BRIG GENL DEACON MATHE

Brigadier General (Ret.) Deacon Sikwibele Mathe is a decorated military veteran, former uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) commander, and accomplished business executive with over four decades of leadership in the public, military, and private sectors.

He was actively involved in the liberation struggle from 1977 to 1994, serving as an MK commander and spending five years imprisoned on Robben Island for his anti-apartheid activities. Following South Africa’s transition to democracy, he integrated into the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and rose to the rank of Brigadier General in 2002. He later completed postgraduate training at the US Naval Military University in Washington DC in Project and Risk Management and retired from active duty in 2009.

His education includes Mechanical Engineering studies in Germany (1989–1994), as well as Advanced Business Management and Public Administration training through a joint program with the University of Oxford, University of Pretoria, and Wits Business School. He also completed an executive leadership program at the US Air Force College.

In the public sector, he has served as National Director of the South African Tooling Initiative (DTI), Senior Advisor to the National Cooperatives Movement, and Stakeholder Manager for the National Tooling Initiative Program (NTIP). He was also Advisor to the Deputy Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism.

General Mathe is the former President of the South African National Military Veterans Association, uniting veterans from MK, APLA, and the SADF. He has also served internationally as Chief of Staff and Chairperson of the International Air Forces Association (2002–2005).

In business, he is CEO of Roshel Investment Holdings (RoshComms), a telecoms infrastructure company, and Managing Director of MOZADAM Civils, a construction firm focused on public sector projects. He is also a director of Mosotho Wa Borwa (MWB Group) and former non-executive director of Tjate Platinum, partnered with Jubilee Platinum (JSE & LSE listed). He was a key contributor in the early development of Cell C and Neotel (now Liquid Telecoms).

Brigadier General Mathe continues to serve on various company boards and trusteeships, advancing projects that combine economic development, infrastructure, and national transformation.