Samson Gwede Mantashe (born 21 June 1955) is a South African politician and former trade unionist who is currently serving as the Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources.

Born in the Eastern Cape, Mantashe rose to political prominence through the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), which he joined at his workplace at Matla Colliery.

During his tenure as ANC secretary-general, he had a controversial role in defending President Jacob Zuma against internal dissent and allegations of state capture.

In that context, Mantashe has been criticised for his overt interest in coal, natural gas, and powerships, arguably at the expense of investment in renewable energy sources.

He was elected to a second term as ANC national chairperson in December 2022, by then an important political ally of President Ramaphosa, and he remains a member of the SACP Central Committee.

[1] In 1987, he stood for election as assistant general secretary of the national NUM but lost narrowly to Marcel Golding, who received 572 votes to his 552.

[1][7] In 1994, in a contest against Archie Palane,[8] he won election as assistant general secretary, deputising Ramaphosa's successor, Kgalema Motlanthe.

[3] This was an unusual move for a trade unionist at the time – it made national headlines[9] – and Mantashe explained that it represented a shift in industrial relations away from "confrontation" and towards "meaningful influence" by workers over corporate decision-making.

[7] According to Raphaël Botiveau's history of the NUM, Mantashe's eight-year tenure was notable for his emphasis on discipline and democratic centralism as organising principles, as well as for increasingly sophisticated bureaucratic management.

[6] A year after leaving the NUM, in July 2007, Mantashe was elected unopposed to succeed Charles Nqakula as national chairperson of the SACP.

In September 2008, it was Mantashe who announced that the ANC National Executive Committee had decided to "recall" Mbeki from his office as President of South Africa.

[22] In tandem with his ANC responsibilities, Mantashe served the remainder of his five-year term as SACP national chairperson, although his dual roles sometimes caused tensions in the Tripartite Alliance.

[27] However, he said he was "grateful" for the experience, having gained "a broader horizon from which we could observe each individual component of our revolution" and emerged with "a deeper understanding of the contradictions in the movement".

[32][33] In 2013, for example, after the notorious Waterkloof Air Base landing, Mantashe maintained that the nature of Zuma's relationship with the Gupta family was not ANC business.

[34] Similarly, he was a prominent figure in the ANC's successful campaign to thwart the multiple motions of no confidence that opposition parties lodged against Zuma in Parliament.

[36][37] Mantashe told the Daily Maverick in June 2017 that ANC support for a motion of no confidence in Zuma would be still more destabilising than the events that led to the formation of COPE in 2008: "The recall of Thabo Mbeki will be like a Sunday picnic.

[40] He argued that allowing the party's own representatives to vote against their leader would lead to serious division and political crisis, and would therefore be tantamount to cutting off your nose to spite your face.

[44][45] By mid-2017, he said openly that state capture was "a reality",[38] explicitly dismissing attempts by Zuma's supporters to redirect public focus to so-called white monopoly capital.

[47] Observers first noticed tensions two years later, after the controversial December 2015 cabinet reshuffle in which Zuma replaced Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene with Des van Rooyen.

[50] However, several days later, Mantashe appeared to reverse himself, telling the press that the ANC had decided to accept Zuma's decision – and his justification of an "irretrievable breakdown" of his relationship with Gordhan – and to "close ranks" around the president.

[2][21][52] Yet when Zuma sacked Blade Nzimande of the SACP from the cabinet in October 2017, Mantashe was again publicly critical: he said that the party had not been consulted, called the decision a "pity", and warned that frequent reshuffles could destabilise the government.

Mantashe said at a political rally in Butterworth, "When you resist the call to resign you leave us no choice but to let you fry in the vote of no-confidence motion because it means you do not respect the organisation [the ANC]".

On 30 June 2024, following the 2024 general election, this change was made permanent by Ramokgopa being appointed as Minister of Electricity and Energy, with Mantashe's ministerial portfolio being limited to that of Mineral and Petroleum Resources.

[75][76]Mantashe linked his support for the coal sector to the notion of the so-called just energy transition, the outcome of which would be socially equitable as well as environmentally sustainable, as envisaged in the National Development Plan.

[80] Writing in the Business Day, Anthony Butler said that, "Mantashe resembles the King Canute of energy: an old man trying to hold back the tides.

"[81] On another occasion, in what was interpreted as veiled criticism of Mantashe,[82] Crispian Olver of the Presidential Climate Commission said that, "the old idea that someone’s sitting in charge of [the Department of] Mineral Resources and Energy could dictate the pace at which this transition happens – it's the emperor with no clothes.

"[83] He was also unpopular with environmental activists for his defence of Shell's right to conduct gas exploration off the Wild Coast,[84][85] as well as for his proposal to procure powerships at the country's major ports.

[86][82] In December 2021, he accused opponents of the Shell project of "apartheid and colonialism of a special type, masqueraded as a great interest for environmental protection.

[96] In testimony to the inquiry, Mantashe had confirmed that the security installations were made for free, but denied that there was anything untoward in the arrangement, saying, among other things, that he was "not amenable to bribes".

[98][99] Mantashe was re-elected to the SACP Central Committee in July 2022,[100] though, the following month, he lamented the weakness of the Tripartite Alliance after he was heckled while trying to address Cosatu's national congress.