HERBERT MKHIZE NEW NEDLACEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

29 August 2003

The Minister of Labour, Membathisi Mdladlana today announced that Herbert Mkhize, a former unionist and more recently, manager of corporate affairs at Old Mutual, will take over as Executive Director from 15 September 2003.

Mr Mkhize was Assistant General Secretary of the South African Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers' Union (SACCAWU) between 1994 and 1999, having served in the National Peace Secretariat between 1993 and 1994.

Mr Mkhize has, in the past, been involved in several Nedlac structures, including the Management Committee and Executive Council, as well as serving as the labour convenor in the Trade and Industry Chamber. He served as one of members of the Labour Commission task team in 1996, was part of the Government delegation to the first WTO Ministerial meeting in Singapore, and was also part of the Nedlac delegation to investigate the skills development framework in Germany

Since moving into the corporate world in 1999, he has practised as a Manager, Consultant, Project manager and a change agent at a corporate level in Old Mutual. He joined Old Mutual soon after the Old Mutual Board endorsed the need to develop and implement an integrated corporate citizenship and transformation programme for the group.

Mr Mkhize brings to Nedlac experience of both the labour and business worlds, as well as a history of involvement in social dialogue. He is an experienced negotiator, and has undergone extensive training in mediation and arbitration skills, conflict resolution and handling as well as organisational development and administration training, an Advanced Course in Leadership run jointly by the UCT's Graduate school of Business and the London Business School as well as project management and people management courses. At Old Mutual, he was responsible for managing a Budget of some R11.5 million per annum.

The Nedlac Overall Convenors from Government, Adv. Rams Ramashia; Business, Prof. Raymond Parsons; Labour, Ebrahim Patel and Mr Louise Ndzimande of the Community Constituency, and Phillip Dexter, outgoing Executive Director, met at SACTWU's offices in Cape Town today with the new Executive Director to discuss the handover and priorities on Nedlac's work programme. Nedlac faces a busy period going forward, with the implementation of the Growth and Development Summit agreements, as well as two Section 77 notices regarding job losses in the Clothing and Textile sector, and the plastic bags issue currently on the table, over and above all the ongoing Chamber work programme issues.

Issued in Johannesburg

For further information contact Jennifer Wilson on 083 652 8524