Mbhazima Shilowa
| Mbhazima Samuel Shilowa | |
|---|---|
| Premier of Gauteng | |
|
In office 1999–2008 |
|
| Succeeded by | Paul Mashatile |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
30 April 1958 Olifantshoek, Limpopo, South Africa |
| Political party |
Congress of the People (2008-2014) United Democratic Movement (2014- ) |
| Spouse(s) | Wendy Luhabe |
| Children | 4 |
| Residence | Johannesburg, Gauteng South Africa |
| Occupation | Trade Unionist, Politician |
| Religion | Zionist |
Mbhazima Samuel (Sam) Shilowa (born 30 April 1958) is a South African politician. A former Premier of Gauteng province while a member of the African National Congress, Shilowa left the party to help form the opposition Congress of the People, with whom he was briefly the Deputy President. In the 2009 general election, Shilowa was elected to parliament with COPE.
Shilowa was born at Olifantshoek in what is now called the Limpopo Province and completed his secondary education at Akani High School in 1978. The following year he moved to Johannesburg to seek employment and started working at John Weinberg Hardware in Germiston. He then moved to Anglo Alpha Cement in Roodepoort and later joined PSG Services in Johannesburg.
In 1981, Shilowa joined the trade union movement and became a shop steward fighting for better working conditions and defending the rights of his fellow workers. He was elected Vice-President and later President of the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union.
Shilowa played a prominent role in the formation of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) in 1985 and was elected Deputy Chairperson of COSATU’s Gauteng region. In 1991, he was elected Deputy General Secretary of COSATU and in 1993 became the General Secretary. Shilowa then played a huge role in the forming of the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC) which established close co-operation between government, organized labour and business. He was part of the African National Congress' negotiating team at the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA) negotiations in 1992 which led to the writing of South Africa’s democratic constitution.
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