Dr Mathews Phosa

Dr Mathews Phosa established the first black law firm in Nelspruit in 1981. He is a renowned strategic and business leader who has had an immeasurable impact on the lives of numerous South Africans. He led the military wing of Umkhonto we Sizwe from Mozambique and was part of the ANC delegation which successfully negotiated a peaceful transition into a fully democratic South Africa. Dr Phosa was elected as the first Premier of Mpumalanga Province in 1994 and went on to serve as the Treasurer General within the Executive Committee of the ANC from 2007 to 2012. He has provided a sustainable legacy through his continued commitment to Special Olympics South Africa, Innibos Arts Festival and through his commitment to UNISA as Chairperson of Council of Unisa from 2004 to 2015.

Commercially Dr Phosa sits on a number of listed company boards (Waterberg Coal Company Limited, Value Group, Jubilee Platinum) as well as a number of unlisted entities (Mathews Phosa & Associates, Hans Merensky Holdings, and du Toit Smuts & Mathews Phosa Attorneys).

Dr Phosa received a lifetime achievement award in July 2013 at the 12th awards ceremony of the Oliver Empowerment Awards for his continued persistence in ensuring we engage in the debates around reshaping and rebuilding our understanding of “real” transformation and empowerment. Dr Phosa has three anthologies, two in Afrikaans poetry – “ , some of which are prescribed in the school curriculum for our national matric syllabus and one English poetry which was released in July 2015 – “Chants of Freedom”