Dr Rob Davies | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Rob Davies in December 2013 | |
| Minister ofTrade and Industry | |
| In office 11 May 2009 – 29 May 2019 | |
| President | Jacob Zuma Cyril Ramaphosa |
| Preceded by | Mandisa Mpahlwa |
| Succeeded by | Ebrahim Patel |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Robert Haydn Davies (1948-05-12)12 May 1948 (age 77) |
| Political party | South African Communist Party |
| Other political affiliations | African National Congress |
| Alma mater | Rhodes University (BA) University of Southampton (MA) University of Sussex (PhD) |
Robert Haydn Davies (born 12 May 1948) was minister of trade and industry ofSouth Africa from 2009 to 2019.[1]
Davies obtained hisBA Honours in economics from Rhodes University and then went on to complete anMA in international relations at the University of Southampton, and a PhD in political studies from the University of Sussex.[2][3]
Due to his anti-apartheid activities Davies left South Africa and lived inBritain andMozambique between 1979 and 1990. During this period he was attached to the Centre for African Studies at theEduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique. During his time in exile Davies held lectures in Mozambique together withRuth First.[4] On his return from exile he conducted economic research for theAfrican National Congress and theSouthern African Development Community.[5] In 1990 he became co-director of the Centre for Southern African Studies at theUniversity of the Western Cape.[2][3]
He was deputy Minister of Trade and Industry from June 2005 until May 2009 and Chairman of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Finance.[5] Davies has been a member of Parliament since 1994 and is a member of the central committee and politburo of theSouth African Communist Party (SACP).[2][3]
He was appointed Minister of Trade and Industry by PresidentJacob Zuma in May 2009 and re-appointed to the position on 25 May 2014. During his first term from 2009 to 2014, he oversaw the development and implementation of annual three-year rolling Industrial Policy Action Plans as well as steering South Africa's participation in important trade relations, including the Tripartite SADC-COMESA-EAC Free Trade Area, BRICS, Economic Partnership Agreement with EU, the US Africa Growth and Opportunity Act, and World Trade Organisation Bali package.
