SA Communist Party head, Blade Nzimande, has been appointed by President Jacob Zuma to head the new Higher Education and Training Ministy.

Nzimande is a former member of parliament, where he was head of the parliamentary select committee on education.

Bonginkosi Nzimande, better know as Blade has a PhD from the University of Natal in Sociology and is currently the Secretary-General of the SA Communist Party. He has been a strong supporter of Jacob Zuma over the last few years.

The Department of Education will be split into separate Ministries, one for Basic Education and the other for Higher Education and Training.

Dr Nzimande, who has a doctorate in philosophy, has been the South African Communist Party General-Secretary since 1998.

He is also a member of the African National Congress (ANC) National Executive Committee and National Working Committee.

Playing a major role in the transformation of South African education, Dr Nzimande has written several publications, including a book called "Children of wars: the impact of violence on schooling in Natal".

This stalwart politician has also been appointed as a member of the ANC Parliamentary Study Group on Education and as a Council member at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

He also chairs the Board of Trustees for the Centre for Educational Policy Development.

- BuaNews