25 Facts About Bejani Chauke

Bejani Chauke was born on 16 June 1971 and is a South African political strategist and a member of South Africa's 7th parliament, who was the principal political advisor to the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, from 2018.

Bejani Chauke is known for managing the CR17 campaign that secured Ramaphosa's election as president of the African National Congress at the ANC's 54th National Conference in December 2017.

Bejani Chauke was formerly a political advisor to Thandi Modise while she was Premier of the North West and Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces.

In November 2022, the Financial Mail reported that Chauke had resigned as Ramaphosa's political advisor amid his campaign for election as ANC Treasurer-General at the party's 55th National Conference.

Bejani Chauke was formerly a political advisor to Maureen Modiselle, who was Premier of the North West in 2009 to 2010, and then to Thandi Modise.

Bejani Chauke was special advisor to Modise when she was North West Premier; he was installed in this position by the time of the Marikana massacre in August 2012.

Bejani Chauke followed her to the National Council of Provinces, where she was NCOP Chairperson and he was her political advisor.

Bejani Chauke was advisor to Modise in 2014 when she was investigated on animal cruelty charges relating to her private farm in the North West; in 2019, he appeared as a witness in the case.

Ahead of the 54th National Conference of the African National Congress in December 2017, Bejani Chauke ran Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa's successful campaign for election as ANC president.

Bejani Chauke joined Ramaphosa's team at an early stage, heading "the logistics of the campaign" from September 2015 to May 2016.

In subsequent months Bejani Chauke was official national campaign manager, with oversight of all aspects of the campaign and responsibility for its ultimate success.

Bejani Chauke's brief was reportedly to focus on the ANC's campaign in the 2019 general election.

Bejani Chauke was reappointed political advisor in May 2019 when Ramaphosa won re-election to a full term as President.

In September 2022, ahead of the ANC's 55th National Conference, the Citizen reported that Bejani Chauke was a candidate for election as the Treasurer-General of the ANC, a full-time position based out of ANC headquarters at Luthuli House and one of the so-called Top Six slots on the party's National Executive Committee.

Bejani Chauke was the favourite candidate of branches in Limpopo, North West, the Northern Cape, and the Western Cape.

Bejani Chauke had not been endorsed by the leadership of any of the ANC's nine provinces and the media was surprised by his strong performance in the nominations phase.

However, Bejani Chauke accepted the nomination and subsequently premised his candidacy on strengthening the policy role of the Treasurer-General's office.

The Dr BF Bejani Chauke Foundation was incorporated in February 2019 and has been involved in humanitarian initiatives in Green Farm.

In October 2022, Bejani Chauke was implicated in an alleged corruption cover-up by Kgathatso Tlhakudi, who had been suspended as Director-General of the Department of Public Enterprises when he was himself implicated in corruption.

In October 2022, News24 reported that Bejani Chauke was an "associate" of Hangwani Morgan Maumela and that they were neighbours in a gated estate in Hyde Park, Johannesburg.

Bejani Chauke was implicated in events surrounding "Farmgate", a burglary at Ramaphosa's Phala Phala farm in Bela-Bela, Limpopo in February 2020.

In July 2022, Mzilikazi wa Afrika reported for the Sunday Independent that the head of the Presidential Protection Service, Wally Rhoode, had told the Public Protector that Bejani Chauke had met Namibian President Hage Geingob to discuss the burglary.

Rhoode allegedly said that he and Bejani Chauke were flown in a Namibian state helicopter to Windhoek, where they spent the night at the Namibian state house and where Bejani Chauke met privately with Geingob the following morning.

The document alleged that, once in South Africa, Bejani Chauke had hidden the cash in a sofa in his personal residence; the sofa had then been transported to Phala Phala before its theft in February 2020.

Bejani Chauke strongly denied the allegations and said they were part of an organised disinformation campaign that aimed to destabilise the ANC and obstruct Ramaphosa's re-election as ANC president.