H.E. Dr. Naledi Pandor is the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation for South Africa. She has an extensive history of public service, having served in various ministerial roles, including Minister of Higher Education and Training (2018 to 2019), Minister of Science and Technology (2014 to 2018), Minister of Home Affairs (2012 to 2014), Minister of Science and Technology (2009 to 2012), and Minister of Education (2004 to 2009). Dr. Pandor has been a Member of Parliament for the African National Congress (ANC) since 1994. Within the ANC caucus, she served as Deputy Chief Whip from 1995 until her appointment to the upper house of Parliament, the National Council of Provinces, in 1998. In 1999, she became the inaugural Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, becoming the first woman to hold this position.
Dr. Pandor holds a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Pretoria (2019) and honorary doctorates from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, the University of Stellenbosch, the University of Lisbon in Portugal, and the University College Dublin in Ireland. Additionally, she holds a Master’s degree in Education from the University of London (1978 to 1979), and a Master’s degree in General Linguistics from the University of Stellenbosch (1997).
