Tokyo Sexwale

Mosima Gabriel Sexwale was born on 5 March 1953 in Orlando West, Soweto, the third of six children of Frank and Godlieve Sexwale. He matriculated at Orlando West High School in 1972, and his nickname 'Tokyo' came from his involvement with karate as a young man. In the late 1960s he was part of the Black Consciousness Movement, and in the 1970s he joined the ANC.

Sexwale left South Africa to train for the liberation struggle, and when he returned in 1976 he was captured. He and eleven others were convicted of terrorism and conspiracy to overthrow the government, and in 1977 he was sent to Robben Island, the maximum-security prison where Nelson Mandela was held, to serve an 18-year sentence. He served about thirteen years, studying for a commerce degree and serving on the prisoners' recreation committee, and was released in 1990.

After release he rose quickly in the ANC and was elected to its regional executive in what is now Gauteng. After the 1994 elections he was elected the first premier of the new PWV Province, renamed Gauteng later that year, serving until January 1998, when he chose to leave politics.

Sexwale went into business and founded Mvelaphanda Holdings, whose name is the Venda word for progress. It became one of the most significant Black-owned holding companies in South African history, with interests in mining, energy and resources including diamonds, platinum and gold, and stakes in groups such as Trans Hex and Gold Fields.

He later returned to government as Minister of Human Settlements, served on the board of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and in 2015 made an unsuccessful bid for the FIFA presidency. He is a trustee of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, founder of the Sexwale Family Foundation and the Desmond Tutu Peace Trust, and an honorary colonel in the South African Air Force.