The New Health Minister: Barbara Hogan grew up in Benoni, an industrial town. She was the first woman to be elected as a Junior Deputy-Mayor in South Africa. Arrested for the first time in anti-government protests at the age of 18, she became a student activist and joined the embryonic black trade union movement that was later to emerge as COSATU, the largest trade union federation in South Africa. In 1977, Barbara joined the banned, underground political wing of the African National Congress (ANC). In 1981 she was arrested and sentenced to an effective 10 years imprisonment for High Treason for so-called political offences. Her release came in 1990, one week after the unbanning of the ANC. Elected to Parliament in 1994, she served as Chair of Finance Portfolio Committee and the Standing Committee on the Auditor-General and helped draft the financial clauses of the new Constitution. Appointed as Minister of Health in 2008.
The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) welcomes the appointments of Ms Barbara Hogan as the Minister of Health and Dr Molefi Sefularo as the Deputy Minister of Health. We congratulate President Motlanthe for making these excellent appointments.
