Dr Sam Gulube

A qualified medical doctor and former soldier, Dr Sam Gulube was appointed Secretary for Defence in December 2011. He graduated from the Morehouse School of Medicine in 1991 after his medical studies at the University of Natal were interrupted by the student uprisings of 1976. Dr Gulube has served as the chairperson of the Medical Advisory Board of the Presidency of South Africa, the national medical director of the South Africa National Blood Service and as CEO of the Universal Service Agency. He has also held various leadership positions with the Medical Research Council, the National Department of Health, as a surgeon in the military, and at the University of South-Florida College of Medicine. Dr Gulube is a former adviser to State Security Minister Siyabonga Cwele, and is the chairperson of the medical panel of the Presidency of South Africa.

Dr Sam Gulube also served as a member of the Business Advisory Council of the United Nations Office for Project Services, and as a member of the National Telemedicine Research Centre at the Medical Research Council of South Africa.