Positions last held in government
Ms Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge was Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of South Africa from 25 September 2008 to 10 May 2009. Prior to her appointment as Deputy Speaker, Ms Madlala-Routledge served as Deputy Minister of Defence of the Republic of South Africa from 17 June 1999 to 28 April 2004; and as Deputy Minister of Health of the Republic of South Africa from 29 April 2004 until 2007.
She also served on the Portfolio Committee on Land Affairs and the Parliamentary Committee on the Improvement of the Quality of Life and Status of Women and was a Chairperson of the Multi-Party Parliamentary Women's Group and a Chairperson of the ANC Parliamentary Women's Caucus.
Academic Qualifications
Ms Madlala-Routledge attended Primary and Secondary Education at Magogo and Fairview Schools and Inanda Seminary in Durban respectively. She later studied at Natal and Fort Hare Universities where she obtained a Diploma in Medical Technology 1979; a Postgraduate Diploma in Adult Education 1989 and a degree in Social Science, majoring in Philosophy and Sociology 1994.
Career/Positions/Memberships/Other Activities
Ms Madlala-Routledge worked for six years as a medical Laboratory Technologist. In the height of the struggle resigned, to allow her to work as a full-time organiser for the Natal Organisation of Women (NOW) and she did that for three years.
She also worked as researcher at the Centre for Social and Development Studies and at the Centre for Adult Education at the University of Natal. She joined the underground structures of the African National Congress (ANC) in 1979 and she became a Chairperson of the Natal Organisation of Women.
She joined the South African Communist Party (SACP) in 1984 and served as a Regional Chairperson of the SACP and was later elected to its Central Committee; she also served on the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Women's National Coalition. She was a delegate at CODESA and worked as Managing Secretary for the Transitional Executive Council (TEC) Sub-Council on the Status of Women.
Ms Madlala-Routledge was also part of the Reconstruction and Development Pogramme (RDP) Task Team to draft policy on the Empowerment of Women. She became Member of Parliament for the ANC and was activist for women's rights and peace.
She was second Vice-President of the Co-ordinating Committee of Women Parliamentarians, a body affiliated to the Inter-Parliamentary Union and she served on a number of organisations, including WOW, a network of local women leaders.
Research/Presentations/Awards/Decorations/Bursaries and Publications
Ms Madlala-Routledge has Published articles and papers for newspapers, magazines and journals, such as Work in Progress and Speak. She has also published easy readers for newly literate adults; and published manual for caregivers of elderly people.
She has Co-authored a chapter on South African Feminism for a book on global feminism published in 1995 and Co-authored South Africa's report to the United Nations (UN) for the 4th World conference on Women in Beijing in 1995.
Source: Parliamentary Office
