Fébé Potgieter-Gqubule

Fébé Potgieter-Gqubule was Deputy Chief of Staff of the AU Commission, based at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia until March 2017. She was appointed to this position in May 2015, after serving as Advisor for Strategy and Planning to the AU Commission Chairperson, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma since 2012. Prior to joining the African Union, Potgieter-Gqubule was the South African Ambassador and Head of Mission to Warsaw, Poland. Potgieter-Gqubule just completed a six-month term as a member of the Interim Board of the SABC. She also serves on the board of the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflections (www.mistra.org.za), and of the African City Alliance Think Tank. Potgieter-Gqubule worked as NEC Coordinator at the ANC Headquarters from 1998-2004, on the editorial board of the journal Umrabulo, served as a member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress between 2007 and 2012, and before as Executive Member of the ANC Youth League, including as its Secretary General from 1996-1998. She has a Masters degree from Wits University. Potgieter-Gqubule served as a Member of Higher Education Restructuring Reference Group (2003-2004) and chaired the Department of Higher Education’s Community and Adult Education Task team (2011-2012), which produced the DHET report on Community Colleges. She is currently involved in a publishing venture, Khaloza Books (www.khalozabooks.com), which publishes African stories for children and young adults, and promotes writing and reading.