Sharif Joseph Pandor: A South African Star on the Rise
Sharif Joseph Pandor is a talented South African celebrity who has made a name for herself with her incredible acting skills and magnetic presence. With her dedication, versatility, and natural talent, she has captured the attention of audiences and continues to shine as a rising star in the entertainment industry.
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Grace Naledi Mandisa Matthews, professionally
called Naledi Pandor, is a South African politician and an educator who is
currently serving as the Minister of international relations and cooperation
(since 2019). Since 1994, Naledi has served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for
the African National Congress. Naledi is known for her selfless determination
to serve her country, South Africa.
Academic Qualifications
Naledi Pandor
attended secondary school in Botswana. She graduated from Gaborone Secondary
School in Botswana in 1972. She later earned a Certificate for Continuing
Education and a Bachelor’s degree from the Universities of Swaziland and
Botswana. Next, she obtained a Diploma in Education from the University of
London, and later, a Masters’s degree in Education in 1979 after graduating
from the University of London.
Naledi also
has a Masters’s degree from the University of Stellenbosch in 1997, where she
majored in General Linguistics, and a Diploma in Higher Education,
Administration, and Leadership from Bryn Mawr Summer Programme in 1992. She
obtained another Diploma from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University,
in 1997, where she studied Leadership in Development. In 2019, Naledi received
a Ph.D. in
Education at the University of Pretoria.
Father
Naledi Pandor is the daughter of Joe Matthews and Regina Thelma.
Her parents are both late. Her father, Joe, was an anti-apartheid activist and
the son of Z. K. Matthews, an early leader of the African National Congress.
Her father and grandfather were both charged with treason in 1956, along with
154 other anti-apartheid activists, all of whom, including the Matthews, were
acquitted.
Husband
Naledi is married to Sharif Joseph Pandor. The couple met while
she was studying in Botswana. She had to convert to Islam because of him. She revealed
that she had no reservations about doing that, saying, “My parents said God is
God. As long as you worship Him we will support you, and the Islamic principles
are universal. Certainly, Islam demands much more of you in terms of
observance.”
