Fholisani Sydney Mufamadi was born on 28 February 1959 and is a South African politician.
17 Facts About Sydney Mufamadi
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Sydney Mufamadi was Minister of Safety and Security from 1994 to 1999 and Minister of Provincial and Local Government from 1999 to 2008.
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Sydney Mufamadi grew up in Meadowlands, Gauteng, and Tshisahulu, Venda, where he first looked after his grandfather's cattle before attending school.
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Sydney Mufamadi's mother was arrested for illegally selling alcohol, and thus he experienced the apartheid era legal system first-hand at an early age.
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Sydney Mufamadi completed his schooling at Khwevha High School in Shayandima, Venda, in 1977.
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Sydney Mufamadi holds a Master of Science degree in State, Society and Development from the University of London, and has a PhD specializing in Political Economy of Automotive Manufacturing.
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In 1976, with the spread of the Soweto uprising into other areas of the country, Sydney Mufamadi became a member of Zoutpansberg Students Organisation, which led to the boycotts in Venda during October 1977.
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Sydney Mufamadi moved to Johannesburg and enrolled at an international Correspondence College.
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In 1980, Sydney Mufamadi worked as a private teacher at Lamula Secondary School, Soweto, where he assisted members of the Congress of South African Students with political activities.
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Sydney Mufamadi worked voluntarily for GAWU, and in 1982 and 1984 was elected General Secretary of the organisation.
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In 1985, when the state of emergency was declared, Sydney Mufamadi operated underground to avoid detention, resurfacing to help organise and attend the December 1985 launch of the Congress of South African Trade Unions in Durban, where he was elected Assistant General Secretary at its inaugural rally.
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Sydney Mufamadi operated underground from June 1986 to October 1986, but openly resumed his work despite the continuing state of emergency.
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Sydney Mufamadi was again detained on 8 June 1987 for political activities.
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In June 1988, Sydney Mufamadi headed a planning committee to organise an anti-apartheid conference in Cape Town, which aimed to include delegates from a broad spectrum of anti-apartheid organisations.
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Sydney Mufamadi did not stand for re-election as COSATU Assistant General Secretary that year.
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Sydney Mufamadi was an SACP delegate at the Convention for a Democratic South Africa working group, which dealt with the future of the independent Bantustans, or homelands.
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Sydney Mufamadi has been the Minister of Provincial and Local Government since 17 June 1999.