Parks Tao named to pivotal Trade ministry

JOHANNESBURG — President Cyril Ramaphosa held out to name former Johannesburg Executive Mayor Parks Tao as trade minister, a post sought by coalition partner Democratic Alliance in the unity government. Black business groups had insisted that the African National Congress hang on to the ministry in order to continue Black Empowerment initiatives.

Mpho Parks Tau is the current Deputy Minister of the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) as appointed on 06 March 2023.

He made his mark as a leading advocate of local government in South Africa, Africa and across the globe – serving as the President of the world body, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), as well as the President of the South African Local Government Association (SALGA).

As a proven innovative and effective leader in government, Mr Tau has been advancing the interests of a developmental local government in a bid to locate the sector at the centre of a changing world, and promote collaborations with strategic partners locally and across the globe.

He is the former Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, wherein he drove a spatial and socio-economic transformation agenda to create sustainable opportunities for communities in the metropolitan municipality by confronting past injustices, as well as present and future challenges.