30 Facts About Joe Phaahla

Mathume Joseph Phaahla was born on 11 July 1957 and is a South African politician who is currently serving as the Deputy Minister of Health since July 2024.

Joe Phaahla was formerly the Minister of Health between August 2021 and May 2024.

Joe Phaahla was the president of the Azanian Students' Organisation from 1981 to 1983 and later was a regional leader in the United Democratic Front.

Joe Phaahla was a member of the ANC Provincial Executive Committee from 1991 to 2001, including as Deputy Provincial Chairperson from 1994 to 1998.

Between 2000 and 2009, Joe Phaahla took a hiatus from legislative politics, initially to work in sports administration as the head of the South African Sports Commission and then as the head of the government's preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Joe Phaahla was elected to the National Assembly in the 2009 election and was appointed as Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform under Zuma's first cabinet from 2009 to 2010.

Joe Phaahla was born on 11 July 1957 in Ga-Joe Phaahla, a rural village in the former Northern Transvaal.

Joe Phaahla completed an MBBS at the University of Natal in 1983.

Joe Phaahla holds tertiary diplomas, including one in health service management from the University of Haifa.

Joe Phaahla was a senior medical officer and superintendent at Mapulaneng Hospital in Bushbuckridge from 1987 until 1990, when he was appointed as medical superintendent at St Rita's Hospital in Glen Cowie; then, between 1993 and 1994, he was the director of medical services in the Department of Health of Lebowa, an apartheid-era bantustan.

Joe Phaahla's political involvement began at university, where he was a member of the student representative council from 1979 to 1981.

In South Africa's first post-apartheid elections in April 1994, Joe Phaahla was elected to represent the ANC in the newly established Limpopo Provincial Legislature.

Joe Phaahla was appointed to the Executive Council of Ngoako Ramatlhodi, the Premier of Limpopo, who named him as the province's inaugural Member of the Executive Council for Health and Welfare.

Joe Phaahla remained in the health portfolio until 1 July 1997, when Ramatlhodi announced a reshuffle that saw Phaahla replace Aaron Motsoaledi as MEC for Education; Hunadi Mateme, in turn, succeeded Phaahla as Health MEC.

Joe Phaahla remained in that position until 2000, gaining re-election to the provincial legislature in June 1999.

At the next provincial party elective conference in 1998, Joe Phaahla ran to succeed Mashamba but was defeated by Ramathlodi, who returned to the chairmanship.

Joe Phaahla remained a member of the ANC Provincial Executive Committee until 2001.

In 2000, Joe Phaahla retreated from legislative politics to work as a sports administrator, initially as the chief executive officer of the South African Sports Commission from 2000 to 2005; the commission was the overall regulator of all sports federations in the country, a forerunner of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee.

Joe Phaahla remained active in the ANC while working in sports administration, and in December 2007 he attended the party's 52nd National Conference in Polokwane, where Jacob Zuma was elected as ANC president.

Joe Phaahla's candidacy had been endorsed by the Congress of South African Trade Unions, and he received 1,726 votes from the roughly 4,000 delegates at the conference, making him the 40th-most popular of the 80 ordinary members elected to the committee.

On 31 October 2010, Zuma announced a major cabinet reshuffle in which Joe Phaahla was appointed to succeed Paul Mashatile as Deputy Minister of Arts and Culture; Mashatile was promoted to become minister in the portfolio.

Joe Phaahla remained in the ministry until the next general election in May 2014.

The elections were held at the University of Limpopo on 18 December 2011, and Joe Phaahla narrowly lost to Mathale, receiving 519 votes to Mathale's 601.

Joe Phaahla was touted as a possible candidate to serve as Premier of Limpopo after Mathale was removed from the office in 2013, though that position ultimately went to Stan Mathabatha.

At the ANC's 54th National Conference at Nasrec in December 2017, Joe Phaahla failed to gain re-election to the ANC National Executive Committee.

Joe Phaahla was retained as Deputy Minister of Health under Ramaphosa's cabinet; after the May 2019 election, he deputised Zweli Mkhize, who replaced Motsoaledi as Minister.

Ramaphosa appointed Joe Phaahla to replace Mkhize, with Sibongiseni Dhlomo as his deputy minister.

Joe Phaahla took office during the third wave of COVID-19 infections in South Africa, and his first task was to oversee the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines to the public.

Joe Phaahla himself tested positive for COVID-19 a month after the repeal.

Joe Phaahla received 1,204 votes across roughly 4,000 ballots, tying with Khumbudzo Ntshavheni for the rank of 50th in the committee.