30 Facts About Mcebisi Jonas

Mcebisi Jonas is best known as a state capture whistleblower.

Mcebisi Jonas launched two unsuccessful campaigns to become provincial chairperson of the Eastern Cape ANC, in 2006 and 2009 respectively.

Mcebisi Jonas joined the National Assembly in the 2014 general election and was appointed as Deputy Minister of Finance under President Zuma's second cabinet.

Mcebisi Jonas has since launched a career in business, running Ntiso Investment Holdings.

Mcebisi Jonas was appointed as special investment envoy to President Cyril Ramaphosa in April 2018 and as board chairperson of the MTN Group in December 2019.

Mcebisi Jonas was born in 1960 in Uitenhage in the former Cape Province.

Mcebisi Jonas matriculated at Newell High School in Port Elizabeth and studied history and sociology at Vista University, where he completed a Bachelor of Arts.

Mcebisi Jonas later obtained a higher diploma in education at Rhodes University.

Mcebisi Jonas became active in politics as a teenager in Port Elizabeth during apartheid.

Mcebisi Jonas later went into exile with Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress.

Mcebisi Jonas returned to South Africa during the negotiations to end apartheid and became active in the newly legalised activities of the ANC and South African Communist Party in the Eastern Cape.

Mcebisi Jonas left the ECDC acrimoniously, sacked during a board meeting in November 2004.

Mcebisi Jonas's dismissal was viewed as part of a "purge" inside the ANC, led by Eastern Cape Premier Nosimo Balindlela and targeting allies of Balindlela's rivals, Enoch Godongwana and Makhenkesi Stofile.

In December 2006, Mcebisi Jonas attended the ANC's provincial elective conference at Fort Hare in Alice, where he was one of two candidates for election as provincial chairperson of the Eastern Cape ANC.

Mcebisi Jonas was viewed as aligned to ascendant national politician Jacob Zuma, while his opponent, Stone Sizani, was a supporter of incumbent president Thabo Mbeki, Zuma's primary rival.

Mcebisi Jonas had the support of the outgoing provincial chairperson, Makhenkesi Stofile.

Nonetheless, in 2007, Mcebisi Jonas returned to the ANC Provincial Executive Committee.

Mcebisi Jonas was elected to a full term in the Eastern Cape Legislature in the April 2009 general election.

However, the vote was apparently swayed by Masualle's decision to select national minister Gugile Nkwinti as his running mate, and Masualle defeated Mcebisi Jonas, receiving 1,031 votes to his 930.

Mcebisi Jonas failed to gain re-election to the Provincial Executive Committee.

Mcebisi Jonas continued in that role until the next general election in May 2014.

Mcebisi Jonas was elected fourth on the ANC's party list for the Eastern Cape constituency.

Mcebisi Jonas said that he had rejected the offer immediately because "it makes a mockery of our hard earned democracy".

Mcebisi Jonas was interviewed by the Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela, as part of her investigation into state capture, and Madonsela's report revealed additional details of his meeting with the Guptas, including that he had been offered a R600 million payout, in addition to the job of Finance Minister, and that Duduzane Zuma and Fana Hlongwane had both been present at the meeting.

Mcebisi Jonas gave a full account of his alleged meeting with Ajay Gupta in October 2015.

Mcebisi Jonas appeared again at the Zondo Commission in March 2019 for cross-examination.

The final report of the Zondo Commission concluded that Mcebisi Jonas had provided credible evidence of the Guptas' influence over Zuma.

In June 2018 Mcebisi Jonas joined the MTN Group as an independent non-executive director, and he was promoted to board chairperson in December 2019, succeeding Phuthuma Nhleko.

Mcebisi Jonas joined the board of Magda Wierzycka's Sygnia in September 2018 and the board of Northam Platinum in November 2018.

Mcebisi Jonas heads Ntiso Investment Holdings, which is a leading partner in the consortium that became Apex Group's black economic empowerment partner in October 2023.