CCA High-Level Dialogue Series
A Dialogue with Mcebisi Jonas
Former Deputy Minister of Finance in South Africa
Presidential Investment Envoy
Chairman Designate for MTN
Opening Remarks by:
Eric H. Holder, Jr.
82nd Attorney General of the United States
Date and Time:
Wednesday, November 13
1:45 pm - 3:00 pm
Venue:
Covington & Burling LLC
850 Tenth Street, NW
Washington DC
Please join us for a discussion with Mcebisi Jonas, former South African Deputy Minister of Finance, one of President Ramaphosa's Investment Envoys and Chairman designate for MTN, as he highlights economic trends and investment opportunities in South Africa.
Mcebisi Jonas is one of four Presidential Investment Envoys, appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa to attract $100 billion to South Africa over the next five years. He also holds various non-executive board positions in listed and non-listed companies.
Jonas previously served as Deputy Minister of Finance and as a Member of Parliament from 2014 to 2017. He served as Chairperson and Non-Executive Director of the Public Investment Corporation, the state-owned pension fund manager and one of Africa's largest investment managers.
Before his appointment to national government, Mr. Jonas played a key political leadership role in the Eastern Cape. Among other provincial ministerial positions, he served as a Finance Minister of the province and Chief Executive Officer of the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC), a state-owned entity, which successfully amalgamated various smaller development institutions.
Mr Jonas' activism has defined his political career. During the anti-apartheid struggle he was part of the African National Congress' (ANC) military wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), and spent his exile years in Uganda. He also led a number of key political activities within South Africa, including the establishment of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in the Eastern Cape. Upon his return from exile in the 1990s, Mr. Jonas was central in establishing the ruling African National Congress (ANC) and the South African Communist Party (SACP) structures in the Eastern Cape.
Mr. Jonas published a book in June, 2019 entitled "After Dawn: Hope After State Capture." He is Chairman of the Board designate of the Mobile Telephone Network (MTN), a telecommunications network provider that operates throughout Africa, and in Europe and Asia.