JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Coal developer Firestone Energy has appointed Dr Mathews Phosa as chairperson, with effect from Monday.
Phosa, an attorney by profession, is a leading figure in South Africa's business and political world, having opened the first black law practice in Nelspruit in 1981 and working there as a partner until 1985, when he was forced into exile.
While in exile, he underwent political and military training, after which he became the regional commander for Umkhonto we Sizwe – the then military wing of the African National Congress (ANC), in Mozambique.
He was one of four ANC members to be sent back to South Africa in 1990 to start the negotiation process with the former government, whereafter he played a prominent role in the processes to establish a peaceful transition to a fully democratic South Africa.
Phosa was elected the first Premier of Mpumalanga in 1994 and, following the elections in 1999, he resigned his seat in Parliament in favour of focusing his attention on a career in business.
He re-entered the political arena in 2007 when he was elected treasurer-general of the National Executive Committee of the ANC until December 2012.
Phosa currently held the chairpersonships of Special Olympics South Africa, Innibos Arts Festival and the Council of the University of South Africa.
Commercially, he is also the current chairperson of The Waterberg Coal Company and sits on the boards of South African-listed companies Value Group, Jubilee Platinum and Bauba Resources, as well as several unlisted entities.
As Firestone continued to rapidly advance the Waterberg coal project, the company believed Phosa's knowledge and experience would complement and strengthen the board as it entered a critical phase in its development.