Pretoria - Dr Blade Nzimande has been announced as the Minister of Higher Education and Training.
The Department of Education will be split into separate Ministries, one for Basic Education and the other for Higher Education and Training.
Dr Nzimande, who has a doctorate in philosophy, has been the South African Communist Party General-Secretary since 1998.
He is also a member of the African National Congress (ANC) National Executive Committee and National Working Committee.
Playing a major role in the transformation of South African education, Dr Nzimande has written several publications, including a book called "Children of wars: the impact of violence on schooling in Natal".
This stalwart politician has also been appointed as a member of the ANC Parliamentary Study Group on Education and as a Council member at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He also chairs the Board of Trustees for the Centre for Educational Policy Development.
