13 Facts About Ben Ngubane

Baldwin Sipho "Ben" Ngubane was a politician from South Africa.

Ben Ngubane held multiple positions in the post-apartheid government of the country.

Baldwin Sipho "Ben" Ngubane was born in 1941 at Inchanga Roman Catholic Mission in Camperdown outside Pietermaritzburg in what later became KwaZulu-Natal province.

Ben Ngubane furthermore received a master's degree of Family Medicine from Natal Medical School in 1986 and a postgraduate diploma in Economics from the University of London in 2003.

In 1992 Ben Ngubane was part of Inkatha's delegation to CODESA; he served on a working group which dealt with constitutional principles and constitution-making.

Ben Ngubane was the first Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology in the post-apartheid period from 1994 to 1996 in Nelson Mandela's Government of National Unity.

Ben Ngubane was viewed as having fallen out with Inkatha's Mangosuthu Buthelezi after he left the Premier's office, and in 2006 he defected to the ANC during a floor-crossing period.

Ben Ngubane later served as chairperson of the South African Broadcasting Corporation board and as chairperson of the Eskom board between 2015 and 2017.

In 2020, Ben Ngubane was twice called to testify before The Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture in his capacities as, first, former SABC board chairperson, then, secondly, as the chairman of Eskom.

Ben Ngubane died in Richards Bay on 12 July 2021 at the age of 79 from COVID-19 complications.

Ben Ngubane received an honorary LLD degree from the University of Natal in 1995.

In 2010, Ben Ngubane was awarded an honorary PhD degree from the University of the Free State for his "contribution towards positioning South Africa as a major and an influential player in the development of arts, culture, science and technology internationally".

Ben Ngubane furthermore received an honorary PhD degree from University of Zululand, an honorary PhD degree from Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, and an honorary DHL degree from International Christian University.