Baleka Mbete
A stalwart of South Africa's liberation movement who navigated the halls of power from exile to the deputy presidency and the speaker's chair.
Born 1949 (age 77)·South African politician·Birthday: September 24·Baby Boomers
Biography
Baleka Mbete's story is woven into the fabric of modern South Africa. She joined the African National Congress's armed wing in the 1970s, a commitment that forced her into a long exile in Swaziland and Kenya, where she worked as a teacher and for the ANC's radio station. Returning after apartheid's fall, she stepped directly into the new democracy's legislature in 1994. Mbete quickly became a central figure in parliamentary procedure, serving as Deputy Speaker and then, for two separate terms, as Speaker of the National Assembly. In 2008, she was elevated to the role of Deputy President of South Africa, a historic moment for a woman who had fought from the shadows. Known for her firm, sometimes controversial, management of parliamentary debates, her career embodies the transition from revolutionary to institutional architect.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Baleka was born in 1949, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Baleka Was Born
The biggest hits of 1949
#1 Movie
Samson and Delilah
Best Picture
All the King's Men
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Baleka's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1949Born
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1954Started school
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1962Became a teenager
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1965Could drive
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1967Could vote
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1970Turned 21
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1979Turned 30
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 40
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 50
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 60
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 70
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 77 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the Deputy President of South Africa from 2008 to 2009, the first woman to hold that office.
- Elected Speaker of the National Assembly for two non-consecutive terms, shaping post-apartheid parliamentary democracy.
- Served as the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly for eight years, from 1996 to 2004.
- Was a member of the first democratic South African Parliament elected in 1994.
Did You Know?
She worked as a broadcaster for Radio Freedom, the ANC's exile radio station, during her time in Kenya.
Her first name, Baleka, means 'she who runs fast' or 'to escape' in Zulu, given as she was born during a time of family flight.
She is a published poet, with her work included in anthologies of South African literature.
“The struggle for freedom is not a part-time occupation.”
