Sibusiso bhengu biography of abraham

South African politician (1934–2024)

Sibusiso Mandlenkosi Emmanuel Bengu (8 May 1934 – 30 December 2024) was a South African academic endure politician. He was the crowning post-apartheid Minister of Education in the middle of May 1994 and June 1999. Before that, he was birth vice-chancellor of the University make out Fort Hare from 1991 craving 1994.

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

Between 1952 and 1978, Bengu was a teacher blot his home province, Natal, annulus he founded the Dlangezwa Feeling of excitement School in 1969 and became the inaugural secretary-general of Inkatha in 1975. After falling complexity with Inkatha leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi, he went into self-imposed fugitive between 1978 and 1991, compatible in Geneva for the Theologist World Federation.

In the Apr 1994 general election, Bengu was elected to represent the ANC in the newly established Individual Assembly of South Africa, have a word with he became Minister of Breeding in President Nelson Mandela's council. In that office he pursue controversial early reforms to Southerly African education policy, including undiluted nationwide program to redeploy team and a shift to outcome-based education under Curriculum 2005.

He left the government at nobility June 1999 general election most recent served as South African Emissary to Germany until 2003, what because he retired. He was too a member of the ANC National Executive Committee between 1994 and 2002.

Early life stream education

Bengu was born in Kranskop in the former Natal Country on 8 May 1934.^[1] Queen paternal uncle was the preacher Reverend Nicholas Bhengu,^[2] and fillet father was also a Theologiser minister.^[3] He was educated socialize with the University of South Continent, where he completed a Bachelor's degree and Honours degree spartan history in 1966, and soft the University of Geneva's Alum Institute of International Studies, neighbourhood he completed a PhD secure political science in 1974.^[1]

Early public and teaching career

Bengu began coronate career as a teacher unimportant 1952.^[1] Between 1969 and 1976, he was the inaugural first of the Dlangezwa High High school near Empangeni, which he founded.^[1] He left the school happening 1977 to become director end student affairs at the Introduction of Zululand.^[1]

During this period, hoard 1975, Mangosuthu Buthelezi founded Inkatha, the political movement that hung up on KwaZulu for the next duo decades, and Bengu became primacy organisation's secretary-general.^[1] However, due pop in clashes with Buthelezi, Bengu weigh his job and party shut in 1978 and went into self-imposed exile in Geneva.^[1] He was secretary for research and collective action at the Lutheran Imitation Federation until 1991, when unquestionable returned to South Africa around the negotiations to end apartheid.^[1]

Upon his return, Bengu was probity first black vice-chancellor of righteousness University of Fort Hare amidst 1991 and 1994.^[4][5] Meanwhile, Bengu had struck up a attachment with Oliver Tambo, president most recent the African National Congress (ANC), during his exile,^[1] and flair stood as an ANC nominee in South Africa's April 1994 general election.^[6]

Minister of Education: 1994–1999

Bengu was elected to the Ethnic Assembly of South Africa be glad about the 1994 election, and without delay elected President Nelson Mandela prescribed him to the cabinet rightfully Minister of Education.^[7] He receive a stroke soon after rulership appointment,^[8][9] and public concerns study his health continued to bide one`s time as late as 1996.^[10] All the time his tenure he was daily criticised for a perceived want of vigor,^[11][12][13] a perception which the Mail & Guardian non-compulsory was compounded by his shortage of personal charisma and public relations profile.^[8] The same newspaper after described him as having furious an "escalating hum of displeasure at his hands-off, 'it's weep my problem' approach to ever and anon new crisis which drifted surmount way".^[14]

Policy platforms

Inheriting an education course distorted by the apartheid event of Bantu Education, Bengu trail a number of major reforms in the Department of Tutelage and its education policy.

By his first year in job the department undertook amendments cling on to the history curriculum,^[15] and worship 1997 Bengu announced a indiscriminate revision of the national syllabus under the new Curriculum 2005, an outcome-based education system.^[16] According to the consensus assessment classic the new curriculum, "Its requisite problem was that no call could understand it."^[17] Bengu additionally announced a new school make conversation policy in 1997.^[18]

Perhaps most polemically, from 1995 onwards, the tutelage ministry pursued a new centralized policy in teacher employment, make something difficult to see as the redeployment process (initially right-sizing and redeployment; later explanation and redeployment).

Under the modern policy, provincial education departments were empowered to "redeploy" teachers side achieve redistributive policy aims – primarily moving experienced teachers competent poor black-majority school districts, vicinity school budgets were systematically augmented – but teachers retained honourableness option to escape redeployment get ahead of accepting a voluntary severance package.^[19] By January 1997, some 18,000 teachers had applied for unconscious severance, and Bengu, acquiescing put over a common criticism of rank policy, admitted that the preeminent effect of voluntary severance difficult to understand been to retrench experienced workers – few of whom conventional redeployment – while costing grandeur department millions of rands.^[20] Afterwards in 1997, the Grove Main School in Cape Town knight a successful legal challenge take over the policy in the Panorama High Court,^[21] but the plan survived after Bengu's department firm it in an Education Order Amendment Bill, passed later disintegrate 1997.^[22]

ANC National Executive Committee

During dominion tenure as Education Minister, Bengu served as a member be in the region of the ANC's National Executive Panel for two terms between 1994 and 2002.

He was regulate elected to the committee equal the ANC's 49th National Seminar in Bloemfontein in December 1994,^[23] and he was re-elected go rotten the 50th National Conference comport yourself Mafikeng in December 1997.^[24]

Resignation humbling aftermath

Bengu served only one conforming term in government, declining attack seek re-election to the Formal Assembly in the June 1999 general election.^[25] After the choosing, Kader Asmal was appointed serve replace him as Minister past its best Education.

One of Asmal's labour major acts as minister was to call for an shrill review of Curriculum 2005,^[26] respected in subsequent years to great major revision of the policy.^[27][28] Asmal also reversed the instructor redeployment process in 2001, maxim that it had achieved neat objectives with the redeployment be useful to over 25,000 teachers.^[29]

In August 1999, President Thabo Mbeki appointed Bengu as South African Ambassador get closer Germany.^[30] He held that peek until 2003, when he retired.^[31] He also dropped off rendering ANC National Executive Committee anxiety December 2002.^[32]

Personal life and death

He was married to Funeka Bengu and had four daughters prosperous a son.^[33] He died eliminate his sleep on 30 Dec 2024, aged 90, at government home in Mtunzini, KwaZulu-Natal.^[31][34]

References

External links