Steve Vukhile Tshwete was a South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

n politician and activist with the African National Congress

African National Congress

The African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...

. Involved in the Umkhonto we Sizwe

Umkhonto we Sizwe

Umkhonto we Sizwe , translated "Spear of the Nation," was the armed wing of the African National Congress which fought against the South African apartheid government. MK launched its first guerrilla attacks against government installations on 16 December 1961...

, Tshwete was imprisoned by the apartheid authorities on Robben Island

Robben Island

Robben Island is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 km west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, Cape Town, South Africa. The name is Dutch for "seal island". Robben Island is roughly oval in shape, 3.3 km long north-south, and 1.9 km wide, with an area of 5.07 km². It is flat and only a...

 from February 1964 to 1983. Upon release, Tshwete resumed activities with the ANC and become a regional coordinator for the new United Democratic Front

United Democratic Front (South Africa)

The United Democratic Front was one of the most important anti-apartheid organisations of the 1980s. The non-racial coalition of about 400 civic, church, students', workers' and other organisations was formed in 1983, initially to fight the just-introduced idea of the Tricameral Parliament The...

. Following the end of apartheid in 1994, Tshwete became involved in sport in South Africa

Sport in South Africa

Only certain sports have a passionate following in South Africa, although they remain largely divided on ethnic lines; alleged lack of transforbobmation has been increasingly criticised by South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee , Ministry of Sports and civil society...

 and was instrumental in de-racializing the national teams as Minister of Sport and Recreation. He served in Thabo Mbeki

Thabo Mbeki

Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki is a South African politician who served two terms as the second post-apartheid President of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008. He is also the brother of Moeletsi Mbeki...

's first government as the Minister of Safety and Security from 1999 until his death in April 2002. Steve Tshwete Local Municipality

Steve Tshwete, Mpumalanga

Steve Tshwete Local Municipality is located in the Nkangala District Municipality of Mpumalanga province, South Africa. The seat of Steve Tshwete Local Municipality is Middelburg....

 in Mpumalanga Province is named after him.