![[File image] Jackson Mthembu addressing members of the media, at the 2017 ANC Policy Conference, in Nasrec south of Johannesburg.](https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/SABC-News_Jackson-Mthembu_by-Dinilohlanga-Mekuto.png)
Born Jackson Mphikwa Mthembu in 1958 in eMalahleni (then Witbank), Mpumalanga, he joined the political arena as a student activist, where he had his fair share of run-ins with apartheid law enforcement authorities.
His political life included stints as the spokesperson for the African National Congress (ANC) at the provincial and national levels.
He also led his party in the parliamentary caucus, serving as Chief Whip of the ANC in the fifth parliament.
In 2019, he was sworn-in as Minister in the Presidency, a position he held until his untimely death on 21 January 2021.
Below is a brief timeline of the late Minister Jackson Mthembu’s life:
![[FILE IMAGE] A truck transporting water tanks.](https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/SABC-News-Water-tanks-Dr-JS-Moroka-Local-Municipality-120x86.png)
![[File photo] Members of the Ladysmith Black Mambazo gesture during the reahesals ahead of singing their warm-hearted choral harmonies in honor of peace icon Nelson Mandela at the at the Joburg Theatre in Johannesburg, South Africa, July 15, 2022.](https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ISICATHAIYA-GROUP-120x86.jpg)
