Government of South Africa

Ms. Dina Deliwe Pule, Minister of Social Development

Ms. Dina Deliwe Pule is South Africa’s Minister of Social Development and a member of the African National Congress National Executive Committee. She was sworn in as Minister of Social Development by President Cyril Ramaphosa on 01 July 2026. She currently serves in this position. Born and raised in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, she holds a Secondary Teachers Diploma and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications from the University of South Africa.

She registered with the University of South Africa (UNISA) where she obtained her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications. She also joined many progressive women in the erstwhile Eastern Transvaal to form the Eastern Transvaal Women’s Union. When the African National Congress (ANC) was unbanned in 1990, it was not a surprise that Minister Pule was amongst the first cadres of the ANC who were tasked to establish the structures of the organisation in the country. Minister Pule served the democratic movement in various capacities.

Minister Dina Deliwe Pule has a political career spanning several decades, beginning with her involvement in student, education, labour, and women’s structures during the final years of apartheid. She is an activist. Her career has included service as a teacher and trade unionist, as well as leadership positions within the ANC and ANC Women’s League. She is currently the Deputy Secretary General of the Women’s League and a member of the National Executive Committee of the ANC. She previously served as a member of the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature, serving as an MEC in different portfolios. She also served as Deputy Minister of the Department of Communications and in the Presidency, and later as Minister of Communications. She recently served as a member of Parliament, as Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture. With her appointment as Minister of Social Development in July 2026, Minister Pule brings extensive experience in government through her participation in different structures and women’s leadership.