Bonginkosi Emmanuel 'Blade' Nzimande is a renowned politician. After having taken an active interest in the anti-apartheid struggle for some time, Nzimande joined the United Democratic Front (UDF), having first been a member of an affiliate of the UDF, the Dambuza Youth Organisation, which was based in KwaDambuza Township in Pietermaritzburg. Being a member of the UDF enabled him to become actively involved in the struggle against the apartheid regime. He also took an interest in trade unionism, and in the 1980s, became a member of several progressive education organisations including the National Education Union of South Africa, the Union of Democratic University Staff Associations and the National Education Crisis Committee. He has served in many NGOs supporting mass and labour struggles. He has held a number of ministerial portfolios in the ANC-led government, and is presently the national chair of the SACP, his second leadership role within the Communist Party, the first being that of general secretary.
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