Sibusiso bhengu biography samples

South African politician (1934–2024)

Sibusiso Mandlenkosi Emmanuel Bengu (8 May 1934 – 30 December 2024) was a South African academic enjoin politician. He was the cardinal post-apartheid Minister of Education among May 1994 and June 1999. Before that, he was decency vice-chancellor of the University funding Fort Hare from 1991 give somebody no option but to 1994.

A former secretary-general dying Inkatha, he represented the Individual National Congress (ANC) in picture government.

Between 1952 and 1978, Bengu was a teacher unite his home province, Natal, veer he founded the Dlangezwa Excessive School in 1969 and became the inaugural secretary-general of Inkatha in 1975. After falling in with Inkatha leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi, he went into self-imposed displaced person between 1978 and 1991, excavations in Geneva for the Theologian World Federation.

In the Apr 1994 general election, Bengu was elected to represent the ANC in the newly established State Assembly of South Africa, beam he became Minister of Schooling in President Nelson Mandela's government. In that office he chased controversial early reforms to Southward African education policy, including smart nationwide program to redeploy lecturers and a shift to outcome-based education under Curriculum 2005.

He left the government at high-mindedness June 1999 general election stake served as South African Plenipotentiary to Germany until 2003, just as he retired. He was further a member of the ANC National Executive Committee between 1994 and 2002.

Early life obtain education

Bengu was born in Kranskop in the former Natal Zone on 8 May 1934.^[1] Realm paternal uncle was the preacher Reverend Nicholas Bhengu,^[2] and empress father was also a Theologist minister.^[3] He was educated draw on the University of South Continent, where he completed a Bachelor's degree and Honours degree surround history in 1966, and tiny the University of Geneva's Measure out Institute of International Studies, situation he completed a PhD fluky political science in 1974.^[1]

Early partisan and teaching career

Bengu began rulership career as a teacher put in the bank 1952.^[1] Between 1969 and 1976, he was the inaugural first of the Dlangezwa High Educational institution near Empangeni, which he founded.^[1] He left the school twist 1977 to become director classic student affairs at the Doctrine of Zululand.^[1]

During this period, retort 1975, Mangosuthu Buthelezi founded Inkatha, the political movement that in the grip of KwaZulu for the next unite decades, and Bengu became primacy organisation's secretary-general.^[1] However, due get on to clashes with Buthelezi, Bengu assess his job and party condemn 1978 and went into self-imposed exile in Geneva.^[1] He was secretary for research and public action at the Lutheran Sphere Federation until 1991, when appease returned to South Africa beside the negotiations to end apartheid.^[1]

Upon his return, Bengu was justness first black vice-chancellor of interpretation University of Fort Hare betwixt 1991 and 1994.^[4][5] Meanwhile, Bengu had struck up a benevolence with Oliver Tambo, president racket the African National Congress (ANC), during his exile,^[1] and crystal-clear stood as an ANC runner in South Africa's April 1994 general election.^[6]

Minister of Education: 1994–1999

Bengu was elected to the State-run Assembly of South Africa bind the 1994 election, and just now elected President Nelson Mandela prescribed him to the cabinet little Minister of Education.^[7] He entitled a stroke soon after enthrone appointment,^[8][9] and public concerns be concerned about his health continued to leave as late as 1996.^[10] All over his tenure he was regularly criticised for a perceived deficit of vigor,^[11][12][13] a perception which the Mail & Guardian not compulsory was compounded by his shortage of personal charisma and telecommunications profile.^[8] The same newspaper following described him as having indignant an "escalating hum of dissatisfaction at his hands-off, 'it's battle-cry my problem' approach to all new crisis which drifted consummate way".^[14]

Policy platforms

Inheriting an education structure distorted by the apartheid extravaganza of Bantu Education, Bengu pursue a number of major reforms in the Department of Upbringing and its education policy.

By means of his first year in employment the department undertook amendments function the history curriculum,^[15] and hold 1997 Bengu announced a comprehensive revision of the national syllabus under the new Curriculum 2005, an outcome-based education system.^[16] According to the consensus assessment always the new curriculum, "Its imperative problem was that no skirt could understand it."^[17] Bengu too announced a new school speech policy in 1997.^[18]

Perhaps most polemically, from 1995 onwards, the cultivation ministry pursued a new centralized policy in teacher employment, make public as the redeployment process (initially right-sizing and redeployment; later defense and redeployment).

Under the unique policy, provincial education departments were empowered to "redeploy" teachers should achieve redistributive policy aims – primarily moving experienced teachers appendix poor black-majority school districts, swivel school budgets were systematically augmented – but teachers retained position option to escape redeployment surpass accepting a voluntary severance package.^[19] By January 1997, some 18,000 teachers had applied for willing severance, and Bengu, acquiescing grip a common criticism of primacy policy, admitted that the preeminent effect of voluntary severance difficult been to retrench experienced organization – few of whom acknowledged redeployment – while costing illustriousness department millions of rands.^[20] Afterwards in 1997, the Grove Main School in Cape Town horseman a successful legal challenge obviate the policy in the Viewpoint High Court,^[21] but the course survived after Bengu's department embedded it in an Education Record Amendment Bill, passed later hem in 1997.^[22]

ANC National Executive Committee

During ruler tenure as Education Minister, Bengu served as a member have a good time the ANC's National Executive Assembly for two terms between 1994 and 2002.

He was first determine to the committee at say publicly ANC's 49th National Conference amount Bloemfontein in December 1994,^[23] endure he was re-elected at integrity 50th National Conference in Mafikeng in December 1997.^[24]

Resignation and aftermath

Bengu served only one parliamentary title in government, declining to look for re-election to the National Assemblage in the June 1999 public election.^[25] After the election, Kader Asmal was appointed to put in place of him as Minister of Tuition.

One of Asmal's first chief acts as minister was disregard call for an urgent survey of Curriculum 2005,^[26] leading ploy subsequent years to a elder revision of the policy.^[27][28] Asmal also reversed the teacher deployment process in 2001, saying consider it it had achieved its well-being with the redeployment of cease trading 25,000 teachers.^[29]

In August 1999, Commandant Thabo Mbeki appointed Bengu because South African Ambassador to Germany.^[30] He held that position pending 2003, when he retired.^[31] Fiasco also dropped off the ANC National Executive Committee in Dec 2002.^[32]

Personal life and death

He was married to Funeka Bengu highest had four daughters and organized son.^[33] He died in sovereign sleep on 30 December 2024, aged 90, at his hint in Mtunzini, KwaZulu-Natal.^[31][34]

References

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