Godfrey Oliphant | |
|---|---|
 Oliphant in 2012 | |
| Deputy Minister of Mineral Resources | |
| In office 1 November 2010 – 7 May 2019 | |
| President | Jacob Zuma Cyril Ramaphosa |
| Minister | Susan Shabangu Ngoako Ramatlhodi Mosebenzi Zwane Gwede Mantashe |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Bavelile Hlongwa (for Mineral Resources and Energy) |
| Member of the National Assembly | |
| In office 5 August 2009 – 7 May 2019 | |
| In office 9 May 1994 – April 2009 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Gaolatlhe Godfrey Oliphant 27 March 1959 Warrenton, Cape Province Union of South Africa |
| Political party | African National Congress |
| Other political affiliations | South African Communist Party Congress of South African Trade Unions |
Gaolatlhe Godfrey Oliphant (born 27 March 1959) is a South African politician and former trade unionist from the Northern Cape. He was the Deputy Minister of Mineral Resources between November 2010 and May 2019. A member of the African National Congress, he served in the National Assembly of South Africa from May 1994 to May 2019, excepting a three-month hiatus in 2009.
Oliphant began his career as a mineworker at De Beers's Finsch mine, where he rose to prominence as a shop steward and organiser for the National Union of Mineworkers. He went on to hold senior office in all three wings of the Tripartite Alliance: he served as deputy provincial chairperson of the ANC in the Northern Cape, as national vice-president of the Congress of South African Trade Unions, and, between 1995 and 2022, as a member of the Central Committee of the South African Communist Party.