Full Name: James Thokoana Motlatsi
Position: Executive chairperson of TEBA, nonexecutive director of Shanduka and nonexecutive chairperson of Platfields, Verimark and Masana Petroleum
Main Activity of the Company: Serving mines and mineworkers
Date and Place of Birth: June 5, 1951, Morifi, Mohale’s Hoek, Lesotho
Education: Mohale’s Hoek Controlled Higher Primary School, Standard Six, 1969
First Job: Mine labourer, Welkom Gold Mine, Number One Shaft, 1970
Size of First Pay Packet: 40c a shift. (One needed to work 30 shifts, which was more than a month, to earn R12.)
Value of Assets Under Your Control: TEBA turns over roughly R200-million a year but, taking into account my former AngloGold Ashanti deputy chairpersonship and other former directorships, there was a time when I was involved with corporate assets totalling $10-billion
Milestones and Accolades: First National Union of Mineworkers president; founder member of the Congress of South African Trade Unions; recipient of the Order of Ramatseatsana, Lesotho; recipient of an honorary doctorate of philosophy in social sciences from the National University of Lesotho; founder of the Vaal Reefs Disaster Fund; member of the Justice Melamed Commission on Parliamentarians’ Remuneration, 1994; former University of the Witwatersrand Council member; election observer to two Zimbabwe elections; coauthor of Do It!; and founder member of Adopt-a-School Foundation
Management Style: I don’t know how to manage, but my leadership style is to delegate
Personal Best Achievements: Helping Adopt-A-School Foundation establish 177 schools for 400 000 children in South Africa, Lesotho and Mozambique; I am proud that, because of my contribution, the Morifi village of today has a high school, electricity, clean water and a gravel road
The Biggest Influence on Your Life: Politics
Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: Cyril Ramaphosa
Person You Would Most Like to Meet: The person I most like meeting repeatedly is TEBA MD Dr Graham Herbert
Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: Bobby Godsell
Philosophy of Life: A better life for all
Biggest Ever Opportunity: Leading the National Union of Mineworkers
Biggest Ever Disappointment: The failure of the institutions of State to deal with corruption
Hope for the Future: That we, the citizens of South Africa, take control of our country, our economy, our roads, our streets and our lives, and no longer look at one another’s class, colour or language, but only at our South Africanness
Favourite Reading: Newspapers
Favourite TV Programme: The news
Favourite Food/Drink: Red meat/whisky
Favourite Music: Traditional
Favourite Sport: No favourite
Hobbies: Working out in the gym
Car: Mitsubishi Pajero
Pets: None
Miscellaneous Dislikes: No particular dislikes
Married: To Mapula
Clubs: Carlton Centre Gym