Profile of MEC Police, Roads & Transport

 

Mr. B.M. Komphela was born on 7 December 1965 in Kroonstad District at a farm called Golden Valley and attended a school in the farm, Koolmyn Higher Primary School, where he completed Standard 6. He then attended Kananelo Senior Secondary School where he completed Form III and received his Junior Certificate (JC). He continued to Bodibeng High School where he matriculated.

His early involvement in student politics led to his detention when he was in Form II. He was arrested together with three class teachers during the 16 June 1976 student uprising march in protest against the use of Afrikaans in all subjects. He was detained under internal security which was known as Section 50 of Internal Security Act of 1985. During the State of Emergency, he was again detained for 12 months.

His career started in 1984 when he worked at the Department of Home Affairs as an Administration Clerk and then later as an Interpreter in the Court. During the transition period from 1990 to 1992, he was the Mayor of Kroonstad and then participated in the CODESA negotiations focusing on the transformation of local government. He was part of the delegates of Kroonstad to attend the very first Conference of the African National Congress held in Durban Westville after the unbanning.

Komphela joined the Department of Education as a Director in Special Education in 1994. Following the 1999 general elections, he became a Member of the Free State Legislature in the Free State and served as the Chairperson of the Legislature’s Local Government and Housing Committee. In 2001, he became a Member of the National Assembly and a member of the Portfolio Committee on Sport. He served in this capacity for the next 10 years. On 15 June 2011, Komphela was inaugurated as a Member of the Legislature and appointed as the MEC responsible for Police, Roads and Transport.