Obed Bapela | |
|---|---|
| Deputy Minister of Public Enterprises | |
| In office 6 March 2023 – 17 June 2024 | |
| President | Cyril Ramaphosa |
| Minister | Pravin Gordhan |
| Preceded by | Phumulo Masualle |
| Member of the National Assembly | |
| In office 2002 – 28 May 2024 | |
| Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs | |
| In office 26 May 2014 – 6 March 2023 | |
| President | Jacob Zuma Cyril Ramaphosa |
| Minister | Pravin Gordhan Des van Rooyen Zweli Mkhize Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma |
| Succeeded by | Zolile Burns-Ncamashe |
| Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Performance Monitoring and Evaluation | |
| In office 24 October 2011 – 24 April 2014 | |
| President | Jacob Zuma |
| Minister | Collins Chabane |
| Preceded by | Dina Pule |
| Succeeded by | Buti Manamela |
| Deputy Minister of Communications | |
| In office 1 November 2010 – 24 October 2011 | |
| President | Jacob Zuma |
| Minister | Roy Padayachie |
| Preceded by | Dina Pule |
| Succeeded by | Stella Ndabeni |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kopeng Obed Bapela 28 February 1958 Alexandra, Transvaal Union of South Africa |
| Political party | African National Congress |
| Spouse | |
Kopeng Obed Bapela (born 28 February 1958) is a South African politician who is currently serving as the Deputy Minister of Public Enterprises since 6 March 2023. Before that, he was Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs from 2014 to 2023. A member of the African National Congress (ANC), he has been a member of the National Assembly since 2002 and a deputy minister since 2010.
Bapela rose to prominence through the anti-apartheid movement in Alexandra, and he served in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature from 1994 to 1999. After joining Parliament in 2002, he rose to become Chairperson of the National Assembly before President Jacob Zuma appointed him as Deputy Minister of Communications from 2010 to 2011. After that he served as Deputy Minister in the Presidency from 2011 to 2014 and then as Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs from 2014 until 2023, when President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed him to his current position.
A longstanding member of the ANC, Bapela was formerly Provincial Secretary of the party's Gauteng branch. He has been a member of the ANC National Executive Committee since 2012 and has been particularly active in foreign affairs, including as the party's head of international relations between 2013 and 2015.