Executive Chairman of Teba Limited
Dr James Motlatsi
Dr James Motlatsi is the Executive Chairman of Teba Limited. He has been associated with the South African mining industry since 1970.
Born in Mohale's Hoek in Lesotho, Dr Motlatsi became a labourer at the Welkom gold mine in 1970. He was gradually promoted, becoming a driller, then a team leader, and eventually working as a personnel assistant.
In 1981, the Council of Unions of South Africa resolved to establish a mining union, and Motlatsi met Cyril Ramaphosa, who was its main organiser.
He was the first President of the National Union of Mineworkers and a founding member of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU).
He is involved with the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund and is a member of South African Literacy Initiatives. He was awarded the Order of Ramatseatsana by King Letsie III of Lesotho in 2001, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Social Sciences, Honoris Causa by the National University of Lesotho.
Motlatsi was enthusiastic, and immediately began recruiting members at the mine. When the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) was officially founded, in 1982, he was elected as its first president.
Dr Motlatsi has been awarded the Order of Ramatseatsana, served on the council of the University of the Witwatersrand, and the Vaal Reefs Disaster Fund. Dr Motlatsi and is also the co-founder of the Adopt-a-School Foundation and serves on its Board of Trustees.
In 2020, Dr Motlatsi was awarded an honorary doctorate in philosophy from UNISA for his role in advancing the rights of working people in South Africa.