16 May 2002
The Presidency announces the appointment in the Presidency of Mr Goolam Aboobaker as Deputy Director General: Policy Co-ordination and Advisory Services (PCAS) in the Presidency, and two advisors to Deputy President Zuma, Mr Siyabonga Mcetywa as Government Business Advisor and Mr Ebrahim Ismail Ebrrahim as Political and Economic Advisor. (Biographical sketches of the three incumbents are attached below).
Aboobaker will act as supervisor of the PCAS. His duties will include overseeing the research programmes of the five Chief Directorates in PCAS, managing the co-ordination of the Clusters of Directors-General and the processes for the monitoring of the implementation of government policy. He will also oversee the Special Programmes in the Presidency of gender, disability and children. Mr Aboobaker whose appointment took effect on 1 May 2002, will report directly to Mr Joel Netshitenzhe, CEO of the Government Communication and Information System and head of the Policy Co-ordination and Advisory Services in the Presidency.
Mcetywa will advise the Deputy President in his role as Leader of Government Business in Parliament. Mr Mcetywa commenced his duties on 1 April 2002.
Mr Ebrahim will advise the Deputy President on Political and Economic matters. Mr Ebrahim, who is currently a Member of Parliament and chaired the Foreign Affairs Portfolio Committee in the National Assembly, will join the Presidency on 1 June 2002.
Frank Chikane, Director General in the Presidency, warmly welcoming the appointments, said that "the wide experience represented by the incumbents is of great benefit to the Presidency" at the apex of government. He added that "their appointment will boost the oversight capacity of the Presidency, help speed up delivery, and contribute to making government more efficient and professional in its task of building a better life for all".
Issued by The Presidency
1. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF GOOLAM MOHAMMED ABOOBAKER
Goolam Aboobaker was born on 22nd July 1949 and grew up in Durban.
Education
He holds a Bachelor of Science (Mathematics and Physics) degree and Honours, (Physics, Cum Laude) with the University of Durban-Westville.
Mr Aboobaker also obtained his M.Sc. (Economics of South Africa) through SOAS, University of London in 1992.
He was registered with the Atomic Energy Board and the South African Medical and Dental Council as a Medical Physicist enabling him to work with radionuclides and X-rays for diagnostic and therapeutic use.
Employment History
Goolam Aboobaker started working in 1972 as Senior Laboratory Technician at the University of Durban-Westville. In 1976 he accepted a part-time teaching post at the ML Sultan Technikon. He later became a Medical Physicist at the King Edward VIII Hospital, Durban and continued to serve on the staff of the University of Natal Medical School teaching Medical Physics.
In 1980 he was employed as a Senior Medical Physicist at the Groote Schuur Hospital and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Medical Physics, University of Cape Town. From 1984, Aboobaker held part-time posts and did voluntary community work with several community-based social-welfare projects, mostly as an activist researcher.
In 1985, Aboobaker was employed part-time as a Medical Physicist at Groote Schuur Hospital, and as a lecturer at the University of Cape Town where he was asked to resign from this post because of his involvement in the United Democratic Font (UDF).
He was appointed researcher 1987 at Institute of Social Development, UWC. He was then employed by University of Western Cape as Special Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor and Rector between 1988-1994. Whilst working at UWC, Aboobaker was a key player in the transformation of the university and the development of key University Programmes to prepare for the future development and human resource needs of the then anticipated democratic government. He helped to initiate the School of Government, the Western Cape Worker College and the Public Health Programme at the university. He also served on several university committees such as Senate International Relations committee, Academic Planning Committee, Board of Management of the Community Law Centre.
In 1995, Aboobaker was called to the Presidency and appointed to the position of Director of Cabinet Research and in 1997 appointed to the position of Chief Director of Economic and Development in the Policy Unit in the Office of the Deputy President.
Community Involvement
Aboobaker was recruited into the ANC in the 1970's and worked in the underground structures in Durban and Cape Town. In the late 1980's he worked with Charles Ngakula on Operation Vula.
He was a founding member of the Human Rights Committee (HRC) in Durban and was involved in the organization between 1974-1976. He was instrumental in the formation of the Chatsworth Housing Action Committee, one of the larger Black suburbs of Durban and involved in the organization until 1980. Between 1982 and 1985, Aboobaker was involved in the Cape Areas Housing Action Committee (CAHAC), an umbrella Civic Organisation in the Western Cape with more than 20 affiliates. He was elected onto its Secretariat in 1982 and where he assisted with education programmes.
Aboobaker was involved in the regional and national launch of the United Democratic Front between 1983 and 1985 and served on the executive of the UDF (Western Cape Region) from 1985 until 1987.
He served on the Executive Council of the University of the Western Cape Association of Democratic Educators between 1988 and 1989.
He was elected as treasurer of the Union of Democratic University Staff Association (UDUSA, 1989-1990).
Goolam also served on the Board of Directors of South, an alternative Western Cape based weekly newspaper between 1990 and 1991 and as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Western Cape Workers College from 1991 to 1994.
He was also a co-coordinator of ANC Research Task Team (Western Cape) between 1993 and 1994.
Since 1987, he has acted as advisor to the Kagiso Trust, a Non-Governmental Organisation which funds community based projects, and was later appointed patron of the trust.
2. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF S.S. MCETYWA
Siyabonga Mcetywa was born on 16th March 1965.
Education
He completed his matriculation in Lourdes High School at Umzimkulu in the Eastern Cape.
He holds a Bachelor of Administration (Honours) degree from the University of Zululand and a Diploma in Project Management from Damelin College.
Employment History
Between 1991 and 1996, Siyabonga worked as Assistant Town and Regional Planner in the Department of Economic Affairs. He was appointed Director: RDP Co-ordinating Services, in April 1996 and promoted to the position of Chief Director of Integrated Planning and Economic Development in 2000. He is representing the department on various boards like Cator Manor Development Association and Richards Bay IDZ Trust.
He worked closely with current Deputy President of South Africa when he was Kwazulu-Natal MEC for Economic Affairs and Tourism, on co-ordinating RDP implementation and the formulation of the growth and development strategy for the province and worked extensively in the Province to promote investment and developments projects.
He facilitated the establishment of and serves on the Jacob Zuma RDP Educational Trust Fund.
Skills
He also gained overseas experience in Regional Planning and Development Frameworks during a placement at the Strategic Planning and Policy Implementation Directorate of the Coventry City Council & Greater London Borough. He was involved in projects dealing with Public and Private Partnerships in Coventry which enhanced his knowledge and understanding of the critical role of Local Economic Development in economic renewal.
Mcetywa was involved in a program linking city Councils/Local Authority Consortiums and University with School of Local Economic Development and Local Government.
Siyabonga also has experience and training in Conflict Management.
3. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF EBRAHIM ISMAIL EBRAHIM
Ebrahim was born on 1st July 1937 in Durban.
Education
He completed his Primary Education at the Hindu Tamil Institute and Secondary Education at Sastri College.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Commerce Degree with University of South Africa.
Political History
He joined the Natal Indian Youth Congress and the Natal Indian Congress in 1952 during the defiance campaign.
He actively participated in the Congress of the People Campaign to draft the Freedom Charter and attended the Congress of the People Assembly at Kliptown in 1955 where the Freedom Charter was adopted. He was active in all the campaigns of the 1950's.
Ebrahim joined the armed wing of the ANC, Umkhonto We Sizwe in 1961. He was arrested in 1963 and charged under the sabotage act with eighteen others in Pietermaritzburg Sabotage Trial. He was sentenced to and served 15 years imprisonment on Robben Island. He was released in 1979 and banned and restricted to his hometown in Durban. He was prevented from participating in any public or political activities. Under instruction of the ANC he went into exile in 1980. He operated from the frontline states bordering South Africa and was responsible for the Political Underground.
In December 1986 he was kidnapped from Swaziland by the South African Security Forces and was detained in South Africa where he was severely tortured. He was then charged with High Treason and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment on Robben Island. He was released from prison in 1991 after the Appeal Court ruled that because he was kidnapped from a foreign country by the South African Security Forces, the Court had no jurisdiction to try and convict him.
In July 1991 he was elected to the National Executive Committee of the ANC and also a member of the National Working Committee. He was given the responsibility of setting up the Patriotic Front during the Multi-party Negotiations.
Parliamentary History
He was elected as a member of the National Assembly of Parliament in 1994.
In August 1997 was elected Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee. He is also a member of the Joint Select Committee on Intelligence.
Constituency
He presently serves the community of Chatsworth in Durban as a Constituency Parliamentarian.