Which party is most educated? Here are the qualifications held by SA’s political leaders

As political parties release their candidates list ahead of this year’s elections, there has been debate over whether our politicians should have tertiary qualifications.

The African National Congress (ANC)-led government has previously been criticised by opposition parties for appointing ministers and deputy ministers that have no formal education relating to the portfolios they oversee.

Additionally, the misrepresentation of qualifications by some politicians has sparked anger.

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula last week indicated that party members who did not meet the minimum requirement of a post-matric qualification would be disqualified to serve in Parliament and the provincial legislatures.

In light of this, The Citizen takes a look at the top three leaders of South Africa’s major parties to assess if they have a formal tertiary qualification.

ActionSA

In his announcement of the party’s parliament and provincial candidates, ActionSA president Herman Mashaba expressed pride in the chosen candidates.

He said there was a “stark contrast to the political establishment who fill parliament seats with party loyalists who would never be hired in the private sector”.

Mashaba holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting which he obtained from the University of South Africa (Unisa).

ALSO READ: ANC members without qualifications must ‘improve themselves’ – Mbalula

Athol Trollip, ActionSA’s deputy president, made it to the national candidates list as prospective Minister of Agriculture.

Trollip studied Agricultural Management at the University of Natal in Pietermaritzburg.

Michael Beaumont, who is the party’s chairperson, has a Bachelor of Arts (BA) honours in Political Science and Environmental Science.

Additionally, Beaumont acquired a postgraduate diploma in Business Administration at Wits Business School.

EFF

Speaking at a media briefing at the party’s headquarters in Johannesburg on 15 February, EFF president Julius Malema indicated that a certain number of the Red beret members need to have a PhD to qualify as potential candidates for the national assembly.

“Some of the criteria include that 40% of all names from the list must be youth. 50% or more of the names submitted must be women. There must be at least 10 PhD holders in the EFF list to Parliament. A matric certificate is a minimum requirement to form part of the EFF’s list,” he said.

Malema completed a two-year diploma in youth development through Unisa. He also obtained a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Communications and African languages at Unisa.

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Furthermore, he has a BA Honours degree in Philosophy.

EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu earned a bachelor’s degree as well as an honours degree in Political Studies and International Relations at the University of Witwatersrand (Wits).

He also acquired a Master’s degree in Political Sciences at Wits.

EFF secretary-general Marshall Mzingisi Dlamini holds a BA degree in International Relations from Unisa.

In 2023, the party said, “Dlamini also holds various certificates from Unisa and is currently registered for a Bachelor of Arts Honours in Political Sciences at the institution.”

ANC

ANC, as the ruling party, has frequently faced criticism for its failure to deliver on its promises.

Its candidate list – that is filled with career politicians – continues to raise concerns about the party’s ability to implement real change.

ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa holds a law degree from Unisa.

According to the presidency’s website, “Ramaphosa has also received several honorary doctorates from local and international universities, including the University of Massachusetts, the University of Cape Town, the National University of Lesotho, the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and the University of the North”.

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Paul Mashatile, the deputy president, “registered to study for a BA Law with Unisa, but he was unable to complete his degree due to difficulties in accessing study material on time, while he was in prison”.

According to the presidency’s website Mashatile ‘registered’ for a Diploma in Economic Principles at the University of London.

However, while he is said to have successfully completed several courses, it makes no mention of whether he completed his studies and received the qualification.

Chairperson of the ANC Gwede Mantashe has a master’s degree from Wits, a Bachelor of Commerce (Bcom) degree from Unisa, where he also completed a Bcom Honours.

Mantashe also holds a master’s in Business Administration obtained through Management College of Southern Africa (Mancosa).

Democratic Alliance

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has long prided itself on its technocratic approach to governance. However, detractors argue that their candidate list often reads like a who’s who of party insiders.

Additionally, the DA has been accused of prioritising party loyalty over genuine qualifications.

The DA’s president John Steenhuisen has been mocked in parliament for only having a matric qualification.

In 2018, some members of the DA even argued that candidates for the party’s leadership positions should at least have a degree.

Steenhuisen still does not have a post-matric qualification.

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Ivan Meyer, the DA’s chairperson who is also currently the MMC of agriculture for the DA-run Western Cape government, obtained a Ph.D. in Public Administration at the University of Stellenbosch, as well as a number of international certificates and diplomas.

Siviwe Gwarube, the chief whip of the DA, possesses a BA degree in Law, Politics, and Philosophy from Rhodes University. Gwarube also obtained her honours in Political Science and Government at the University of the Western Cape.