Personal
Current Positions
Academic Qualifications
Mr Surty holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and an Honours degree in Philosophy from the University of Durban-Westville, as well as a B. Proc degree from the University of South Africa (UNISA).
He also completed an LLM degree in Constitutional Litigation from the University of the Western Cape (UWC) and a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education.
Career/Positions/Memberships/Other Activities
Mr Surty practised as an attorney and human rights lawyer in Rustenburg from 1977 until 1994.
In 1994, Mr Surty was sworn in as a Member of Parliament in the Senate and its successor, the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) and served from 1994 until 2004, in various capacities – as Provincial and Programing Whip for the North West Province for the period 1994 to 1999 and as Chief Whip from 1999 to 2004.
He was a member of the Management Committee of the Constitutional Assembly and negotiator for the ANC on the Bill of Rights for the period 1994 to 1996. In Parliament, Mr Surty participated in the following select committees: Justice, Safety and Security, Constitutional Affairs, and Local Government and Administration.
Mr Surty served as an observer member of the African National Congress National Executive Council from 1999 to 2007.
Mr Surty was appointed as the Deputy Minister of Education of the Republic of South Africa on 29 April 2004 and served in this capacity until 25 September 2008. On 25 September 2008, Mr Surty became the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development. He was then appointed as the Deputy Minister of Basic Education from 11 May 2009. He was reappointed to this position on 26 May 2014.
