Siphiwe Nyanda

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Siphiwe Nyanda was the Minister of Communications of the Republic of South Africa from 10 May 2009 to 31 October 2010.

General Siphiwe Nyanda SSA SBS CSL DMG MMS MMM (born 1950) is a South African politician, appointed minister of communications in 2009.

He was a South African military commander. He joined Umkhonto weSizwe (MK), the military wing of the African National Congress, in 1974, and served as a field commander during the liberation struggle against the South African government in the 1980s. He was appointed MK Chief of Staff in 1992, and served on the Transitional Executive Council which oversaw the change of government in 1994.

Maj Gen Nyanda transferred to the South African National Defence Force, into which MK was incorporated in 1994, and served successively as Chief of Defence Force Staff (1994-1996), General Officer Commanding Gauteng Command (1996-1997), Deputy Chief of the SANDF (1997-1998), and Chief of the SANDF (1998-2005).

 

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Academic Qualifications

• Matriculated: Orlando High School Soweto; South Africa.
• Civil Service Programme; Civil Service College, UK
• Bachelor of Arts Degree, University of South Africa; South Africa.
• Postgraduate Diploma in Economic Principles; University of London, UK
• MSc Financial Management; University of London

Military Qualifications

• Infantry Platoon Commander’s Course; German Democratic Republic
• 60 MM Artillery Course; German Democratic Republic
• Abridged Brigade Commander’s Course; Moscow, Soviet Union
• Intelligence Course; German Democratic Republic
• South African Senior Command & Staff Course; Army Staff College
• Senior Command and Staff Duties; SA Defence College
• Joint Staff Course; Defence Staff College

Political

• 1974-1976: Recruiting Officer, African National Congress (ANC)
• 1976: Trainee Unit Commander
• 1977-1979: Commissar: Transvaal Urban Operations, Transvaal
• 1979-1983: Commander: Transvaal Urban Machinery
• 1983-1986: Chief of Staff: Transvaal Command (Eastern Command)
• 1986: Commander: Border Operations, Swaziland
• 1986-1988: Chairman: Regional Political Military Committee
• 1988-1990: Deputy Head: Political Military Underground Leadership, RSA
• 1990 July-November: Arrested: Operation Vula
• 1991 December: Elected to National Executive Committee of the ANC at its first National Conference since unbanning
• 1994 April: Resigns from NEC on appointment as Chief of Staff of South African National Defence Force
• 2007 December: Re-elected to NEC at 52nd National Conference of the ANC at Polokwane
• 1992-1994: Appointed Chief of Staff of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) the Liberation Army of the ANC
• 1994: Co-chairman of the Joint Military Co-ordinating Committee of the Transitional Executive Council
• 1994-1997: Chief of Staff, South African National Defence Force (SANDF)
• 1997: General Officer Commanding, Gauteng Command
• 1997-1998: Appointed Deputy Chief of SA National Defence Force (SANDF)
• 1998-2005: Appointed Chief of the SA National Defence Force

 

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Nyanda was sacked as communications minister on 31 October 2010.