Sibusiso Mandlenkosi Emmanuel Bengu

Sibusiso Mandlenkosi Emmanuel Bengu was born on 8th  of May in 1934 in Natal. He began his career as a teacher in 1952. His years of teaching culminated in the founding of Dlangezwa High School in Natal in 1969 where he was principal until 1976. In 1974 he studied PhD in Political Science at the University of Geneva after which he was appointed Director of Students’ Affairs at the University of Zululand in 1977 and  he earn a bachelor's degree an the honors degree in history at the University of South Africa in 1966. He was later appointed Vice–Chancellor of Fort Hare University before becoming the Minister of Education during Nelson Mandela's presidency in 1994, a post he occupied until 1999.His political career began in 1975 whe he was Inkatha secretary-general.In mid-1978 he resigned his University position after political clashes with government-appointed administrators.

Bengu served as Secretary-General of Inkatha.His belief that Inkatha should become a democratic, mass-based organisation led to clashes with Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi and persecution by Inkatha members.In 1978 he left South Africa ,went into self-imposed exile and worked for the Lutheran World Federation in Geneva until  in 1991 when he returned to South Africa . During this time, while serving as secretary for research and social action for the Lutheran World Foundation, he approached the ANC and developed a working friendship with Oliver Tambo.The former government Minister of Education introduced Curriculum 2005, a proposal for transforming the approach of school education in South Africa. The plan was received negatively and criticised by teachers as well as opposition parties, which led to it being reviewed.After the 1999 election in South Africa, he was named the ambassador to Germany.He received an honorary degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2009.