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Jayaseelan Naidoo (born 1954)[1] is a South African politician and businessman who served as the founding general secretary of theCongress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) from 1985 to 1993.[2][3] He then served as Minister responsible for theReconstruction and Development Programme in the first post-apartheidcabinet ofPresident Nelson Mandela (1994–1996)[4] and asMinister of Post, Telecommunications, and Broadcasting (1996–1999).
Naidoo was a member of the NEC of theAfrican National Congress.
Born in 1954, Naidoo enrolled at theUniversity of Durban-Westville to study for a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in pursuance of a medical career in 1975 to be a medical doctor but his studies were interrupted by the political turmoil at the time because of student uprisings.
Naidoo became active in theSouth African Students' Organisation (SASO) that was banned in 1977 just after its leaderSteve Biko was murdered in police detention.[5] He then became a community-based organizer working with grassroots civic structures. He joined theFederation of South African Trade Unions as a volunteer in 1979. Naidoo was later appointed secretary general of theSweet, Food and Allied Workers' Union (SFAWU). In this capacity, he led the country's largest ever nationwide strike with around 3.5 million participants in 1991, paralyzing factories and businesses across South Africa and leaving people without the basic services normally provided by black employees.[6]
In 1995, Naidoo served on the selection panel appointed by President Mandela to interview and shortlist candidates for South Africa'sTruth and Reconciliation Commission.
From 2002 until 2015, Naidoo was chair of the board of directors and chair of the Partnership Council of theGlobal Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) headquartered in Geneva and launched at the 2002 UN Summit on Children as a public private partnership to tackle malnutrition. He is the founder of the social development arm of an investment and management company, J&J Group, which he co-founded in 2000 in South Africa.
From 2001 to 2010, Naidoo served as chairperson of theDevelopment Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA).
In 2010, Naidoo reportedly sold off a third of his stake in J&J Group and donated the proceeds to two unnamed charitable trusts.[7] He has published his autobiography,‘Fighting for Justice’ and more recently published his book'Change: Organising Tomorrow, Today.'Archived 16 November 2018 at theWayback Machine
In 2013, at the request of the French Minister of Development,Pascal Canfin, Naidoo co-authored a report (withEmmanuel Faber) on reformingOfficial Development Assistance.[8] That same year, he chaired an international inquiry into labour rights violations inSwaziland, alongside Alec Muchadehama,Paul Verryn and Nomthetho Simelane.[9]
Naidoo received theChevalier de la Légion d’Honneur (Legion of Honour), one of France's highest decorations, and received the ‘Drivers for Change Award’ from the Southern African Trust andMail & Guardian newspaper in October 2010.[citation needed]
He received the Ellen Kuzwayo Award from the University of Johannesburg, in November 2012,[12] as well as an honorary doctorate technology degree in engineering and the built environment from the Durban University of Technology[13] awarded September 2013.
Jay Naidoo is married to Lucie Pagé, a French-Canadian writer and journalist, and has three children.[14]
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| Preceded by | Minister of Communications, Telecommunications and Postal Services. 1996–1999 | Succeeded by |
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