apartheid, he was classified as Indian. He went to Tagore High School in Clairwood. He then studied at the University of Durban–Westville, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree. Later, he continued his studies at the University of London and completed a Master of Science degree.

Early Career and Activism

From 1974 to 1980, Padayachie worked as a chemist. He worked for different companies, including Plascon Evans, Reckitt and Colman, and Shell Chemical.

After his work as a chemist, from 1980 to 1999, he focused on community development. He worked mainly in Chatsworth, a suburb of Durban. There, he helped set up the Chatsworth Early Learning Centre.

During this time, he was a key figure in the anti-apartheid movement in Natal. He was a leader in the Natal Indian Congress. He also joined the secret African National Congress (ANC) in 1972. He was active in local community groups, like the Housing Action Committee. When the United Democratic Front was formed in 1983, he joined its leadership in Natal.

During the talks to end apartheid, Padayachie was part of the ANC's team from Natal. After the first democratic elections in 1994, he started his own business. He advised small and medium-sized businesses. He continued this work until he joined the government in 2004. He also helped create the National Development Agency.

Political Career

Serving as Deputy Minister of Communications: 2004–2009

In the April 2004 general election, Roy Padayachie was elected to the National Assembly. This is the lower house of the South African Parliament. After the election, President Thabo Mbeki appointed him as Deputy Minister of Communications. He worked under Minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri.

He continued in this role throughout the Third Parliament. He was re-appointed when Kgalema Motlanthe became president in 2008.

Serving as Deputy Minister of Public Service: 2009–2010

Padayachie was re-elected to the National Assembly in the April 2009 general election. On May 10, President Jacob Zuma announced his first cabinet. He moved Padayachie to the role of Deputy Minister of Public Service and Administration. In this job, he worked with Minister Richard Baloyi.

Becoming Minister of Communications: 2010–2011

Padayachie with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur in Pretoria on October 19, 2011

Padayachie was promoted to a full cabinet minister in a government change on October 31, 2010. He became the Minister of Communications, taking over from Siphiwe Nyanda. Obed Bapela became his deputy. People in the communications industry were happy about his return to this role. They felt he was ready to start working right away because of his past experience. He said his main goal was to help the SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation) work better.

As minister, one of his first tasks was to appoint a new director-general for the Department of Communications. He also withdrew a bill about public broadcasting to review it. This was seen as a good step by many. He announced that South Africa would switch to the DVB-T2 digital television standard. He also set goals for digital migration and for Telkom to open its local network.

Becoming Minister of Public Service: 2011–2012

Less than a year after becoming Minister of Communications, President Zuma made another change to his cabinet on October 24, 2011. Padayachie was appointed as Minister of Public Service and Administration. He replaced Richard Baloyi, who had been his boss before. Ayanda Dlodlo became his deputy. In early 2012, he announced plans to create a single public service framework for the country.

Death and Personal Life

On May 4, 2012, Roy Padayachie passed away from a heart attack in a hotel room in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He was in Ethiopia for an official meeting about the African Peer Review Mechanism. The President's office announced that he would have a special official funeral.

His funeral was held on May 9 at Sahara Kingsmead Stadium in Durban. President Zuma gave the eulogy, speaking about their friendship since they met in the anti-apartheid movement in 1973. His body was cremated in Durban.

He was married to Sally Padayachie, and they had two daughters.