Former President Kgalema Motlanthe

Chairman

Kgalema Motlanthe is Chairman of Seasoned Capital. Mr. Motlanthe was President of South Africa for a period between 2008 and 2009, and subsequently served as the nation’s Deputy President from 2009 to 2014.

He heads the Motlanthe Foundation that is dedicated to a range of public benefit activities, including conflict resolution, promotion of human rights and democracy and the provision of care for pre-school-age children, along with buildings, equipment and educational support for public primary schools. Mr. Motlanthe also is a trustee of Liliesleaf Trust and the Brazzaville Foundation and on the Board of Ivanhoe Mines.

As Deputy President, Motlanthe performed various functions including the following:

• Leader of Government Business in the National Assembly,
• Leader of the Anti-Poverty Programme
• Chairperson of the Energy Advisory Council
• Chairperson of the Human Resource Development Council
• Chairperson of the South African National Aids Council
• Chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Committee 2010 FIFA World Cup

Mr. Motlanthe led the African Union’s Election Observer Mission to Sierra Leone to help ensure that the 2018 Presidential run-off election complied with international standards.He was Deputy President of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) from 2007 until 2012, and Secretary-General of the ANC from 1997 to 2007.

His role in the international movement against South Africa’s apartheid system led to a 10-year incarceration on Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela also was held. Following his release in 1987, Mr. Motlanthe worked for the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). He succeeded Cyril Ramaphosa as the union’s General Secretary in 1992. (Mr. Ramaphosa was elected President of South Africa in February 2018.)

During his 10 years with the NUM, Mr. Motlanthe was credited with helping to establish the Mineworkers Investment Company, which was wholly-owned by the NUM and made investments in companies that did not pose a conflict of interest for the union. Mr. Motlanthe played a crucial role in forming the Mineworkers Development Agency, which dealt with the developmental and social needs of retrenched miners and their families. He also helped to form initiatives to provide bursaries to miners and their dependents, as well as education and skills training.

In January 2021, Mr. Motlanthe was appointed on the Board of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by Nelson Mandela in 1999 to promote Mandela’s vision of freedom and equality for all.