Current Positions
Mr Tau was the Deputy Chairperson of National Council of Provinces (NCOP) since 22 May 2014 until 21 May 2019.
Academic Qualifications
Mr Tau enrolled for a diploma in Youth and Community development in Ipeleng Youth development agency.
He furthered his studies with the University of Port Elizabeth (UPE) studying South African Political Economy.
He furthered his studies with the University of Port Elizabeth (UPE) studying South African Political Economy.
Positions last held/Career/Memberships/Other Activities
Tau started his political life in 1985 where he joined the youth wing of the United Democratic Front (UDF), Galeshewe Student Organisation (GASO), Galeshewe Youth Organisation (GAYO) and a volunteer of the South African Civic Organisation.
During his secondary schooling at Tlhomelang Senior Secondary School, he became the organiser of the Congress of South Africa Schools (COSAS), later being elected Provincial organiser and served as the President of the Student Representative Council (SRC). This led to his expulsion and blacklisting in all secondary schools in Galeshewe, forcing him to leave for Bloemfontein and only returning in 1987 to the same school.
With the unbanning of the ANC and the SACP in 1990, Tau played a pivotal role in the reestablishment of structures of the movement including the civic movement. Central the workhe was tasked to do by the leadership was the recruitment of new members and to educate them in a free environment about the policies of the movement, its ideological posture and the theoretical perspective. Part of the revolutionary work was to mobilise the communities to raise and put pressure on the regime to surrender the country to its rightful people. After matriculating in 1990, Tau enrolled for a diploma in Youth and Community developmentin Ipeleng Youth development agency. This is where his skills as a community worker were further developed as he founded Maspro- a matriculant rewriting programme aimed at Soweto youth who did not successfully pass. He tutored economics and accounting in this project.
In 1993 he was employed by the National Youth Development Trust as a youth organiser responsible for the Eastern, Western and Northern Cape provinces. Again his skills did not go by unnoticed as he was deployed to the Northern Cape in 1994 to work closely with the IEC for youth voter education in preparation for the first democratic elections of 1994.
Finding himself unemployed in 1995, the release of the juveniles in 1996 by then President Nelson Mandela, reignited his passion of youth development where he designed a programme for Gaeleshewe place of safety called 'children in trouble with the law'. The programme was aimed at reintegrating the juveniles with society and the Department of Social Development accepted the proposal and he was later contracted as an auxiliary social worker in December 1996. While employed at the Department of Social Development, he was elected a shop steward for NEHAWU in 1997 and the following year (1998) the organisation (NEHAWU) recruited him to work fulltime.
At NEHAWU he did not last long as the ANC called him the same year to head the Provincial Political Education Department. His responsibilities in his new portfolio were to educate branches on ANC policies and the movement?s theoretical and ideological posture. He was instrumental in the re-organisation of SACP which was launched in 2000 where he was elected Chairperson, a position he holds to date. In 2001 he was deployed to the region and served as Regional Secretary until 2004.
In 2004 he was deployed to serve as a permanent delegate of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) in the third democratic Parliament where he served as Chairperson of the select committee on Public Service. After the fourth democratic elections, he was redeployed back to the NCOP where he was appointed as House Chairperson of Oversight and Institutional Support from May 2009 until 21 May 2014.
During his secondary schooling at Tlhomelang Senior Secondary School, he became the organiser of the Congress of South Africa Schools (COSAS), later being elected Provincial organiser and served as the President of the Student Representative Council (SRC). This led to his expulsion and blacklisting in all secondary schools in Galeshewe, forcing him to leave for Bloemfontein and only returning in 1987 to the same school.
With the unbanning of the ANC and the SACP in 1990, Tau played a pivotal role in the reestablishment of structures of the movement including the civic movement. Central the workhe was tasked to do by the leadership was the recruitment of new members and to educate them in a free environment about the policies of the movement, its ideological posture and the theoretical perspective. Part of the revolutionary work was to mobilise the communities to raise and put pressure on the regime to surrender the country to its rightful people. After matriculating in 1990, Tau enrolled for a diploma in Youth and Community developmentin Ipeleng Youth development agency. This is where his skills as a community worker were further developed as he founded Maspro- a matriculant rewriting programme aimed at Soweto youth who did not successfully pass. He tutored economics and accounting in this project.
In 1993 he was employed by the National Youth Development Trust as a youth organiser responsible for the Eastern, Western and Northern Cape provinces. Again his skills did not go by unnoticed as he was deployed to the Northern Cape in 1994 to work closely with the IEC for youth voter education in preparation for the first democratic elections of 1994.
Finding himself unemployed in 1995, the release of the juveniles in 1996 by then President Nelson Mandela, reignited his passion of youth development where he designed a programme for Gaeleshewe place of safety called 'children in trouble with the law'. The programme was aimed at reintegrating the juveniles with society and the Department of Social Development accepted the proposal and he was later contracted as an auxiliary social worker in December 1996. While employed at the Department of Social Development, he was elected a shop steward for NEHAWU in 1997 and the following year (1998) the organisation (NEHAWU) recruited him to work fulltime.
At NEHAWU he did not last long as the ANC called him the same year to head the Provincial Political Education Department. His responsibilities in his new portfolio were to educate branches on ANC policies and the movement?s theoretical and ideological posture. He was instrumental in the re-organisation of SACP which was launched in 2000 where he was elected Chairperson, a position he holds to date. In 2001 he was deployed to the region and served as Regional Secretary until 2004.
In 2004 he was deployed to serve as a permanent delegate of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) in the third democratic Parliament where he served as Chairperson of the select committee on Public Service. After the fourth democratic elections, he was redeployed back to the NCOP where he was appointed as House Chairperson of Oversight and Institutional Support from May 2009 until 21 May 2014.
