Trevor Manuel, Minister in The Presidency: National Planning Commission, is born

Trevor Andrew Manuel was born in Kensington, Cape Town on 31 January 1956.Manuel first became involved in politics when he joined the Labour Party Youth in 1969 at the encouragement of his father. In 1983, he became one of the founding members of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in the Western Cape, and was appointed regional secretary. In 1985, Manuel was arrested for a month for his activities in the UDF and was banned from attending meetings until 31 August 1990. Following the unbanning of the ANC in 1990, Manuel was appointed as its deputy co-ordinator in the Western Cape and later went on to become head of Economic Planning. In 1996, Manuel was appointed Minister of Finance and held that position until 2009. He was ranked as one of the best performing ministers. He is currently Minister in The Presidency: National Planning Commission, a position he has held since 2009.