Collins Chabane

{{Short description|South African politician (1960–2015)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}} {{Use South African English|date=May 2012}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = The Honourable | name = Ohm Collins Chabane | native_name = | native_name_lang = | image =  | alt = | caption = | order = | office = Minister of Public Service and Administration | term_start = 26 May 2014 | term_end = 15 March 2015 | president = Jacob Zuma | succeeding = | predecessor = Lindiwe Sisulu | successor = Nathi Mthethwa | office2 = | president2 = | predecessor2 = | successor2 = | office3 = | president3 = | succeeding3 = | predecessor3 = | successor3 = | order4 = | office4 = Secretary General of the ANC | term_start4 = 1997 | term_end4 = 1999 | president4 = | predecessor4 = | successor4 = | birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1960|04|15}} | birth_place = Transvaal, Union of South Africa | death_date = {{death date and age|2015|03|15|1960|04|15|df=yes}} | death_place = | birth_name = Ohm Collins Chabane | citizenship = South African | party = African National Congress | other_party =  | spouse = Mavis Nkhensani Chabane | partner =  | relations = | children = Matimba Chabane and Tsakani Chabane | alma_mater = Technikon South Africa | occupation = Politician | profession = | cabinet = | committees = | portfolio = | signature = | signature_alt = | website = | footnotes = | blank1 = | data1 = | blank2 = | data2 = | blank3 = | data3 = | blank4 = | data4 = | blank5 = | data5 = }} {{Apartheid}}

'''Ohm Collins Chabane''' (15 April 1960 – 15 March 2015) was a South African Minister of Public Service and Administration.<ref name="sapa">{{cite web|url=http://mg.co.za/article/2015-03-15-minister-collins-chabane-killed-in-car-crash|title=Minister Collins Chabane killed in Limpopo car accident|author=Sapa|work=The M&G Online|date=15 March 2015 |accessdate=15 March 2015}}</ref> At the age of 17, he went into exile and joined the African National Congress (ANC) underground military wing Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK). Chabane also went to Angola for military training in 1980, and began work underground in 1981.

==Early life and education== Chabane was born in Xikundu Village, in what was then the Northern Transvaal District (now the Limpopo province) of the Transvaal province. He attended Shingwedzi High School and after high school registered for a BSc at Turfloop University, but a year at the age of 17 he joined the ANC underground. Chabane was arrested by the Security Police in 1984, and was sentenced to six years imprisonment on charges of terrorism. He was imprisoned at the same time as Tokyo Sexwale, Kgalema Motlanthe, Mosiuoa Lekota and Popo Molefe.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sahistory.org.za/people/ohm-collins-chabane|title=Ohm Collins Chabane - South African History Online|work=sahistory.org.za|accessdate=15 March 2015}}</ref>

During his time in prison he obtained a Diploma in Electrical Engineering from Technikon South Africa, and studied aviation. Chabane also held a Diploma in Management from Arusha in Tanzania.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thepresidency.gov.za/pebble.asp?relid=74 |title=The Presidency | Minister Collins Chabane |accessdate=2015-03-15 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150323144100/http://www.thepresidency.gov.za/pebble.asp?relid=74 |archivedate=23 March 2015 }}</ref>

==Politician== After his release from prison, Chabane was elected to parliament in 1994, where he served on the constitutional affairs, defense and intelligence committees. In 1997, he was appointed MEC for Limpopo, in Premier Ngoako Ramatlhodi's cabinet. In 1998, he moved to public works, where he is credited as having established the province's Roads Agency. Under the first term of Jacob Zuma's presidency, he was appointed as Minister in the Presidency.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thepresidency.gov.za/pebble.asp?relid=19234 |title=The Presidency | Minister Collins Chabane dies in car crash |accessdate=2015-03-17 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319053452/http://www.thepresidency.gov.za/pebble.asp?relid=19234 |archivedate=19 March 2015 }}</ref> He also arranged Nelson Mandela's funeral in December 2013.

==Personal life== Chabane also developed his interest in music (while in prison), headed a marimba band and recorded two CDs.

==Death== In the early hours of Sunday, 15 March 2015, Chabane was killed, aged 55, in a traffic accident when a truck made a U-turn in front of Chabane's car on the N1 near Polokwane, after attending a funeral of Samuel Dickenson Nxumalo, the third Chief Minister of Gazankulu homeland.<ref name="sapa"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Collins-Chabane-dies-in-car-crash-20150315|title=Collins Chabane dies in car crash|work=News24|accessdate=15 March 2015|archive-date=9 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191009122600/https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Collins-Chabane-dies-in-car-crash-20150315|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chabane, Collins}} Category:1960 births Category:2015 deaths Category:African National Congress politicians Category:Politicians from Limpopo Category:South African revolutionaries Category:South African politicians convicted of crimes Category:UMkhonto we Sizwe personnel Category:South African anti-apartheid activists Category:Road incident deaths in South Africa Category:Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 2014–2019 Category:Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 2009–2014 Category:Government ministers of South Africa Category:Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 1994–1999