James Motlatsi (born 5 June 1951) is a Mosotho mining executive and former trade union leader, who has been active in South Africa.
Born in Mohale's Hoek in Lesotho, 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.
When the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) was officially founded, in 1982, he was elected as its first president.
[5] Motlatsi has been awarded the Order of Ramatseatsana, served on the council of the University of the Witwatersrand, and was a founder of the Adopt-A-School Foundation and the Vaal Reefs Disaster Fund.